WITCH HUNTS


In the year of 1320, the church, at the request of Pope John XXII, declared witchcraft and the Old Religion of the Pagans as a heretical movement and a hostile threat to the church. The church soon made people believe that women were inclined toward evil witchcraft and the devil. Calvin and Knox believed that to deny witchcraft was to deny the authority of the bible
"The giving up of witchcraft is in effect the giving up of the bible" John Wesley, 18th century
The most influential piece of propaganda was commissioned by Pope Innocent VIII in 1448. He had assigned the Dominican monks Henrich Kraemer and Jacob Spienger to publish a manual for the witch hunters. Malleus Malificarun ("The Witches Hammer") appeared two years later. This manual was used for the next 250 years. Between 1400 and 1700 at least 100,000 people were killed because of witchcraft.
People soon came to believe that witches were out to wreak havoc on towns and injure their neighbors. Christians believed that the witches twisted the Catholic mass at their meetings.
Another belief was that the devil would make appearances at their Sabbats to dance and have sex with the witches. Before the Sabbats, witches were said to be fond of Christian infants as an appetizer.
Soon, everything was blamed on witchcraft. Since the devil created all of the ills, his agents — witches — were to blame. Witches were thought to have as much, if not more, power than Christ.
They were said to have the powers to raise the dead, turn water into wine, control the weather, fly, and know the past and future.
Common victims of witchcraft accusations were women resembling a crones. Any woman who attracted attention was suspected of witchcraft; either due to beauty or because of a noticeable oddness or unique feature.
Midwives were also targets of being accused of dabbling in witchcraft. A Scottish woman was accused of being a witch because she was seen stroking a cat at the same time a nearby batch of beer went sour.
Soon, the village healers, who were more helpful then the expensive doctors, began to take on the image of the witch.
The people were so blind to accuse them because the healers were the ones who helped so many and kept the morale of the village through much love, care and wisdom.
Now they were "witches". Simple mistranslation and misunderstanding is responsible for the scorn of witchcraft.

"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."

was believed to justify the persecution of witches. Witch is Hebrew meaning a prisoner, not the followers of the devil.
Many women were tortured, often sexually raped and executed. Once accused of witchcraft, it was virtually impossible to escape conviction. The people of Toulouse were convinced that inquisitor Foulques de St. Gourge accused women for no other reason than to sexually abuse them.
Once a witch was executed, the estate was collected by the church. The more witches and the wealthier the witch meant more money for the church.
Torturers, executioners and other functionaries benefitted as well. Costs of torturing, imprisoning, and executing the accused came from the victim's own purse. Selling charms and amulets against the influence of witchcraft also brought in more money. Anyone who did not buy such things would surely fall under suspicion.
Witchcraft in England was made an illegal offense in 1541. In 1604, a law declaring capital punishment for Pagans was adopted. Forty years later American colonies made death the penalty for the "crimes of witchcraft". By the late 17th century the remaining followers of the Old Religion had turned into a secret underground.

A Witch Hunters Toy Box

Witch hunters had what almost seemed like a child's toy box of tools that were used to find whether or not someone was truly a witch. Listed below are just a few of the methods that were used to convict a witch. The Malleus Maleficarum was the most important and most treasured of all tools.
It was a set of rules stating the proper methods of prosecution for a witch trial and methods of telling a witch from a god fearing person. This series of books also set forth the origins of witchcraft and legal procedures. It was quite a work of fiction.
The Devil's Mark was a mark that was believed to close the pact between satan and his witches. He marked the bodies of his initiates to seal their pledge of faith to him. The mark was believed to be in hidden places. Scars, birthmarks, blemishes, patches of skin insensitive to pain, and freckles were believed to be the devil's mark. After cross-examination the witches body was examined throughly for the devil's mark. She was stripped naked and shaved of all of her body hair. If any warts, freckles, birthmarks or anything else unusual were found then she was believed to be a devil's messenger.
Pricking the devil's mark was another method used. The devil's mark was said not to bleed when pricked with a long, needle like object called a bodkin. The devil's mark was also considered insensitive to any pain what so ever.
It was believed that witches could not recite the Lord's Prayer backwards, from beginning to end. Many people did not know the prayer while others that were asked to recite it would stumble over words and make errors in fear of failing.
Every witch was believed to have familiars, low ranking demons in animal form. Familiars were said to be the gifts of the devil.
The most recognized would be that of a black cat. If so much as a fly was to buzz into a woman's house or jail cell while she was on trial, it would be thought to be her familiar.



TORTURE
CAUTION!!!Very Graphic
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