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Tristan Whitten

Dr. Cook

History

18 November 2022

She's a witch!
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When people say the word witch most people think of a green faced woman wearing a pointy

black hat. These women ride brooms and come out on Halloween. They are believed to cast

spells both good and bad. But throughout history, witches were defined by the church as demonic

creatures who cast evil spells on the innocent ? These horrific witch trials started as early as 1692

and lasted until the early 1900s, the last known witch trial was in 1918. I want to dive into the

history of so-called witches. What qualified a woman to be a witch, and because of being linked

to witchcraft by the church and peers many lost their lives.

Where did the idea of witches come from? People of religious faith and beliefs believed

that Satan, the devil himself, provided powers to mortals. That Satan prayed upon weak

individuals to do his evil bidding. It was believed that these evil powers were used to prey upon

the innocent. In reality, most women in that time who were referred to as healers, simply used

herbs and spices to make remedies for ailments. They were not using powers, just natural things

to help people feel better. In the time of the Salem witch trials, there was not medicine like we

use today, so natural remedies were used. Healers in this time era were mostly women. It is this

lack of understanding by the people of this era, that led to many women healers to be accused of

witchcraft. Women during this time could not be doctors, only males were doctors. ,So their use

of natural elements to help alleviate illnesses were looked down upon. Also, during this era of

strict religious beliefs, when something happened in a town or area that could not be easily

explained or was deemed unnatural it was deemed the work of “evil.” Fear and hysteria instead

of rational thinking dictated the fate of many.

During the witch hunts in Salem Massachusetts , mostly women were targeted. Some

men were accused of witchcraft, but more women than men were persecuted. If there was a man

accused, it was usually because he had some type of association with the accused woman.
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Puritans had an idea that women were more likely to be tempted by the Devil because of Eve and

the forbidden fruit. They believed that Satan prayed upon the weak; women, children and the

elderly. Prominent white men and the church leaders deemed what was acceptable of those in the

town. They enforced strict moral codes, modest lifestyle, devotion to their religious faith and

beliefs. It was a patriarchal society with strict morals and religious codes and conformity was

expected by all.

Once a person was accused of witchcraft, how was it determined to be true by their

peers? There were physical marks on the body that they would look for, as well as tests that

would be administered to determine if a person was truly a witch. One common test was known

as the swimming test. This swimming test was used on a Hungarian women Dorko Boda. They

would strip the woman to their undergarments, after they were undressed, they would be tossed

into the water with their hands and feet bond. They were looking for two things: would they sink

or float. According to this logic, an innocent woman would sink like a stone, however a witch

would not sink but instead float because water was viewed as holy and it would expel a witch.

“The victim typically had a rope tied around their waist so they could be pulled from the water if

they sank, but it wasn’t unusual for accidental drowning deaths to occur” (bizarre witch trial

tests. History.com). Another witch test was the prayers test, where accused persons were asked to

recite scripture, because it was believed that witches could not recite the Biblical scripture. This

was put to action in the famous salem witch trials to an accused sorcerer George Burroughs. The

“touch” test, the accused was made to touch the inflicted person, and if the inflicted person

responded it proved the accused was a witch. Witch marks, witch hunters or accusers would strip

the accused and look for marks on their body that would confirm their affiliation with the devil.

There were other tests used in different areas of the world, and the likelihood of the accused
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passing them was minimal. If they stood trial, if they didnt die during a witch test, the judge was

a prominent man in society and the testimony of the afflicted and other witnesses sealed their

fate. The punishment for witchcraft was imprisonment or death. This was know to be used in the

trial of Rose Cullender and Amy Denny two elderly english women.

One of Europe's most famous witch trials was the Bamberg witch trials. The Bamberg witch

trials was a huge nationwide witch hunt not only for women and men but also children. Before

Christanity was brought to the area, the people held pagan beliefs. They worshiped many gods

and believed each God had different powers. But Bamberg, Germany was governed by Catholic

Bishop Gottfried Johann George ll Fuchs von Dornheim. Since some Germanic tribes still

believed in their pagan Gods, these people were viewed as heathens and persecuted. Under his

rule, this was the center of the worst witch tortures and trails in Germany. During his rule and the

persecution of “witches” he developed an efficient witch burning machine. He developed an

operation of lawyers, full time torturers, executioners and prisons. He had a network of informers

who were encouraged to hunt witches. The persons accused of witchcraft were not made public,

and the accused were denied any legal counsel. All suspects were tortured. He used his power to

target prominent people in Bamberg and used witchcraft as an excuse to execute them and take

their property. He also placed the blame of social unrest and harsh conditions on “witches.”

