Illustration By Edgar Wilson “Bill” Nyeĭuring the height of the European and New England witch hysterias, torture was used on the accused witch to force confession. Religion worked like a talisman to subdue a witch’s evil abilities. The idea that witches received magical abilities from Satan was started by the “Christian elite.” From their viewpoint, witches had abandoned God for devotion to the devil. ![]() Many researchers and historians theorize that the high set of morals and virtues of the times contributed to the belief in witches as the devil’s disciples. Witch hunts started in Europe in the 1400s and lasted well into the 1700s. A witch was anyone who carried out the devil’s handiwork by habitually endangering the health and livelihood of family and neighbors. According to Tim Dedopulos’ The Book of Witches, “The idea of women providing help and solace to the masses outside of the religious framework was horrifying to the men who ruled” and they soon “demonized anyone who possessed the Old Wisdom.” Although women were most often the ones accused, sometimes men were also accused. Many of the women who practiced folk magic were regarded as a threat by the men who had religious authority in the community. Other times it was used to ensure a happy home and promote good harvests. For example, sometimes this “folk magic” was used as a measure to keep a dead relative’s spirit from returning, or to ward off enemies. Nearly every village had someone, usually a woman, who was well skilled in using charms and herbs to promote prosperity or counteract misfortune. the European witch hunts indirectly started over the use of folk magic practiced in Old World Europe. Long before the arrival of the Puritan Colonists in America and the Salem Witch Hysteria, the infamous witch hunts began in Europe. Photo: Ethan Doyle White “ Diorama of a Cunning Woman in the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic” Witches were said to be individuals (usually women) who offered their souls to the devil in exchange for magical powers. But the word “hag” also means “witch.” The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft defines a hag as “An old, ugly woman believed to be a witch or sorceress also, a supernatural, demonic being whose powers enable her to live an incredibly long time.” On the other hand, witches aren’t always evil the same source also points out that in folklore hags are “sometimes benevolent, wise, beautiful and perpetually young.” The historic definition favors the more fearsome of the two. When we hear the word hag we think of someone who is bent and wrinkled with age and has ornery personality traits. Old World Folk Beliefs Were Labeled as Witchcraft All across the United States and Europe, you will find cemeteries that are said to be haunted by witches.īut, to understand why witches haunt us and continue to be the topic of so much cemetery lore, we first need to have a general understanding of what generated the Witch Hysteria and why belief in witchcraft persisted for so long after. The legends are not just limited to New England. ![]() In fact, the amount of lore surrounding the graves of alleged witches suggests that even in modern times, people still believe in witchcraft. The New England witch hysteria ended centuries ago, but the belief in witches persisted long after. Cemetery witch lore provides insight into a past filled with fear of the devil and sheds light on the ghosts of injustice which continue to haunt the modern world.
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