Historiographical Review: Witchcraft When studying witch craft over the past 500 years or so, authors have covered a lot of material. , the In Carlo Ginzburg’s work, The Night Battles: Witchcraft and Agrarian Cults in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century, he attempts to locate the origin of the ‘Benandanti’ belief and how it came to be in the Friuli region of Italy. The Benandanti were a group of people who believed that during the Ember Days of the year, after they fell asleep, that their souls left their bodies and went off to fight witches in the night. Ginzburg goes into great detail on the many trials associated with the benandanti during this time. In Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum’s work, Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft,
There are several incidences in history when someone was accused of witchcraft. Maybe they didn’t have anything to do with witchcraft but if someone said it, everyone believed them. Some many people’s lives were taken because of something they didn’t do not had a part in. From June – September 1692, 19 men and women have been convicted of witchcraft. They were carted to Gallows Hill, a barren slope near Salem Village for hanging.
Telling fortunes, showing peoples faces in glasses, enchantments, and healing the sick are some of the things people who practiced witchcraft claimed to be able to do. New Englanders often turned to people who could do these things for favors and referred to them as "cunning folk" (pg.107). The New Englanders didn't see any harm in using their occult powers for there own good, when in fact these people were in contact with the devil. They did not see it that way but they were indeed risking being banished to hell.
The play The Crucible written by Arthur Miller, is a story that takes place in Salem during the time when witches were real. The story of these people accusing each other of witchcraft to cover up their own story of attempting witchcraft which leads to innocent people being hanged for something they are not. Those people would rather die than to lie about confessing they have been with the Devil, because only cowards lie and the brave keep to the truth till the end. John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth is accused of witchcraft by Abigail. Because John rejected
At some point during the 15th century, Witchcraft was a normal part of everyday life. Witches accompanied religious ministers to help the ill or to deliver a baby. They were regarded as having spiritual power in their communities. When something went wrong, no one questioned the ministers or the power of the witchcraft. Instead, they questioned whether the witch intended to inflict harm or not.
Young girls had been accused of practicing witchcraft. Witchcraft is the belief in the supernatural. Specifically, beliefs of the devil giving certain
Many of the characters get overly worked up in the possibility of evil spirits and such ideas that they forget the other half of their belief that tells them that there is a God looking down upon them and protecting them. It is human nature to stress about the bad to the point where all good is blocked out, even if it overpowers the bad. It is very possible that people would bend their own wills through witchcraft out of fear. It is human nature to try to pick the lesser of two evils, in this society, witchcraft is the ultimate evil, and even though it is just an illusion, the citizens are frightened of the repercussions of not admitting to witchcraft and being hung. This can be found in the instance where Tituba is found guilty.
”-page 4. I think this best describes the town people when it comes to witchcraft. God can send you a message about your wrongdoings but when it becomes more than a message and and more of a physical act that is evil, there is much more too
Several centuries ago, many practicing Christians, and those of other religions, had a strong belief that the Devil could give certain people known as witches the power to harm others in return for their loyalty. A “witchcraft craze” rippled through
The secular courts created laws and statues that defined witchcraft as a crime along with procedures on how to prosecute witches. Once the threat, based on shared understanding, was promulgated though the various levels of society the judicial machinery could take over and legally try witches. With a framework in place to handle witchcraft trials at all levels, the template of identifying witches in use, and a fearful populace seeking an outlet in turbulent times all it would take are trigger events to set witch hunts in motion. Wars, religious conflicts, and localized political issues factored into creating fear and anxiety because it created unstable situations that impacted people’s lives. Economic hardship stemming from drought, famine, limited resources for a growing population, and other natural disasters needed an explanation (Levack, 2016).
Witchery's a hangin' error, a hangin…We must tell the truth, Abby! You'll only be whipped for dancin', and the other things” (Act One .144-147) Justice contain punishment for witchcraft for example dancing in the forest. When Reverend Parris caught the girls dancing in the
"In an ordinary crime, how does one defend the accused? One calls up witnesses to prove his innocence. But witchcraft is, ipso facto, on its face and by its nature, an invisible crime, is it not? Therefore, who may possibly be a witness to it? The witch and the victim.
Witchcraft (or "The Craft") is a separate practice not tied to Wicca or any spirituality. Anyone of any faith - Christian, Buddhist, Islamic, etc - may study or practice Witchcraft and that does not make them a Wiccan. Witches may practice without any religious or spiritual beliefs at all working with pure energy that they view as just energy and not anything divine.
As I said, what they possibly though were witchcraft back then could be something treatable by now. Unlike in 1690’s, they didn’t have proof to back their hypothesis that it was bewitching. But now that the reason behind the said incidents were already established and proved wrong by people who studied what might have happened back then. People might still believe witchcraft does exist in present time solely because they have no idea that it might just be an illness that they had no idea about. That the reaction of people around toward something can affect greatly on how things can be
On the other hand, when someone does something punishable, it is not taken lightly. In fact, that person suffers severe consequences because he or she is believed to be overtaken by evil spirits. To fully understand witchcraft amongst the Cherokee, one has to realize that using medicine, conjuring, and witchcraft have remained an integral part of Cherokee culture even up to the present day (Cherokee Indian Religion). They have used medication as a whole to help with healing people within their
