Historian Answers Witchcraft Questions | Tech Support | WIRED

Men and Witchcraft

• Men can be witches, although historically, 75-80% of those accused of witchcraft were women. In some regions like Russia, Estonia, Normandy, and Iceland, more men were accused, but these areas did not experience widespread witch trials. Men were often accused due to their association with women accused of witchcraft or for deviating from traditional norms of masculinity. (14s)

Giles Corey's Execution

• Giles Corey, a historical figure made famous by Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible," was pressed to death after being accused of witchcraft following his wife Martha's accusation. He refused to enter a plea, which led to his execution by pressing, a method where rocks were placed on him until he died. His last words were reportedly "more weight." (1m19s)

Torture in Scottish Witch Trials

• In Scotland, torture was used to extract confessions from accused witches, as witchcraft was considered a hidden crime. Methods included thumb screws, sleep deprivation, and more severe techniques like the rack and the stado, which could dislocate shoulders. Torture was seen as necessary by authorities to obtain confessions for witchcraft, despite its unreliability. (2m8s)

Salem's Notoriety

• The Salem Witch Trials have become the most recognized historical witch hunts due to America's cultural influence and the impact of Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible," despite European witch trials being more numerous and occurring earlier. Salem's late occurrence in the 1690s, during the Scientific Revolution, adds to its notoriety. (3m58s)

Witch Hunts Timeline

• Contrary to popular belief, witch hunts did not occur during the Middle Ages but primarily in the early modern period, specifically the 16th and 17th centuries. (4m56s)

Execution Methods

• In the USA and England, witches were typically hanged rather than burned, as English common law treated witchcraft as a crime against the state and church, not as heresy. In Scotland, witches were strangled and then burned, while in many parts of Continental Europe, they were directly burned. (5m12s)

Witchcraft Tests

• Witchcraft tests, such as the swim test, were based on the belief in Divine Providence, where it was thought that God would protect the innocent. These tests were variations of the trial by ordeal and were not as commonly used as popular culture suggests. (5m49s)

Spread of Witch Trials

• The spread of witch trials across different parts of the world during the same period was facilitated by the advent of the printing press in the 15th century, which allowed for the dissemination of demonological texts and stories about witches. (7m1s)

Witches' Powers and Beliefs

• People historically believed that witches had a wide range of powers, including the use of potions. Some of the most gruesome beliefs involved witches using parts of unbaptized infants to create potions for flying, which was a way to dehumanize and demonize them by labeling them as cannibals and killers of babies. (7m40s)

"The Witch" (2015) - Depiction of Puritan Anxieties

• The film "The Witch" (2015) by Robert Eggers is praised as an excellent depiction of 17th-century New England and Puritan anxieties about witchcraft. It provides insight into why witches were perceived as a threat to families, livelihoods, and communities. (8m58s)

Symbolism in "The Witch"

• "The Witch" features scenes that highlight historical and cultural depictions of the devil, such as the character Black Phillip, a goat symbolizing the devil, which is an inversion of the Christian symbol of the Lamb of God. (10m0s)

Bewitchment and Stereotypes in "The Witch"

• Another notable scene in "The Witch" involves a child experiencing bewitchment and spitting up an apple, which ties into the Eve narrative and stereotypes about witches. (10m31s)

The Broomstick and Witchcraft

• The iconic image of witches flying on brooms is discussed, with the broom being a domestic object that is closely associated with witchcraft. (10m57s)

Witchcraft and the Domestic Sphere

• Witchcraft in the early modern period was often associated with the domestic sphere, involving items like cauldrons and mortar and pestles, as witches were believed to harm children, food, and crops. (11m13s)

Witches' Sabbath and Flight

• Authorities during this time speculated about witches' ability to fly, believing that with the devil's aid, witches could travel to secret locations to participate in the witch's Sabbath, which was imagined to involve demonic acts and inversions of Christian practices. (11m29s)

Broomsticks and Phallic Symbolism

• The broomstick, often linked to witches, was seen as a phallic symbol, reinforcing the idea of witches engaging in carnal acts with the devil. Modern interpretations, like in the film "Hocus Pocus," humorously replace the broomstick with a vacuum. (12m5s)

