Witches, Witchcraft, and Witch Hunts - Blogs

     I first read about mass psychogenic illness a couple weeks ago in a book for my honors class on empathy. The book is called Born for Love , by Dr. Bruce Perry and Maia Szalavitz.  Mass psychogenic illness (formerly called epidemic hysteria)   involves the spread of illness symptoms through a population where there is no infectious agent responsible for contagion. This could look like epileptic fits, breaking out in hysterical laughter, or vomiting, which then spread to others nearby. The most common victims of mass psychogenic illness are teen and preteen girls. Now, what does this have to do with witches, witchcraft, or magic? Well, you can imagine my surprise when I'm reading a book on empathy and the next thing I know there's a paragraph on the Salem witch trials.      Dr. Perry talks about how one main suspected historical case of mass psychogenic illness was the outbreak that then produced the Salem witch trials. As we touched briefly on...

     While reading pages 121-189 of A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult , I found the origins of almanacs to be especially interesting. I had never thought about how almanacs began, and really the only knowledge I have of almanacs was looking at one of the Farmers Almanacs in elementary school. Never would I have guessed that the history of almanacs lied in a book about magic, witches, and the occult. While reading about the creation of almanacs, it is clear that part of the reason they became so popular and widespread is because of their accessibility. It was cheap for them to be distributed rapidly, and many were specifically aimed towards "humble folk" (pg. 162).       And yet, in spite of this accessibility, almanacs also ended up in the hands of the aristocracy, and even into the library of a king (pg. 162). While I do not have extensive knowledge of the 16th and 17th centuries, I can harbor a guess that not many "humble folk" had equal...

     Pages 62-119 of A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult  focused on continuing the story of magic in our world's history. The first thing that stood out to while reading was seidhr , the heart of Norse magic, along with the Norns. Seidhr was practiced mainly by women, and in fact it was considered "effeminate and therefore shameful" (pg. 65) for men to practice it. I find it fascinating that even all those years ago, the feminization of magic and witchery was establishing a strong foundation.       We discussed this topic in class as well, relating to the book Malleus Maleficarum by Heinrich Kramer. Kramer's book became increasingly popular, especially in Europe, and went on to be used by judges in witch trials. When reading excerpts from his book in class, I could not help but think about how the historical belief that women are more susceptible to being swayed by the demons/the devil have a lasting impact on the world of witchery eve...

     The first two weeks of class have been an exciting introduction to the world of witches and witchcraft. Reading the trial of Martha Carrier was especially fascinating for me. I have not had much previous experience in the realm of witch trials, and so the readings on Martha Carrier's trial helped me paint the picture of what these trials looked like at the time. It also was interesting for me because I hope to go to law school after graduation, and I have spent a lot of time observing in the courtroom. Obviously, Carrier's trial looks vastly different than the trials seen today. But still, I enjoyed reading through the testimonies given in her case and what "justice" looked like at the time. One of the biggest pieces of information I learned in these first two week is that when an accused witch pleaded guilty, she (or he) would never be executed. The only individuals who were executed/tortured/etc. were the people who pled innocent. What a twisted form of justice...