The Beginning of Witchcraft

The year was 1692; the place Salem Massachusetts. A time of fear and distrust. Paranoia filled the air; its intoxcation impossible to escape. It pinned neighbor against neighbor and child against mother. Incredible accusations were made, causing innocent people to die.

Imagine being accused by a neighbor for something that you simply could not have done. This simple accusation has turned the whole town against you. They no longer trust you and think that you are an accomplice to the Devil. Before they can get rid of you they have to determine if you have indeed committed the crime punishable by death: witchcraft. They strip you down and shave every hair that you have on your body. They try to drown you, believing that if you float to the surface of the water you are in fact, a witch. They twist your arm until you confess to witchcraft. You are innocent, but are condemned because your community believes that they have proven you guilty. The next day you are sent to Gallow Hill to face your ultimate fate: death by hanging.

During 1692, in Salem Massachusetts, this scenario was a real fear for many. A stranger, a neighbor, a friend, a family member, or even a child could accuse a person of witchcraft, and a town that was filled with paranoia, would most likely believe them. America was not the first to suffer through these times of paranoia and false accusations. As a matter of fact the ideas of witchcraft most likely migrated to the Americas alongside the colonists.




Finding the Devil's Mark (Histoy Feed. Salem Witch Trials)

France, Italy, Germany, and England had conducted witch hunts about three hundred years before the tragedy of this paranoia struck America. Between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries 40,000 to 50,000 people were executed for witchcraft. Why? How did the idea that a person could have made a deal with the Devil come about? It is said that the idea of the executions of witch craft originated from the Bible itself. The book of Exodus, chapter twenty-two, and verse eighteen says, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" (King James, Cambridge Ed.).
 

However, early Christians were tolerant of witches. It was not until the Roman Catholic Church had gained power that the witches were considered enemies. It was not until 1231 when Pope Gregory the ninth punished those who practiced witch craft with violence. In 1484, Pope Innocent the eighth had announced witchcraft a heresy that was punishable by death. The reason being, witchcraft was considered turning ones back on God. If they turned their back on God, it was as though they turned their back on the religion of the church. If they turned their backs on the Church they were turning their backs on the King, because he ran the churches.

Once a person was accused of witchcraft, it was required to find "credible" evidence. In order to find evidence they used the Mallei Maleficarvm, published in 1486 as a guidebook to find witches and conduct trials. The book stated that one sure sign of a witch was the "Devil's Mark(1)." In order to find the mark, the body of the accused was cleanly shaven and carefully examined. The "Devil's Mark" could look like a cyst. If the mark was found it was commonly tested. They tested the mark by piercing it, and if the accused felt no pain, or the mark did not draw a single drop of blood, they were proven to be a witch. Another common way of finding evidence was to drown the accused. It is said that since water is pure, it would reject an evil spirit allowing the witch to float to the surface of the water. Accused witches were also tortured by various means until they confessed to a crime they could not have possibly done.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be on a mission to try and find the history behind the Salem Witch Trials. I have found its roots hidden in European culture before it migrated to the Americas with the European colonists. I learned of the threats witchcraft held to European church and government, and found the various means that were taken in order to cease these threats. This journey has just begun, and I encourage you to follow me as I learn more about various trials and the effect that witchcraft had on Salem.