"Malleus Maleficarum" - A Guide to Witch Hunting

• The "Malleus Maleficarum," or "Hammer of Witches," published in the late 1480s by Dominican Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer, was intended as a guide for identifying and prosecuting witches. It is known for its misogynistic and sensational content, including themes of demon sex. (12m52s)

Misogyny in "Malleus Maleficarum"

• The book played a significant role in promoting misogynistic stereotypes during witch trials, portraying witches as lustful and deceitful. It was quickly translated into English and became widely known, partly due to its illicit and pornographic nature. (13m27s)

Stolen Genitalia Story

• One of the most infamous stories from the "Malleus Maleficarum" involves witches allegedly stealing men's genitalia and placing them in a tree, with a humorous twist involving a village priest. (14m18s)

Fear of Witchcraft and Impotency

• In the 17th century, there was a case where a man claimed to have lost his penis to a witch, illustrating the genuine fear of witchcraft and its perceived effects, such as causing impotency. (14m52s)

Salem Witch Trials and Genuine Fear

• The Salem Witch Trials are often misunderstood as mass hysteria, but they were driven by a genuine fear of witches, supported by religious and authoritative beliefs that witches needed to be eradicated. (15m16s)

Fear of Harm to Children

• The fear of harm to children is a recurring theme in witchcraft stereotypes and moral panics, exemplified by stories like Hansel and Gretel, and is used to justify and demonize perceived threats throughout history, including during the Communist scare and satanic panics of the 1980s. (16m30s)

Witches and Large Noses

• The depiction of witches with large noses in cartoons and Disney movies is influenced by historical visual depictions from the 15th to 17th centuries and is linked to anti-Semitic stereotypes. (18m1s)

Stereotypes and Popular Culture

• The witch trials often drew from stereotypes seen in other historical moments of panic in Europe, such as the depiction of witches in popular culture like the scene from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" where the witch offers a poisoned apple, symbolizing temptation similar to Eve in the Bible. (18m31s)

Visual Depictions of Witches

• The portrayal of witches often included elements like dark cloaks and exaggerated features, reminiscent of how heretics were envisioned, and sometimes included anti-Semitic imagery. (19m46s)

Cats and Demonic Familiars

• Cats are associated with witches due to beliefs from the English Witch Trials that witches had demonic familiars, which were often domestic animals like cats, believed to be doing the devil's bidding. This association was particularly prominent during the witch hunts in the 1640s in East Anglia. (20m4s)

Origins of the Witch's Hat

• The witch's hat is a recognizable symbol, but its origins are unclear. It may be an exaggeration of period caps, have anti-Semitic roots, or simply serve to mark someone as different. It appears rarely in historical pamphlets and woodcuts but is now a dominant symbol. (21m0s)

Identifying Witches in 17th-Century Scotland

• In the 1630s, a minister in a small town near Edinburgh might advise parishioners to look for witches among marginalized women, such as widows or the poor, especially if misfortunes like a cow dying or a child falling ill occurred. (21m38s)

European Influence on Salem

• The Salem Witch Trials were influenced by the larger context of European witch hunts, which were declining by the early 1690s, but the ideas about witches and the devil were brought to New England by English settlers. (22m42s)

Puritanism and the Devil

• The Puritans, who immigrated in the 1630s, aimed to create a pure and godly society, which led them to be vigilant against perceived threats from the devil, including conflicts with indigenous peoples whom they sometimes viewed as devil's servants. (23m20s)

Short-Term Causes of Salem

• Short-term causes of the Salem Witch Trials included communal feuding, distrust among neighbors, and the arrival of a new minister, Samuel Parris, whose household was the starting point of the witchcraft symptoms. (24m11s)

The First Accusations in Salem

• Samuel Parris's daughter, Betty Parris, and niece, Abigail Williams, were the first to exhibit symptoms of bewitchment, which helped initiate the witch trials and served to legitimize Parris's position as a minister. (24m38s)

Symptoms and Power Dynamics

• The young girls' symptoms, such as odd body contortions and speaking in strange voices, may have been a way for them to gain attention and power in a society where they had little voice or authority. (25m13s)

