This was a time of immense upheaval. For the people living there, the world was literally ending. In such an environment of existential dread, spiritual intermediaries—shamans or "witches"—would have held immense power.
Archaeological evidence from across Europe suggests that Mesolithic peoples used antlers, skulls, and carved wood in rituals. Imagine, then, the Mask Witches of Doggerland. Their masks were likely crafted from the materials of their sinking world: the hollowed skulls of the giant aurochs, the bleached jawbones of wolves, and the carved wood of submerged forests. Mask Witches Of Forgotten Doggerland
These masks served a dual purpose. First, they were tools of prophecy. As the waters rose, the Witches would don their masks to commune with the spirits of the deep. In a trance state, induced by local flora or rhythmic drumming, they would seek answers to the ultimate question: Where do we go when the land is gone? This was a time of immense upheaval
Legend suggests they developed a unique magic: "water-breathing" and "mud-walking." Their masks were sealed with amber and pitch, allowing them to walk the shrinking coastlines and venture into the deepening fens. They became amphibious beings, comfortable in the half-light of the underwater forests. While the "Mask Witches" are largely a construct of modern myth-making, they are rooted in tantalizing archaeological clues. These masks served a dual purpose
Second, the masks were psychological armor. To survive in a drowning world, one had to possess a spirit harder than stone. The Mask Witches adopted the visages of predators to intimidate the chaotic forces of nature, standing on the shoreline screaming incantations against the rising tide, a futile but defiant gesture against the apocalypse. In speculative folklore, the Mask Witches are often depicted not as malevolent figures, but as tragic guardians. As Doggerland shrank to the island of Dogger Bank, the population was forced into a mass migration. The Mask Witches, according to some interpretations of the myth, refused to leave.
Why would they stay? The answer lies in the concept of the "Great Below." The Mask Witches believed that the rising waters were not just a natural disaster, but a spiritual transgression. The sea was swallowing the ancestors, the burial grounds, and the sacred hearths. These witches stayed behind to anchor the spirit of the land, ensuring that the memories of the drowned plains were not lost to the abyss.
We can imagine the Doggerland witches wearing masks fashioned after the great cranes and swans of the marshes. These "Bird Witches" would lead the rituals of the dead, singing the souls of the drowned across the dark water to the safety of the afterlife.