Witches, Witchcraft, and Witch Hunts - Blogs

       For my last blog, I am basing it off of my total curiosity. I googled “how to be a witch”, and went on a deep dive of what the internet has to offer. One of the first links that popped up is to a site called Wicca Academy. This site claims it can teach you how to become a witch, and offers classes such as Wicca 101. Even more, upon completing certain courses, you can earn Wicca degrees. To become a first degree wiccan, you need only to complete the first three courses of the Wicca Academy. They include education on magical signs, herbs and crystals, Wiccan holidays, dream interpretation, symbolism, and lucid dreaming. After completing the videos for these courses, you also have to complete the quizzes with a passing grade. The website offers courses up to becoming a third degree wiccan. Wicca Academy offers a few free things, but beyond that you must have a subscription. They offer an $8 monthly subscription, $39 monthly subscription. or $333 for a lifetime me...

       All semester long, I have been interested in the legal aspect of the Salem Witch Trials. To me, it seems that the United States legal system dramatically failed those accused of witchcraft. I was interested in comparing the legal system used to try those individuals, versus the legal system we know today, and to get a better idea of the history behind the legal system. When the Salem Witch Trials first started, Governor William Phips had to make a quick decision on how the accused would be tried. He decided to create a special court to try the accused witches, and this court was known as the Court of Oyer and Terminer, which means “to hear and determine”. That court looks quite different from the courts we know today, however some of the legal language remains, as the phrase “oyez, oyez, oyez” begins proceedings in the US Supreme Court.  Of course, one huge difference between the legal system that tried the accused witches and the one today is the...

      This week, I ran into a game inspired by the Salem Witch Trials. This prompted me to think if there were other games out there relating to the same thing. So I went on a deep internet search of games that have something to do with Salem or witches. This blog is about what all I found.      The original game that peeked my interest in this topic is called Salem 1692. It can be purchased for $24.99 on Amazon ( Salem 1692 ). The basic premise of the game is each player draws a card and is given a character from Salem. Such characters include Abigail Williams, John Proctor, Sarah Good, Mary Warren, and more. There are other cards you draw, and if you draw a "witch" card your goal is to eliminate all non-witch players from the game. Everyone else's goal is to find the witches and get rid of them. There are also kill cards, constable cards, a conspiracy card, and more. It is indeed an interesting concept for a "fun" game, seeing as though it is based off of...

      This week I watched The Crucible for the first time, since my group is presenting on it later this week. I have to say, I'm glad I had not seen the film yet because I think I could appreciate it more after learning more about witchcraft and the Salem Witch Trials from a historically accurate source. I think I would have been much more confused and less critical had I seen this film before taking this class. After watching The Crucible, I became more interested in the extent to which it is historically accurate, and the overall history of how it came to be. So that is what I will dive into in this blog.      The Crucible was originally a play, written by Arthur Miller. It debuted on Broadway in January of 1953, then was adapted into film in 1996. While the play is obviously based on the Salem Witch Trials, Miller also wrote the play as an allegory for the Red Scare which took place in the 1940s and 1950s. Apparently, Miller saw some similarities betwee...

      As we have been reading and discussing more about what happened in Salem, I have become increasingly interested in Samuel Parris. Especially after Dr. Williams suggested that Parris might be the man most responsible for the Salem Witch Trials. So for this blog, I wanted to dive more into who Samuel Parris was, and the history of his existence.      Samuel Parris was born in 1653, and he pursued a career as a merchant and planter in both London and Barbados. He attended Harvard in the early 1670s, but did not finish his degree due to his father's death. Instead, he left to go back to Barbados and resume his career. He returned to Boston in 1680, and eventually decided to start a career in ministry. At the time, it was deemed unusual to enter into ministry without having received a college degree. Because of this, it's assumed that Parris finished his degree but there is no record that proves this. In 1689, Parris accepted the post in Salem Village wher...

    When googling "what to do in Salem, Massachusetts", 8 of the top 12 things to do on TripAdvisor have to do with witches. There's the Witch House, the Gallows Hill Museum and Theatre, the Witch Dungeon Museum, the bewitched statue of Elizabeth Montgomery, and the list goes on and on. In class the other week, we talked briefly about how witchcraft is monetized. I agreed with that idea, and I wanted to learn more about how specifically the Salem Witch Trials are monetized. The list of ghost tours and witch tours in Salem are endless, they are some of the first things that pop up when looking at Salem attractions. The attractions I listed earlier all start at about $30 per person for a ticket, and while that might not seem like an outrageous amount to begin with, I am sure that it adds up.            Additionally, there is quite the list of gift shops and little boutiques in Salem, many of course having to do with magic and witchcraft. Stores...