This is a very specific witch trial if I remember correctly.
If you look into it, these people did not go after as many midwives and herbalists as claimed. They made a strong distinction against herbalism, and really only went after what they believed caused supernatural effects, or people calling on powers of other supernatural beings than God. Some apothecary giving you herbs for a stomach ache would not be witch craft. Telling someone to say some words under a full moon and rub herbs on your belly, yeah.
People back then still practiced folk magic, and this is one case. Basically harmless shit, like kids doing Ouija boards today, some girl using an egg and doing some folk magic by cracking it over water and looking at it to do divination, figure out a future husband.
The puritans didn’t like this shit but it was apparently common enough that court records show them admitting to weird folk magic practices.
Even then, this was not enough to get executed. She confessed, repented, and was fine after. If you look into it, a lot of the people that confessed to weird shit survived. It was more often men and women who said “they’re lying, I didn’t do it” who were killed. Lots of false witness accusation, probably saying what they wanted to hear.
Is this what started the witch trials?
I think it was women owning property that really kicked it off.
It didn’t even take that much, I think it was just women having knowledge that men didn’t.
This is a very specific witch trial if I remember correctly.
If you look into it, these people did not go after as many midwives and herbalists as claimed. They made a strong distinction against herbalism, and really only went after what they believed caused supernatural effects, or people calling on powers of other supernatural beings than God. Some apothecary giving you herbs for a stomach ache would not be witch craft. Telling someone to say some words under a full moon and rub herbs on your belly, yeah.
People back then still practiced folk magic, and this is one case. Basically harmless shit, like kids doing Ouija boards today, some girl using an egg and doing some folk magic by cracking it over water and looking at it to do divination, figure out a future husband.
The puritans didn’t like this shit but it was apparently common enough that court records show them admitting to weird folk magic practices.
Even then, this was not enough to get executed. She confessed, repented, and was fine after. If you look into it, a lot of the people that confessed to weird shit survived. It was more often men and women who said “they’re lying, I didn’t do it” who were killed. Lots of false witness accusation, probably saying what they wanted to hear.
https://salemwitchmuseum.com/locations/sarah-and-samuel-wardwell-home-site-of/