Children's Role in Witch Trials

• During the witch trials, children were often placed in the spotlight, and adults interpreted their actions for their own purposes, leading to the trials. (25m50s)

Debunking Ergot Poisoning Theory

• There is a common misconception that witch hunts were caused by ergot poisoning, but historical evidence shows that people genuinely believed in witches and felt they needed to be eradicated. The witch trials spanned from the late 15th to early 18th centuries, involving tens of thousands of accusations and executions, which could not be explained by ergot poisoning alone. (26m4s)

Anne Boleyn and Witchcraft

• Anne Boleyn was never accused of witchcraft during her lifetime. She was accused of adultery and incest, but the idea of her being a witch emerged later as a way to tarnish her legacy. Her downfall was primarily due to Henry VIII's desire for a male heir and his interest in Jane Seymour. (27m24s)

Gender and Witchcraft Accusations

• Accusations of witchcraft were more likely to be directed at women, although about 20% of those accused were men. Many of the events attributed to witchcraft, such as children or crops dying, occurred in domestic settings. (28m53s)

Avoiding Witchcraft Allegations

• Women in historical witchcraft contexts were advised to maintain good behavior, attend church, avoid disputes, and refrain from cursing authority figures to prevent witchcraft allegations, which often arose from neighborhood quarrels. (29m25s)

Judicial Processes in Witchcraft Trials

• During witchcraft trials in the 16th and 17th centuries, there were judicial processes in place, including jury trials and the requirement for unanimous jury convictions in England, which resulted in lower conviction rates due to insufficient evidence. (30m1s)

Legal Process and Evidence

• The legal process for witchcraft accusations involved initial questioning, witness depositions, and trials where past grievances could be brought up as evidence, such as disputes with neighbors that were later linked to misfortunes. (30m55s)

Confessions and Executions

• Confessions, often obtained through torture and leading questions, could lead to execution, although Salem was an exception where confessors often lived. (31m52s)

Witches' Reputation and Roles

• Witches have a negative reputation in popular culture, despite historically being midwives, herbalists, and powerful women, due to societal perceptions. (32m40s)

Midwives and Witchcraft

• Midwives were rarely accused of witchcraft despite appearing in demonological literature, such as the "Malleus Maleficarum," because they were trusted community members. Accusations typically arose only when things went significantly wrong. (32m51s)

Witch Finders and Acquittals

• Witch finders did sometimes find people innocent, as authorities were motivated to convict only actual witches. In countries with robust judicial processes, like England, accused witches were more likely to be acquitted due to legal protections such as lawyers and unanimous jury verdicts. (33m35s)

Stereotypes and Contributing Factors

• The stereotype of witches during the height of the witch trials was a mix of various feared groups and tropes, including anti-Semitic ideas, heresy, and demonic ritual magic. The church's increasing control over supernatural interactions and the development of a judicial system to prosecute witches contributed to the witch trials. (34m11s)

Women Accusing Women

• Women often accused other women of witchcraft, which some scholars argue indicates that the trials were not about gender. However, accusations often began in domestic settings, and during intense witch hunts, it was safer for women to help identify accused witches. This behavior was not necessarily cynical, as the belief that most witches were women was widely accepted. (35m35s)

Household Objects and Devil Worship

• Accusations of witchcraft often involved claims of using household objects for harmful purposes, such as poisoning, and authorities were interested in connections to the devil, including alleged pacts and meetings in the woods. (36m29s)

End of Witch Trials and Lasting Impact

• Witch trials formally ended in England in the 1680s, in Scotland in the 1720s, and in Central Europe by the 1780s, as skepticism about the crime of witchcraft grew and laws were repealed. However, the tendency to demonize and dehumanize others persists. (36m59s)

Evolving Perceptions of Witches

• The perception of witches has evolved from being feared as evil servants of Satan to being depicted as more benign or even endearing figures in modern media, such as in "Hocus Pocus" and other popular culture. This shift is attributed to increased skepticism about the devil's influence and a feminist rethinking of women's roles and spirituality since the 1970s. (38m1s)