Black magic

putting a curse upon an innocent individual. Interestingly enough, the word actually stems from the German word “hexe” which translates to “witch” and “hexen” which means “to practice witchcraft.” The first instance of hex being used as a noun meaning “magic spell” was recorded in 1909. In the Pennsylvania Dutch community, hex signs are commonly seen painted on barns and homes as both decoration and as a symbol for protection. However, this is debated and there seems to be some crossover in the…

Reverend Parris wants peace to be made throughout the story and everyone to be certain with their choices. Abagail also aims to protect her reputation throughout the play. She uses the threat “either of you breath a word…. I will come for you in the black of some terrible night. Puritan religion was very strict, and with the Crucible, the adultery was set out to be one of the worst crime a person could…

Magic, defined by Merriam-Webster, is “an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural force”. Realism, defined by Merriam-Webster, is “the quality of being very much like real life”. By taking these two definitions into consideration, the idea of magical realism seems quite contradictory. Magic and supernatural force should not go hand in hand with the real world, right? That idea, however, is incorrect, as magical realism successfully incorporates the characteristics of magic…

Witchcraft and lynching: two punishments that are still occurring whether or not society as a whole wants to acknowledge it. Sometimes, witchcraft and lynching go together when speaking of violence against women. Witchcraft is defined as using sorcery or magic to communicate with the devil or some similar spirit, often called dark spirits (“Witchcraft,” n.d.). Lynching would be when an individual is executed, normally by means of hanging from a noose, by a group of people—this often will…

What is a witch? According to Webster’s Dictionary witchcraft is, “the use of sorcery or magic.” By this definition, the term “witch” has been misused and misunderstood throughout history. Often considered a taboo subject, nothing stirs the pot quite like witchcraft. An in-depth study of witchcraft can help one to understand the mystique that surrounds it. European Witch Hunts (1300-1600) Witch hunts occurred long before the Salem witch trials. As Jess Blumberg from Smithsonian Magazine…

Middle Age Superstition and Legend In the Middle Ages life was very different from today. Superstitions and legends were a key difference. During the Middle Ages superstition and legend heavily influenced day to day life and rituals. Witches, common superstitions, mythical creatures, and Arthurian legend each affected life in their own way. Each of these things were truly believed in, and this belief brought fear, hope, and excitement into people’s lives. During the Middle Ages witches were…

She was raised as a Catholic from birth to age seventeen, although she learned about Wicca and started practicing magic at age sixteen. She studied Buddhism briefly at age seventeen, and then she was a non-denominational Christian from age eighteen to twenty-four. From age twenty-four to twenty-seven, she was a Christo-pagan, which is a Wiccan who holds basic Christian…

The Salem Witch Trials began during the spring of 1962 after a group of young girls in Salem Village, MA, said they were being possessed by the devil and accused local women of witchcraft. With chaos running around the village, the special court began taking on cases. Bridget Bishop, the first convicted witch, was hanged in that June month. Belief that the devil could give certain humans, witches, power to harm others in return for their loyalty emerged throughout europe as early as the 14th…

Do you believe in Satan, the devil, or even witches? In the years 1692-1693, in a town called Salem, two-hundred people were accused of being witches, and twenty of those people were executed. Many other places such as England were very religious at the time. The Witch Trials were caused by the fear of the devil and anyone associated with him. Not only were women incriminated as witches, men were accused too. Modern day witch hunts continue to be a superlative example of man’s inhumanity to man,…

How do poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon present their ideas of war in their poems, Exposure and Does It Matter? Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon are two famous war time poets, who conveyed their first-hand experiences of war through the form of poems to enlighten people towards the reality of war, as shown in “Exposure” and “Does It Matter?”. Exposure is an emotionally powerful poem that expresses the reality of the brutal weather conditions that were endured by the soldiers in the…