Maleficium

For many years I thought that I was being too picky about my romantic relationships. Being outspoken and an independent thinker, I am unlikely to ever find a partner whose political, spiritual and recreational appetites match my own. Although, in trying to be very non-judgmental and accepting of others I went overboard in my tolerance. Everyone has flaws, but what is too much to overlook? I had no clue, until experiencing two very unhealthy relationships, which have shocked me to the core, growing old alone is not something to be dreaded. A loss of perspective, self, emotional well-being and general safety, just out of wanting for companionship, is much more devastating. Honestly, I do not feel that I will ever be able to fully trust a person again in my life, especially not a man. I was always a trusting and forgiving person, but have morphed into a suspicious and panicked woman. Even after a year I still carry a burden of dread. Someone, whom I trusted fully, loved and planned to marry, wore me down to a shell of a person in under three years. All the while he looked like the victim. Things started out fine. One of our first expedition dates was enjoying a four hour wild cave tour, climbing and crawling through the clay muck, shimmying around steep drop-offs that led only into blackness and crabwalking our way into passages, for fun. We took hikes to mountain overlooks, went on day fishing trips and kayaking. We watched many movies, cuddled and breathed in the scent of…

Lilly Stepped in the classroom. All students were looking at her awkwardly. She sat on the first chair beside a girl because she was only one who offered her seat. She was wearing spectacle and reading her notes. Some other students were babbling about Lilly and making fun of her. She inclined her eyes and trying to ignore them. “Hi! I am Jennifer” said that Girl “and Whats your name?” “I am Lilly, I am a new student here.” said Lilly. “Good Morning Class, Please sit down on your chairs” said…

This essay illustrates many factors in Kent’s theory that address the witchcraft accusation is about belief of witches instead of misogynistic persecution of women. The analysis will include three claims that Kent makes in his argument. Specifically, the three major reasons the accusation of witchcraft is not female-targeted are: men have power over women and the society as a whole, and they manipulate such power; second, as well as women, men are also influenced by maleficium, and they practice…

Masculinity and Male Witches in Old and New England by E. J. Kent reveals the important role male witches have played throughout history. There is significantly less historical information about male witches, and what is written fuels the idea of toxic masculinity as well as demonizes women. Kent comes to the conclusion that the primary causation of male witch erasure is the historical tendency to associate witchcraft with maleficium---or the employment of dark and evil magic, often by jealous…

“The Visible and Invisible Worlds of Salem” describes the mysterious troubles experienced in Salem Village during the winter of 1691-1692 (Davidson & Lytle, 2005, p. 25). Accusations of witchcraft led to the death of twenty individuals. Reverend Samuel Parris’ daughter and niece came down with afflictions. The girls appeared to have pains, pricks, and convulsions. Many individuals, mostly women, were imprisoned. This forced them to defend themselves through forceful interrogation…

transcript of her trial, in which she was found guilty and ultimately ended in her execution. Her case acts as an example, depicting one of the immense amount of witch trials that occurred in early modern Europe that led to over forty-thousand executed between the 15th and 19th centuries (O’Neill, Lecture, 10/31/17). Throughout this period, the attitudes involving witches were complex in nature due to the circumstances of society. Anneke’s trial exemplifies this by showing how the common people…

the scholastics. If Adam could have become a father without the help of Eve, God would have had no need of making Eve. Eve was made for Eve. Furthermore, the Wiesber-Hanks text mentions that scholastics mention hymns were written in honor of the Virgin Mary. The purity of Virgin Mary was a complete contrast in comparison to Eve and her role in the Original Sin. The text, Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe mentions the reasons for the occurrence and practice of the witch craft. One of the main…

The author Martin of Arles talks about superstition, but also frivolously mentions the maleficium which can be translated to, “malevolent sorcery” or in other words, witchcraft. Despite the slight shift of focus on witchcraft in the fifteenth century, there is a lot of similarity from classical and early Christian definitions. This is due to the fact that the concept of superstition preceded the fifteenth century and has origins in antiquity and “excessive or improper devotional or divinatory…

Perhaps Mary Easty’s warrant had not come as a surprise; the notion that sin ran through lineage was a popular belief among Puritans, and had affected many others before it afflicted Mary Easty and her sisters, Rebecca Nurse and Sarah Cloyse. It was Rebecca who was the first sister to be accused of witchcraft, followed shortly by Mary whose warrant for arrest came not even a full month after she petitioned for her sister and rebuked the claims of the “Afflicted” girls. While chiefly accused by…

young girl who becomes possessed, the confession of Mary Tyler who had significant influence from male authority figures, and the confession of Alice Lake who admitted to not being a witch, but was hanged for her other sins can be used to make the connection between gender roles and their effects on the witchcraft ideology. Through these assessments, the severity of the influence of gender constructs on the witchcraft outbreak can be clearly seen. European Roots Before the settlements began in…