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Witches & Witchcraft
They’ll get you and your little dog, too
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Background Information
• Most people lived in small villages & had to fight nature to survive
• People held beliefs in spirits populating the world– Both good & bad spirits
• Religious conflict spread through Europe– Reformation questioned the Church– Made people feel like they needed additional
protection from the Devil & evil
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Wise men & women• Wise men/women were able to interpret signs
& warnings – Offered remedies (potions, chants, spells)– Could be considered ‘good witches’ or ‘bad
witches’
• Witch hunts were particularly church driven because witches were seen as a threat to church power/authority – Church declared their “magic” the only legitimate
form of magic & those who practiced outside of the church did so for the Devil
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Who were accused witches?• Between 1400-1700
– 70,000-100,000 sentenced to death for harmful magic & witchcraft– 80% women
• Peaked between 1570 – 1680– 35,000 killed (29,000 women) – 4 out of 5 were in Germany
• The accused witches were usually high profile– A lot of midwives associated with deaths of mothers & children– Rich or poor, popular or unpopular
» Single women, 45-60, » Those who were in need of security
• Many would confess to avoid death after being tortured
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Accusations
• People were afraid that witches were taking over the land, killing children and livestock
• Those who accused witches often claimed they saw the accused associating with the Devil
• Accusations would increase if harvests were poor, if weather was harsh, if money or food was scarce, or if the plague hit
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Why women?
• Misogyny– Women were starting to create their own
independent identities & that was scary for men & the Church
– Malleus Maleficarum Part 1 Question VI– She's a witch!
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The Malleus Malificarum
• The Witches’ Hammer published in 1498• Used as a handbook for successfully
identifying & killing witches– Detailed witches appearance, behavior, alleged
Satanic rites, and familiars (black cats, etc.)– Divided into 3 parts
1: Why there are witches2. What witches do & how to stop them3. Legal proceedings against witches & heretics
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Punishments
• Punishments included:– The witches collar (inward spikes against the throat)– Ducking– Pressing– The Strappado (tying hands behind a person’s back,
lifting them up by the wrists above a ceiling beam & then dropping them several times until joints are dislocated)
– Turcas (designed to rip finger nails out)– Stoning– Red hot pinchers (used to tear off bits of flesh)
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HAPPY
HALLOWEEN!