The Pros And Cons Of Being A Witch

Witches. What comes to mind when someone says that word? Many people think of the green, old ugly hags that are shown in cartoons from their childhood. Or, perhaps they think of the powers the witches wield; like their control over the elements, shape-shifting, illusions, and so many more. Yet, is what people learn from the cartoons, horror films, and books really the truth? Who are the witches? Are they just ugly, old hags or did they have a different appearance? What kinds of powers do they really have? And, how many people died for being a witch?

The word witch is derived from the old English word Wicca and the English word bewitch. Yet, the word Wicca does not mean witchcraft. According to Jeffery Russel, a history professor at the University

Within the century, witch hunts were fairly common. Dan Brown mentioned Malleus Maleficarum in his novel The Da Vinci Code, “Malleus Maleficarum, or The Witches' Hammer – indoctrinated the world to "the dangers of freethinking women" and instructed the clergy how to locate, torture, and destroy them. Those deemed "witches" by the Church included all female scholars, priestesses, gypsies, mystics, nature lovers, herb gatherers, and any women "suspiciously attuned to the natural world". (Brown) Malleus Maleficarum was a guide to identifying, hunting, and interrogating witches. The prosecutions were made by not just the church but the whole Christian community. Many witches confessed, most while being tortured, were hung or burned at the stake. Dan Brown also says his belief on the numbers killed from the trails, “During three hundred years of witch hunts, the Church burned at the stake an astounding five million women”. (Brown) Dan brown’s number are extremely farfetched compared to reality. The people killed from the witch trial were not all women either “Between the 1500 and 1600s, up to 80,000 suspected witches were killed. 80% were thought to be in cahoots with the devil himself and were filled with lust. The highest death toll was in Germany and the lowest was in Ireland. As the witch hysteria calmed in Europe, it spread like wildfire in New World”. (History.com: History of Witches) Here are three well known witch

The swimming test or also known as the ducking test, tested weather the accused person would sink or float. The person was stripped, bound, and then tossed into the nearest body of water. A witch would bob on the surface and an innocent person would sink. There was the ducking stool as well, this stool was attached to a long piece of wood that allowed the stool to be moved up or down in the water. “Many accidental deaths occurred with this test”. (Andrew) The touch test, an evildoer (someone who had fits or spells) would be touched by an accused witch. If the evildoer reacted then the person was a witch, if not they were innocent. The devil’s mark test was a search on the witch’s body for any unsightly blemishes that indicated a pact with the devil. “The blemishes included any moles, scars, or anything else that was labeled unsightly”.