In addition, some very large cosmic objects are related: the comets Encke and Rudnicki, the asteroids Oljato, Hephaistos, and about 100 others. He claimed that he was initiated into a New Forest coven of witches which was the survival of a pre-Christian pagan witch cult. Men like Newton, Bacon, Boyle, Locke and Hobbes firmly believed in the reality of evil spirits and witches. B. Russell said:Witchcraft and witches have existed throughout ­history though in a context completely different from that which came to be understood during the crusade against witches. It is interesting to compare the description of what these ancient witches were said to be doing with the activities of ancient Si­berian shamans.