European witchcraft

Molière’s play Tartuffe was written in France during the 17th century. This time is well remembered as the time period in which the Catholic Church had a great deal of power over the censorship of the literature released by authors and playwrights. This was one of many factors that lead Molière to create the famous play Tartuffe. Throughout the play, there are various themes of religious hypocrisy and how religion can be used negatively. The first performance of the play was in 1664, and it…

Tolerance undoubtedly involves “the question of right or wrong.” In fact, one can debate that tolerance is not always the answer to “the question of right or wrong.” For example, those who tolerate racism do not necessarily believe racism is right. However, if those who tolerate racism do not proclaim that racism is wrong, then they will be drowned out by the voices of those who say that racism is right. How will one know that racism is wrong if they never hear racism is wrong? Tolerating evils…

In the beginning of the poem Upon the burning of our house, the speaker is upset and angry at God for burning her house and all her belongings. Anne Bradstreet says in the poem “Yea, so it was and so ‘twas just,/ It was his own; it was not mine./ Far be it that I should repine” (16-18). In this quote, she is saying that everything belongs to God including, her own personal belongings. She starts to calm down knowing that she isn't going to be part of the Elect if she behaves in that manner.…

considered the common magic of which citizens could even see as helpful. With the practice of black magic becoming more common during the Elizabethan period, people began to believe they only had evil intentions. Women became the prime target of the witchcraft accusations throughout…

A slightly different version of the old fairytale, Sleeping Beauty, Disney’s Maleficent tells the story of a young fairy in a forest kingdom that is protecting the land from an invading army. As the young fairy grows up she comes across a human friend named Stefan. Maleficent’s wings are stolen and she is betrayed by her friend in return for being king. Although Maleficent seeks revenge and curses the king's daughter, in the end it is Maleficent that ultimately looks after her and breaks the…

Saint Cecilia is said to have been born in the 2nd or 3d century A.D in Rome. However, the exact dates are unknown. She is believed to have been to daughter of an extremely wealthy Roman family and was a faithful Christian from birth. Cecilia was given in marriage to a pagan named Valerian, but she had vowed her virginity to God, and wore sackcloth, fasted and prayed in hopes of keeping this promise. Saint Cecilia disclosed her wishes to her husband on their wedding night and told him that an…

September V was the start of La Terreur or the Reign of terror. The first victim was none other than Marie Antoinette, after her husband's death and her sons suspicious disappearance, Lady Antoinette was sentenced and condemned to face the guillotines. Thus the start of La Terreur. Executions were considered a learning experience, and women were encouraged to attend and do knitting while they watched in awe. During the revolution 2,400 lost their lives in Paris, across France the number was a…

Baphomet and The Templar Baphomet, a notorious goat devil, whose name occurs from ancient times until today, existed as an enigmatic figure; distinctively, referenced at the trials of the Templar, a medieval order of crusader monks accused of heresy, witchcraft, and other crimes. The Order developed in A.D. 1118 by a nobleman named Hughes de Payens that became the first of a number of ‘Military Orders.’ Indeed, the Templar’s endurance became intimately tied to the crusades during the time the…

The Weeping Lady One of the most famous legends in Guatemala is “The Weeping Lady”, it is about a woman who drowned her children and then started crying and looking for them because she didn’t remember what she did. According to the tale, she is still searching them, and she stoles any child to offset the emptiness of her heart. She appears in different ways and places. People can hear her nearby, far away or sometimes she can attack others, including children and adults. One person tells…

In the article “Shakespeare in The Bush”, Laura Bohannan travels back to West Africa for the second time to live amongst the Bushmen to watch ceremonies. Before she set off for her journey, she was sure and wanted to prove to her colleague that human nature was pretty much the same worldwide and brought Hamlet along with her. Since the swamps continued to rise she couldn’t see the elders perform ceremonies, so all they could do was drink and tell stories. This gave Bohannan the opportunity to…