The belief in magic, divination, and the use of magic to influence personal well-being are universal to every human culture. However, it can also be viewed as the scapegoat to explain the occurrence of otherwise random misfortunes such as sickness or death, whereas the witch becomes an image of evil. In many cases the people who were suspected to be witches were older women without relatives who could protect them, and against women who were perhaps a little bit weird in the public eye. Either way witches and witchcraft were just a convenient scapegoat for people who experienced some misfortune.
The Witch Hunts were a fruit of premodern Western society's irrational fear of magic and mentality that witchcraft is associated with heresy and the worship of the Devil.
From the 14th through the 18th century, witches were believed to repudiate Jesus Christ, to selling their souls to Satan, to work with demons to accomplish magical goals, It was also believed that they rode through the air at night to “sabbats” (secret meetings), where they engaged in sexual orgies and even had sex with Satan; that they changed shapes (from human to animal or different humans); that they often had “familiar spirits” in the form of animals; and that they kidnapped and murdered children to eat them or use their fat for magical ointments. Although some witches undoubtedly practiced sorcery with malevolent intentions and some did worship Satan most of these accusations were a work of fiction.
The witch hunts varied in place and time, but all held a common theological worldview.
Between 1400 to 1782, between 40,000 and 60,000 people were burned at the stake, of which roughly 80% were women, and most often over the age of 40.
During the medieval period, there was a widespread belief in magic across Christian Europe. The medieval Roman Catholic Church, which then dominated, divided magic into two forms—natural magic, which was acceptable because it was viewed as taking note of the powers in nature that were created by God, and demonic magic, which was frowned upon and associated with Satan.
It was also during this period that the concept of Satan, the Biblical Devil, began to develop into a more threatening form.
During the late 12th and the 13th centuries, and during the late medieval period, the idea of witchcraft or sorcery gradually changed and became more and more Satanic. One turning point of it all was the Black Death of 1348–1350, which killed a large percentage of the European population. It was then that witchcraft started becoming the scapegoat of misfortunes, as according to many Christians this disaster had been caused by evil, demonic forces and witches.
While the idea of witchcraft and the persecution of heretics began to mix in the 14th century, the beginning of the witch hunts as a phenomenon became apparent during the first half of the 15th century in southeastern France and western Switzerland and reached its the peak during the period of the European wars of religion, between 1580 and 1630.
During this time the most significant area of witch-hunting in modern Europe is often considered to be central and southern Germany. The first major persecution in Europe, when witches were caught, convicted, and burned is in southwestern Germany, recorded in 1563 in a pamphlet called "True and Horrifying Deeds of 63 Witches". Witchcraft persecution spread to all areas of Europe, including Scotland and even in northern Norway.
In Denmark, the burning of witches increased due to the reformation of 1536. Christian IV of Denmark encouraged this practice, and because of that hundreds of people were convicted and burnt.
In northern Norway, severe witchcraft trials took place during the period 1600–1692.
In England, the Witchcraft Act of 1542 regulated the penalties for witchcraft.
In the North Berwick witch trials in Scotland, over 70 people were accused of witchcraft on account of bad weather as James VI of Scotland shared the Danish king's interest in witch trials. Later, the Pendle witch trials of 1612 joined the ranks of the most famous witch trials in English history.
Hopkins the Witchfinder general
From 1644 to 1647 In England the witch hunts reach their apex with the efforts of the Puritan Matthew Hopkins. Calling himself the Witchfinder general and acting without an official Parliament commission, Hopkins' witch hunt was brief but significant as 300 convictions and deaths were attributed only to his work. The Witchfinding general even wrote a book describing his methods of extraction of a confession and his tests on the accused and the beginning of his journey as a witch hunter. In his book he describes the stripping of a witch to find a mark, the "swimming test" where he ties them to chair and throws them into the water to see if they'll float, and pricking the skin. The "swimming" test was discontinued in 1645 due to a legal challenge.
The 1647 book, The Discovery of Witches, soon became an influential legal text. The book was used in the American colonies since May 1647, when Margaret Jones was executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts, the first of 17 people executed for witchcraft in the Colonies from 1647 to 1663.
North America and the Salem witch trials
Witch-hunts began to occur in North America while Hopkins was hunting witches in England. The first accusations of witchcraft in America began in 1645 in Springfield, Massachusetts, when husband and wife Hugh and Mary Parsons accused each other of witchcraft. Hugh was found innocent, while Mary was sentenced to be hanged as punishment for the death of her child and later she died in prison.
The Salem witch trials followed in 1692–1693.
The Salem witch trials is one of the most notorious cases of mass hysteria in Colonial America. It is often used in literature and politics as a tale about religious extremism, false accusations, the danger of being in isolation and the lapses in the process. Many historians believe that the effects of the trials have been highly influential for America's history as they are also considered the stepping stone of the crushing of the theocracy.
It is believed that it all started when English rulers William and Mary started a war with France in the American colonies. Known as King William's War to colonists. They ravaged regions of upstate New York, Nova Scotia and Quebec, sending refugees into the county of Essex and, specifically, Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (Salem Village is present-day Danvers). Because these displaced people created a strain on Salem's resources the existing rivalry between wealthy families and those depending on agriculture deepened. Reverend Samuel Parris became the first minister of Salem and was severely disliked as he was rigid and greedy in nature, this dislike bred controversy on its way. Thus the all the quarrelling and misfortune became unbearable and were soon defined as the work of the Devil.
