Witches Part 4 - Witch Hunting

Whenever people think of historical witches, they think of the Salem Witch Trials, usually. But the fact is, witches have been hunted since forever. In fact, originally, witchdoctors were not doctors who were witches, but, according to Wikipedia, "one who diagnoses and cures maladies caused by witches". In fact, some witch hunts continue even today. For example, in Ghana they actually have witch camps where the accused 'witches' can flee for safety.

But to give an early history of witch hunting... Witch hunting really didn't get much of a start in Europe until the 1400's. Around then the document Mallus Maleficarum came into being. According to one source (which for one reason I thought was Wikipedia, but isn't) said, " The main purpose of the Mallus was to attempt to systematically refute arguments claiming that witchcraft does not exist, discredit those who expressed skepticism about its reality, to claim witches were more often women than men, and to educate magistrates on the procedures that could find them out and convict them." Wikipedia entry.
This document basically became the handbook for hunting witches... a nasty piece of work. By the 1500's witchcraft hysteria began to rise. And worse, with the Reformation, witch hunts actually increased. Near the end of that century, King James VI himself authorized the torture of suspected witches. It brings back to me that whole scene from Monty Python again.

No one really survives once accused. The most famous test is to strip a woman, bind her hands and legs and throw her into water. If she floats, she's a witch. If she drowns she isn't. Unfortunately, she ends up dead either way. Here is a list of more tests in more detail. Let it be said, back then you were not innocent until proven guilty.

The witch trials did not really end. We'd like to think they did. But they tend to slow down and rise up depending on the hysteria of the area. For example, the Enlightenment in the 1680's was attributed for ending most of the witch trials in Europe, but it flared up in the Americas. Of course the most famous of those were the Salem Witch Trials.

The Salem Witch Trials took place in 1692 and has been the subject of much speculation. Were the girls faking it? That is how it is portrayed in The Crucible. Also in The Devil in Massachusetts. This is what the History Channel has to say on it.

Ok... But there were other theories that maybe the girls weren't faking it. That their 'antics' were in fact not antics, but Ergot poisoning. Ergot is basically the natural , fungal, formation of LSD which often happens to rye when the conditions are too moist. Since people back then believed in witches they decided to blame the events on witches. Some people think their convulsions may have been caused by Lyme Disease. But most modern explainers agree that it wasn't witches.

Now, as I said, witch hunting still continues on today. And I don't mean the metaphorical witch hunts such as looking for Communists or people to blame for something or other. I mean people still seeking and burning witches. Here are a few I found on the net.

in New Gunea, here also.
In Kenya.
In Gambia.
In India.
In Saudi Arabia.
In Nepal.

Freaky huh. I shows human nature does not change much. The hunts just shift.

The real question now comes up.... Is witchcraft real? Or is it just a superstition or Halloween thing? For those in America, it may be the Wiccan Religion. Or it may be a green-faced hag from the Wizard of OZ. It feels safer for most to mythologize it.

So, let's mythologize it for now with this...

Merry Christmas.
Next installment will look more at where modern witchcraft came from.