Shifting the blame off himself and onto the evil witches. Malleus Maleficarum or “The Hammer

of Witches” ( History of witches, History.com). This was a written document that talked about

sorcery and witchcraft.

​America has its own history with witch trials. One of the most well known cases is the

The Salem Witch Trials. The Salem witch trials happened in early 1692 in the Salem village in

Massachusetts. Salem town was a poor farming Puritan community with strict moral and
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religious codes. Modesty, devotion to religion and conformity was expected. Men were

empowered and women were not not. Puritans believed that both God and the Devil were real.

They had a fear of the wrath of God for not living a “good” life and a fear of the Devil who seeks

to harm the innocent. They believed that the Devil prayed upon the weak: women, children and

the elderly. That the Devil would use the weak to do his evil bidding. It all started when young

girls suddenly became ill. The town doctor, unable to sight the true source for the illness, he

diagnosed bewitchment as the cause. Soon other girls in town started to exhibit the same type of

aliment: convulsions, screaming fits, and body contortions. These girls blamed three local

women in the town of bewitching them. They blamed a slave, elderly lady and a homeless

woman, and accused them of causing the possession. ” As a wave of hysteria spread throughout

colonial Massachusetts, a special court convened in Salem to hear the cases; the first convicted

witch, Bridget Bishop, was hanged that June. Eighteen others followed Bishop to Salem’s

Gallows Hill, while some 150 more men, women and children were accused over the next

several months” ( Salem Witch Trials. History.com). The accused women were brought to trail,

their accusers made grand appearance during the trial. the elderly woman Sarah Osborn and

Sarah Good denied their guilt, and said they were innocent of the charges of witchcraft. While

the slave, Tituba said she was guilty and even confessed that there were other witches. Hysteria

spread not only through the small town of Salem but also to surrounding towns. Other women

and even children were being accused of witchcraft. If found guilty by the court, they would be

put to death for their crime. The accused did not have attorneys to defend them, they were left at

the mercy of their accusers and the judges who would determine their fate. The newly appointed

governor of Massachusetts, William Phips, ordered the establishment of a special court of Oyer

and Terminer to hear cases involving witchcraft. Women were found guilty and hung while
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others died waiting in jail or during witch “test.” Innocent people lost their lives because of

ignorance, fear, mob mentality that spurned mass hysteria and witch hunts. The only good thing

to come from this was that it contributed to changes in the court procedures. These procedures

included instituting the right to legal representation for the accused, the ability to cross examine

the accusers, and the presumption that the accused was innocent until proven guilty.
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CItation page

Andrews, E. (2014, March 18). 7 bizarre witch trial tests. History.com. Retrieved October 26,

2022, from https://www.history.com/news/7-bizarre-witch-trial-tests

Behind the Salem Witch Trials: Analysis of Puritan society and values in the 17th century - free

essay example. Edubirdie. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2022, from

https://edubirdie.com/examples/behind-the-salem-witch-trials-analysis-of-puritan-society

-and-values-in-the-17th-century/

Bridget Marshall Associate Professor of English. (2022, September 13). Most witches are

women, because witch hunts were all about persecuting the powerless. The Conversation.

Retrieved October 26, 2022, from

https://theconversation.com/most-witches-are-women-because-witch-hunts-were-all-abou

t-persecuting-the-powerless-125427

History.com Editors. (2017, September 12). History of witches. History.com. Retrieved October

26, 2022, from https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/history-of-witches

History.com Editors. (2011, November 4). Salem Witch Trials. History.com. Retrieved October

26, 2022, from https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/salem-witch-trials

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Wise women: Traditional cures and remedies. The Museum of Cambridge. (2021, May 25).

Retrieved October 26, 2022, from

https://www.museumofcambridge.org.uk/wise-women-traditional-cures-and-remedies/