“women constituted about 80% of the people tried” (956 ). In fact, for a long time women were believed to be the ones capable of conducting magic rather than men ( Clive Holmes 51). Now one may wonder why this notion was accepted by the public? Its acceptance had a great deal to do with the type of magic they perceived witches to wield, which was mainly harmful magic. Brian P. Levack remarks that women were initially targeted as they engaged in activities that would be optimal to cause harm to…
Salem, a small town located in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, in the Puritan time period was shaken when twenty people and two dogs were sentenced to death for crimes that were not even rational. From a peaceful little community Salem had become a town of nightmares in a matter of months. Certain aspects of the Puritan lifestyle could be to blame for the hysteria. The Puritan time period was one of the most interesting, complex, and strangest milestones in early American history. Even after…
Those with magical ability use willpower to perform magic.If an indiviual can get their mind focused upon the target of his spell and think about the effect of the spell to the exclusion of outside stimuli , it will cause his him to direct more magic toward his effort. The levitation charm , requires more willpower throughout the casting of the spell. However , if you dont have enough willpower to make an object move , then nothing happens. The sticking charm's strenght however…
All crazy stories we hear about the Salem Witch Trials today all started on January 1692. This tragic and strange time, although only lasting around a year, this event was a cause of twenty known executions. This was a dark time where the accused would turn on friends and the trials would cause people to give in as declare guilty, just to stop the torturing. Of the twenty known kills from the Salem Witch Trials, almost all were women or young girls. Of the few men that were killed, most were…
The Salem Witch Trials was an excruciatingly violent and depressing time in American history, led by the reactions of a group of girls. Fourty - Fifty thousand people were killed, in all the world, over the course of 300 years because of the thought of them being a witch and worshipping the devil, many before The Salem Witch Trial began. Witchcraft was considered treason, a capital offence, and punishable by death. The Witch Trials were very misogynistic because it was believed that the common…
Is She a Witch? The courtroom was loud with excited voices of women and men gossiping about the people who were about to go on trial. The whole town had shown up for the trial. They were there to accuse the people they had once called their friends and family. They were afraid of what had happened in town. The town’s people did not want to be accused of being witches themselves. One of the judges looked out into the crowd and yelled for everyone to quiet down. The other judge announced that…
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…
In Bailey’s article, he describes superstition according to early Christian and medieval writers as “a serious error” (Bailey, pg. 633). Through a theological lens, superstition was seen as religion that was “observed beyond proper measure” (Bailey, pg. 633). In other words, there was a great fear of actions that worshiped or had an association with demons. In addition, there was a belief that charms and spells, despite being corrupted means, would have the efficacy to end in real results. In…
The earliest explanation that was offered about the causation of the Witch Trials was that there was a real presence of witchcraft at large in Salem. Many historians who were writing at this time must have had the belief in both witchcraft and the Devil, which would explain why they believed that this was a logical and acceptable explanation as to why the Witch Trials occurred. This theory is ultimately the result of the personal context of historians, which has affected how this event was…
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the term superstition can be defined as “a widely held but irrational belief in supernatural influences, leading to good or bad luck” (Oxford 2012). It is said to be a practice based on such belief resulting from fear of the unknown. The role of superstition in Lives of the Saints written by Nino Ricci controls the society of a small town called Valle del Sole, as the villager’s main beliefs revolve around the practice of superstition. Thus, Nino Ricci’s…