Legend has it that witches would gather on All Hallows Eve. They would
arrive on their broomsticks to attend a party hosted by the devil. Then
they would dance around the fire all through the night. "Thou Shalt Not
suffer a witch to live."
Witches & Superstitions
A superstition involving witches says that if you put your clothes on
wrong side out and walked backwards on Halloween night, you will see a
witch at midnight.
It was believed that witches would cast spells on the unsuspecting, causing
great misfortune. They could also transform themselves into different
forms. Witches were believed to worship the devil.
Also, one superstition said that one way to tell if someone were a witch
was to throw them into the water. If they floated, then they were a witch.
If they drowned, then they were not.
"She afflicts me!
She comes to me
at night and torments me!
She's a witch!"
Witch Persecutions
History involving witchcraft has had a long, bloody history, probably from
man's earliest history to the late 1700's. The amount of deaths estimated
range from a few hundred thousand to several million. Most of the
persecutions were in Europe but also spread to the New World.
The accused were often the old, unattractive and the disliked. Most, but
not all, were women.
When someone in a village fell under bad circumstances, they would
oftentimes find someone to blame. They sometimes believed that the person
had cast a spell upon them and caused them grief. Another reason someone
might have accused another person of witchcraft would be that they were
trying to save themselves from being accused.
In some circumstances, the accusations were so widespread that the
populations of entire villages were nearly wiped out. Sometimes, entire
families were killed as well.
Once accused of witchcraft, victims were usually tried in court and/or
tortured so that a confession could be obtained. They could also be
banished, imprisoned, and executed for their "crimes." Although many victims
were executed by methods such as decapitation and fire, some died during
torture. These practices varied according to the time period and region.
In the New World from 1647 to 1768, thirty-seven people were brought before
the court for charges of witchcraft, 25 of which died during the infamous
Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Nineteen were executed for the crime of
witchcraft and one person was crushed to death for refusing to enter a
plea of guilty.
arrive on their broomsticks to attend a party hosted by the devil. Then
they would dance around the fire all through the night. "Thou Shalt Not
suffer a witch to live."
Witches & Superstitions
A superstition involving witches says that if you put your clothes on
wrong side out and walked backwards on Halloween night, you will see a
witch at midnight.
It was believed that witches would cast spells on the unsuspecting, causing
great misfortune. They could also transform themselves into different
forms. Witches were believed to worship the devil.
Also, one superstition said that one way to tell if someone were a witch
was to throw them into the water. If they floated, then they were a witch.
If they drowned, then they were not.
"She afflicts me!
She comes to me
at night and torments me!
She's a witch!"
Witch Persecutions
History involving witchcraft has had a long, bloody history, probably from
man's earliest history to the late 1700's. The amount of deaths estimated
range from a few hundred thousand to several million. Most of the
persecutions were in Europe but also spread to the New World.
The accused were often the old, unattractive and the disliked. Most, but
not all, were women.
When someone in a village fell under bad circumstances, they would
oftentimes find someone to blame. They sometimes believed that the person
had cast a spell upon them and caused them grief. Another reason someone
might have accused another person of witchcraft would be that they were
trying to save themselves from being accused.
In some circumstances, the accusations were so widespread that the
populations of entire villages were nearly wiped out. Sometimes, entire
families were killed as well.
Once accused of witchcraft, victims were usually tried in court and/or
tortured so that a confession could be obtained. They could also be
banished, imprisoned, and executed for their "crimes." Although many victims
were executed by methods such as decapitation and fire, some died during
torture. These practices varied according to the time period and region.
In the New World from 1647 to 1768, thirty-seven people were brought before
the court for charges of witchcraft, 25 of which died during the infamous
Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Nineteen were executed for the crime of
witchcraft and one person was crushed to death for refusing to enter a
plea of guilty.
| Witches |
DISCLAIMER: This page is in no way representative of Wicca
nor is it meant to be.
nor is it meant to be.
| "Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog," "Adder's fork, and blindworms's sting, Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing," |
| "For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hellbroth boil and bubble," "Double, double, toil and trouble, Fire burn, and caldron bubble." -William Shakespeare |
