Witchcraft In The Middle Ages

Flashback to the medieval ages where the outcasts of all outcasts resided. Of course, this is not where it all started because living organisms have been exiled since the beginning of time. After all, the runts of the litter are the first to die. However, the thirteenth century had a more mystical group of outcasts known as witches. They were thought to be evil beings who practiced magic and were said to have worshipped the devil. Those suspected of witchcraft were seen as unholy and as a threat that needed to be eliminated. Typically the widowed, defenseless, and usually mentally or physically disabled were accused of being witches. Strange to think that these so-called witches were outcasted over reasons they had no control over. This specific time in history had some very …show more content…
It must have seemed logical at the time to drown the accused to prove if they, in fact, a witch. If the accused drowned then they were not a witch because only witches could survive according to medieval logic. There was no other explanation for why a person could survive drowning without using magic. Either way, they were killed by water or fire and the witch hunt continued (“The European Witch Hunts”). In present time people with physical or mental disabilities are not typically burned at the stake, but there still seems to be a ring of fire keeping the imperfect from the circle of normalcy.
However, the term ‘disability’ or ‘illness’ seems to be reason enough to make a person an outcast. Mental health is one the most controversial topics or at the very least relates to some of the most controversial topics