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Saturday, October 24, 2009
Women empowered with supernatural abilities can be found in all ancient cultures. Those who practiced magic, divination and the performance of supernatural acts, served both a positive and a negative purpose. Within the Christian framework, however, witchcraft ran counter to religion and later became identified with the works of the Devil. Witches are practitioners of witchcraft and generally are skilled in sorcery and magical arts. Throughout the most part of the history, they have been feared because of the fact they were thought to be vindictive, cast evil spells upon others and consort with evil spirits. In ancient Greece and Rome, they were renowned for their herbal knowledge, magical potions and supernatural powers. Later, witches were considered a physical manifestation of evil and a threat to society's moral and religious fiber. This was the era of witch hunts and witch trials, a period that lasted from 1400 to 1700, culminating in the famous Salem witch trials of the late 1600s. 
Different types of people were considered witches. Women who concocted herbal remedies were suspect, as were midwives. Superstition dictated that someone who owned a black cat might be a witch, using the pet as her familiar. Typical targets of witchcraft accusations were the old, poor, unprotected, widows and the unmarried. Belief in and fear of witches inspired violent behavior. Those accused of witchcraft might have to succumb to a trial by drowning. The suspected witch would be held underwater. If she drowned, she had been falsely accused. If she survived, she was a witch and had to be killed. Another method of killing witches was to tie them to a stake and burn them alive. Common legends and superstitions said that witches had intercourse with the Devil to gain supernatural powers. These powers allowed them to cause illness, death, storms, crop failure and mental breakdowns. The belief was that witches could summon other entities, such as demons, succubi and imps to assist them. Authorities told citizens that the accused witches were a threat to Christianity and followed Satan by practicing magic. Any act that had no obvious explanation was blamed on witches: diseases, houses burning down or animals dying. The women that were targeted were older, didn't have much money and lived alone. Almost 300 women were accused of witchcraft just in a 100-year period, the worst of the witch trials. Many women died who were most likely not doing anything wrong. Many women were hunted and accused for practically no reason at all, thanks to church influence. Because of the church's fear of the unknown at this time, many women lost their lives. The witch hysteria of Europe reached England during reign of Elizabeth I, who feared witches and believed witchcraft to be an act of rebellion against God. The persecution of witches began in 1563 and lasted until 1736, period referred to as the "burning times". People accused of witchcraft during the burning times were, predominately, falsely accused Christians. Accused witches were often women, usually poor and widowed. Some of them were folk healers and midwives who had knowledge of herbs and brews - a common associated with the practice of witchcraft. Most accusers were themselves women, or children claiming to have been bewitched. Accusers were, most likely, just people who suffered misfortunes or illnesses they were unable to understand, and so the blame was placed on supernatural forces. The Salem witch trials took place between 1692 and 1693, when the niece and daughter of Reverend Parris began displaying strange symptoms. It was decided that they were under the influence of Satan, and had been bewitched by someone. Accusations and a large scale witch hunt begin, with more young girls claiming they too had been bewitched. Once someone was accused of being a witch, they had to stand trial and undergo witch tests. The sink test involved tying rocks to the accused and placing them in water. If they sank, they were proclaimed innocent. If they floated, they were pronounced a witch and were then hanged. The Satan's mark test involved a body search for a black mark of Satan. If found, the black mark was often poked with needles to see if the person felt pain or bled. If they did not, they were pronounced a witch. The prayer test was another common test. The accused was asked to recite the Lord's Prayer. If they recited it flawlessly, without problem, they were proclaimed innocent. If the accused stumbled over words or made a mistake during their recitation, they were considered guilty of witchcraft. Over 150 people were accused of witchcraft. Most of the witch trials occurred in the 14th and 15th centuries and, eventually, authorities stopped believing in the superstition of witches.
Women empowered with supernatural abilities can be found in all ancient cultures. Those who practiced magic, divination and the performance of supernatural acts, served both a positive and a negative purpose. Within the Christian framework, however, witchcraft ran counter to religion and later became identified with the works of the Devil. Witches are practitioners of witchcraft and generally are skilled in sorcery and magical arts. Throughout the most part of the history, they have been feared because of the fact they were thought to be vindictive, cast evil spells upon others and consort with evil spirits. In ancient Greece and Rome, they were renowned for their herbal knowledge, magical potions and supernatural powers. Later, witches were considered a physical manifestation of evil and a threat to society's moral and religious fiber. This was the era of witch hunts and witch trials, a period that lasted from 1400 to 1700, culminating in the famous Salem witch trials of the late 1600s. 
Different types of people were considered witches. Women who concocted herbal remedies were suspect, as were midwives. Superstition dictated that someone who owned a black cat might be a witch, using the pet as her familiar. Typical targets of witchcraft accusations were the old, poor, unprotected, widows and the unmarried. Belief in and fear of witches inspired violent behavior. Those accused of witchcraft might have to succumb to a trial by drowning. The suspected witch would be held underwater. If she drowned, she had been falsely accused. If she survived, she was a witch and had to be killed. Another method of killing witches was to tie them to a stake and burn them alive. Common legends and superstitions said that witches had intercourse with the Devil to gain supernatural powers. These powers allowed them to cause illness, death, storms, crop failure and mental breakdowns. The belief was that witches could summon other entities, such as demons, succubi and imps to assist them. Authorities told citizens that the accused witches were a threat to Christianity and followed Satan by practicing magic. Any act that had no obvious explanation was blamed on witches: diseases, houses burning down or animals dying. The women that were targeted were older, didn't have much money and lived alone. Almost 300 women were accused of witchcraft just in a 100-year period, the worst of the witch trials. Many women died who were most likely not doing anything wrong. Many women were hunted and accused for practically no reason at all, thanks to church influence. Because of the church's fear of the unknown at this time, many women lost their lives. The witch hysteria of Europe reached England during reign of Elizabeth I, who feared witches and believed witchcraft to be an act of rebellion against God. The persecution of witches began in 1563 and lasted until 1736, period referred to as the "burning times". People accused of witchcraft during the burning times were, predominately, falsely accused Christians. Accused witches were often women, usually poor and widowed. Some of them were folk healers and midwives who had knowledge of herbs and brews - a common associated with the practice of witchcraft. Most accusers were themselves women, or children claiming to have been bewitched. Accusers were, most likely, just people who suffered misfortunes or illnesses they were unable to understand, and so the blame was placed on supernatural forces. The Salem witch trials took place between 1692 and 1693, when the niece and daughter of Reverend Parris began displaying strange symptoms. It was decided that they were under the influence of Satan, and had been bewitched by someone. Accusations and a large scale witch hunt begin, with more young girls claiming they too had been bewitched. Once someone was accused of being a witch, they had to stand trial and undergo witch tests. The sink test involved tying rocks to the accused and placing them in water. If they sank, they were proclaimed innocent. If they floated, they were pronounced a witch and were then hanged. The Satan's mark test involved a body search for a black mark of Satan. If found, the black mark was often poked with needles to see if the person felt pain or bled. If they did not, they were pronounced a witch. The prayer test was another common test. The accused was asked to recite the Lord's Prayer. If they recited it flawlessly, without problem, they were proclaimed innocent. If the accused stumbled over words or made a mistake during their recitation, they were considered guilty of witchcraft. Over 150 people were accused of witchcraft. Most of the witch trials occurred in the 14th and 15th centuries and, eventually, authorities stopped believing in the superstition of witches.
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