Elizabethan Era Superstitions

“Mary Walcott,Anns step cousin ,named an astonishing 69 witches”(page 56) how in the world would 69 witches/apparitions haunt you without killing you in a matter of hours. the main points of the essay are that if you lie about something very big you might have it turn out bad,such as the hangings or torturing and the people in trial who pricked thereselves for evidence that the witch was a witch. Another main point is that you need to think before you act because it might get someone or yourself in trouble or harmed. The significance of the trials were very low. There was not but a little

In the book Witches the Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer, there was a religion, puritanism, and they believed in witches. They accused people for being aligned with the devil. It started with two girls who had symptoms of histyeria and others who were not sick also joined the. Nineteen people were wrongly accused of being witches and executed. Later in the book it stated that many of the people that accused those who died, lied.

In 1692 the beginning of the Salem witch trials began. A few decades later a similar occurrence happened in 1950 with the spread of McCarthyism. What started both the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism was the spread of fear and mass hysteria. Puritans during 1692 believed that the new world should be a holy place with freedom to practice your own personal religion. When witchcraft came around the puritans noticed strange behavior between the young teenage girls for example being choked by an invisible force or falling out on the floor as if possessed.

During the Elizabethan Era and Shakespeare days, witches were known and believed in worldwide, especially in Europe. They were accused of being responsible for illnesses, mainly because they were known for their ability to use magic. Shakespeare's work also included witch parts, for example Macbeth. The word magic comes from either the Greek word megus, which means “great” or from the Greek term magein; the science and religion of Zoroaster. Magic is the art of changing consciousness and physical reality according to your own will.

In the old town of Salem, Massachusetts, there lived a very religious and superstitious people. Everyone had to be Christian, and if something went amiss, everything would get out of control. When Abigail Williams and her friends were found dancing around a fire in the black of night in the forest, people began to wonder what could have possibly been the cause and purpose of such wicked ways. The easy, first conclusion was that witchery and the devil were involved. They believed that the Devil had to have caused them to do such evil things, and they wanted to find the source of it.

it’s a lose-lose situation. Things like politics, religion, imaginations, and fear of people were just some of the main factors of what aided people into believing that Satan was upon the town of Salem. They believed that the humans were with devil and doing as he said which in turn gave them the power to harm others. One girl named Tituba was trying to save herself by confessing to witchcraft.

Some believed that the first women who were accused of witchcraft weren’t really witches at all. They believed, that they suffered from some sort of mental illness, such as epilepsy, or even a disease brought on by eating rye infected with fungus, which can elicit vomiting, choking, fits, hallucinations, and the sense of something crawling on one’s skin. But when doctors examined them, they found nothing wrong and said that they must be bewitched. People could be convicted of witchcraft without any solid evidence. Most of the evidence used against those accused of witchcraft amounted to “witness testimony” that the accused person 's spirit or spectral shape appeared to the witness in a dream at the time the accused person 's physical body was at another location.

One the articles say, “ The physicians were called in to examine the girls and no natural cause of the disturbing behavior” ( “The Salem Witch Trials, 1692”). The source of the affliction was not attributable to a physical illness. The community decided that the odd behaviors must be the work of Satan because of many practicing Christians, and those of other religions, had a strong belief that the Devil could give certain people known as witches the power to harm others in return for their loyalty. (“A Brief History of the Salem Witch

It all started with Tituba claiming she signed the devil 's book. Them people got really worried because the bible stated witches “shall not suffer to live” that gave them reassured opinions because the people followed the bible. Then people noticed that they could get away with accusing other people that they wanted to get rid of. It was the perfect way to get rid of someone your jelous of. Then many people took advantage of the system and from there it went crazy, but I believe The main cause of witchcraft is people taking advantage of it for their own

Even though many people think that witches worshiped the devil, but they actually did rituals to replenish the Earth at the change of every season. In my opinion, witches have been mistreated throughout history because of superstitions and difference in religious beliefs. Because many people believed that they had the power of controlling of life and death because they could cure babies and sickly people. Also, many witches worshiped a type of Earth goddess. They were never any harm to any of the people of the towns.

Why, because they’d heal the sick and pain. They were worshiped and well respected, but not in Salem. In Salem 1692 the witches were hated the only religion that was acceptable that was pretty much Christianity. Witchcraft was a threat against Christianity. So anyone who was accused of being a witch was sentenced to die in a abhorrent

Abigail being by far the one of the most negative. She is one of the main people that started the witch trials. Then Danforth is also high on the list of negative, although he could of stopped the hangings he did not because he did not want to embarrass himself. Parris is just in for a good reputation in the town and some money.

Human bodies played a significant role in the hunt for witches and other European religious struggles. Throughout Germany, the concept of witchcraft and the obsession to stop it was at its worst from 1550 to 1650. While older women were famously the targets for accusations of witchcraft, men and children were not exempt from the terror that was the witch hunt. As described in Roper’s Witch Craze, there were multiple known influences on this phenomenon that killed so many, such as religious instability and various aspects of the human experience. One theme that is prevalent is that of women, their bodies and how the two of the aspects influenced the idea of witchcraft and way society attempted to end it.

“I am no more a witch than you are a wizard. If you take my life away, God will give you blood to drink” was quoted by Sarah Good, one of the first witches of the Salem Witch Trials that was speculated to have bewitched Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Parris. This was a common theme in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. There are many theories against Good and her speculated practice of witchcraft. Good was considerably lower in economic status that most of her neighbors and a lot of people accused her of being a witch because of her cited jealousy and envy (something often associated with a witches’ discontent and anger).

A comparison that I can make with this reading is from Richard Godbeer, The Devil’s Dominion: Magic and Religion in Early New England, which illustrates magical beliefs and practices that the colonists brought with them from England. Puritan preachers condemned magic as ungodly and diabolical. Magic and occultism was rejected by the preachers of New England and so they were shocked to learn that colonists used magic themselves. New Englanders used magic to manipulate time and space, clairvoyance, and travel