Reverend Parris' daughter Elizabeth, age 9, and niece Abigail Williams, age 11, started having "fits" - they screamed, threw things, made weird noises and their bodies would contort involuntary, and a local doctor blamed the supernatural. Under pressure from magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne, the girls blamed three women for cursing them: Tituba, the Parris' Caribbean slave; Sarah Good, a homeless beggar; and Sarah Osborne, an elderly impoverished woman. All three women were brought before the magistrates and were interrogated for several days starting on March 1, 1692. Osborne and Good plead innocent. Tituba on the other hand confessed that the Devil came to her and bid her to serve him. She describes vivid images of black dogs red cats, yellow birds and a black man who wanted her to sign his book, and she did. What she also said was that there were other witches coming to destroy the Puritans. All three women were put in jail, but paranoia started to grow and accusations started flying everywhere.
Charges were pressed against a loyal member of the Church in Salem - Martha Corey which made people think that if even she could be a witch then anyone can be, which disturbed the village even more. The Magistrates even questioned Sarah Good's 4-year-old daughter, Dorothy, and her answers were considered as a confession. In April when Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth and his assistants attended the hearings the questioning got more serious as dozens of people from Salem and other Massachusetts villages were brought in for questioning.
On May 27, 1692, Governor William Phipps ordered the establishment of a Special Court of Oyer (to hear) and Terminer (to decide) for Suffolk, Essex and Middlesex counties. The first case brought to this special court was Bridget Bishop, an older woman known for her habit of gossiping and her promiscuity. Of course she plead not guilty, but the defense was weak and she was found guilty and on June 10 she became the first person to be hanged on the later called Gallows Hill.
Five days later, minister Cotton Mather wrote a letter asking the court to not consider testimonies about dreams and visions. The court, however, ignored this request and five people were sentenced and hanged in July, five more in August and eight in September.
On October 3, following in his son's footsteps, All three women were brought before the local magistrates and interrogated for several days, starting on March 1, 1692. Osborne claimed innocence, as did Good. But Tituba confessed, "The Devil came to me and bid me serve him." She described elaborate images of black dogs, red cats, yellow birds and a "black man" who wanted her to sign his book. She admitted that she signed the book and said there were several other witches looking to destroy the Puritans. All three women were put in jail.
With the seed of paranoia planted, a stream of accusations followed for the next few months. Charges against Martha Corey, a loyal member of the Church in Salem Village, greatly concerned the community; if she could be a witch, then anyone could. Magistrates even questioned Sarah Good's 4-year-old daughter, Dorothy, and her timid answers were construed as a confession. The questioning got more serious in April when Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth and his assistants attended the hearings. Dozens of people from Salem and other Massachusetts villages were brought in for questioning.
On May 27, 1692, Governor William Phipps ordered the establishment of a Special Court of Oyer (to hear) and Terminer (to decide) for Suffolk, Essex and Middlesex counties. The first case brought to the special court was Bridget Bishop, an older woman known for her gossipy habits and promiscuity. When asked if she committed witchcraft, Bishop responded, "I am as innocent as the child unborn." The defense must not have been convincing, because she was found guilty and, on June 10, became the first person hanged on what was later called Gallows Hill.
Five days later, respected minister Cotton Mather wrote a letter asking the court to not consider true testimonies about dreams and visions. The court ignored this request and five people were sentenced and hanged in July, five more in August and eight in September.
On October 3, following in his son's footsteps, Increase Mather, president of Harvard, denounced the use of spectral evidence. In response to this Governor Phipps prohibited further arrests, released many accused witches including his wife and dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer on October 29. The Governor replaced it with a Superior court of Judicature, which forbade spectral evidence and only condemned 3 out of 59 defendants. Eventually he pardoned all who were in prison for witchcraft by May 1693, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted.
However, the damage had been done: 19 were hanged on Gallows Hill, a 71-year-old man was pressed to death with heavy stones, several people died in jail and nearly 200 people, overall, had been accused of practicing "the Devil's magic."
Ever since then the story of the trials signifies paranoia and injustice.
Not all witch trials have been known, some were carried out by vigilantes, who may or may not have executed their victims. In Scotland, for example, peasant women were blamed for cattle murrains and were punished as witches. Some records say that there was a sort of an emergency procedure for when there were no judicial authorities, called "scoring above the breath" which was basically slashing across a woman's forehead in order to remove the power of her magic.
The Witch hunt and women
Across New England, where witch trials occurred from 1638 until 1725, women outnumbered men - 78% of alleged witches were female. If and when men were face with allegations of witchcraft it was because they were connected in some way to accused women - husbands or brothers of alleged female witches.
In the deeply religious Puritan community of New England the society thought of women as child-bearers, housewives and at service of their men. Puritans also believed that similar to Eve and the sinful apple in Eden, women in general are more likely to bee seduced by the Devil and of course were less intelligent than men.
When women stepped outside these mentioned above prescribed roles, they became targets. Everything was suspicious - too many money, too little money, too many children, too few children everything could have meant they had a deal with Satan.
However, many modern scholars argue that the witch hunts cannot be explained only as an expression of misogyny, as women were frequently accused by other women, to the point that witch hunts were described as being driven primarily by “women’s quarrels.”
Furthermore, in Iceland, Finland, Estonia, and Russia, the majority of those who were accused were male. Still people in the Middle ages found more value in males as they were the work force and still they found women more inclined to invest themselves in evil witchcraft and satanic worship and thus, women were seen as witches more often.
Luckily the madness ended
Blessed be Witches~
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