WOTC Extra – Releasing The Power

When you release the power in the final stage, you may see the cone exploding and cascading as coloured stars or light beams, which surge away into the cosmos and break into brilliant rainbow colours.

If you wish, you can direct the energy after the final release of power by pointing with your hands, or a wand or knife, so that the energies cascade horizontally and downwards, for example into herbs on the altar that you are empowering to make into herb sachets. Or you can direct the cascading energies in a specific direction, perhaps towards a person who is ill or in need of magical strength.

This release may take the form of a final shout, a leap, or words. As you extinguish your candle of need, you may shout:

It is free, the power is mine!

Or, at the point of release, you may throw your extended hands wide in an arc above your head. If the ceremony is formal and you are using an athame, you can at this moment bring it in front of you to mark the invisible cutting of the knot holding the power. Pull your visualised or actual knots tight, cut them, leap into the air, shouting:

The Power is free! or It is done!

Sometimes there is just a sudden stillness, as the power leaves.

Afterwards, you need to ground the energies by sitting or lying on the ground and letting excess energies fade away into the Earth as you press down with your hands and feet.

Let’s Talk Witch – Raising Power

This is the most powerful part of the magick, as the magical energies are amplified and the power of the ritual carries you along joyously. Ecstasy forms a major part of shamanic ceremony and the old mystery religions; it is akin to the exhilaration you experience riding on a carousel or running barefoot along a sandy shore with the wind lifting your hair.

You might repeat a chant of power, dance faster, drum with greater intensity, bind your cords in ever more intricate patterns or add more knots if working alone, visualising a cone of spiralling, coloured light, rising and increasing in size and intensity as this stage progresses.

Stretch your arms and hands vertically as high as possible to absorb power from the cosmos. If you are in a group and have been linking hands, as the power increases to a great intensity, this is the time to loose them.

As the power builds, you will create what is known as a cone of power. The cone-shaped hats traditionally associated with witches and bishops’ mitres reflect the concentration of spiritual potency. The purpose of the cone, like the sacred pyramid, is to concentrate energy in a narrowing shape so that it reaches a pinnacle of power, which can then be released at the end of the ritual to carry your wishes or desires into the cosmos. In order to create a cone of power in magick, you can visualise these energies as coloured light or as gold.

Alternatively, you can visualise different rainbow colours to create a cone of every colour that merges to brilliant white at the apex. In healing work, some people see this as silver blue light that becomes brilliant.

Whether working alone or in a group, as you build up the power, breathe in pure white light and exhale and project your chosen colour, seeing it become ever more vibrant and faster-moving as the intensity increases. After you have been practising magick for a while, you will notice that the cone of colour builds up quite spontaneously, with no apparent effort. It has also been described as a cloud of energy. At the point when the climax is reached, comes the release of power.

Note that for some people the cone concept interferes with their own natural magical abilities – some of the most skilled witches and healers see circles of light, shimmering golden beams or rainbows with their psychic eye. Some see nothing at all, but instead feel power pushing their feet almost off the ground

Uncasting The Circle

When you have completed your spells or rituals, you should close the circle. This is done by simply reversing the casting process.

* Thank the Guardians and send the light of the elemental candles to whoever needs it.

* Extinguish the elemental candles in reverse order of lighting. Visualise the light fading and say,together with any present:

Let the circle be uncast but remain unbroken.

Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again.

* Leave the altar candles to burn down.

Casting A Triple Circle

Three is a sacred number in magick and for special ceremonies you can create a triple circle of both power and protection. The number three represents the three aspects of the god figure in many religions: the Holy Trinity, the Triple Goddess, the three aspects of the Moon -maiden, mother and wise woman or crone – the trefoil or triple god of the Celts, and the even older Egyptian trinity of Isis, Osiris and Horus, the young Sky God. This triplicity is still celebrated when we turn our money over and bow three times to the Moon for good luck.

* Create your first two circles of light and salt water.

* Return to the place where you began.

* Place the bowl on the altar and light your incense; you can either light a stick in a secure holder or

sprinkle incense on a charcoal block burning within the censer.

* Make your final circle with incense, just beyond the lines of salt and water.

There are other variations of this, including creating your outer circle of light by walking with your candle in a broad-based holder, followed by the salt water and the incense.

Casting A Dual Circle

You can create a dual circle if you wish.

* First consecrate the salt symbolising the Earth element in the North of the altar by stirring it three times with an athame, wand or crystal, and visualise radiance pouring into it.

* Stir the water, also three times deosil with the athame, wand or pointed crystal, asking the light and the Goddess to enter it.

* Add a few grains of salt to the water and stir it, saying:

May power thus be doubled,

thus increased,

as life joins life

to create a greater force

even than these.

* Stand either just within or beyond the first circle perimeter.

* Walk deosil round the circle, sprinkling the circle line, physical or envisaged, with your salt water.

In formal rituals, the High Priestess consecrates the salt and the High Priest the water and they mingle them. The High Priestess then creates the first circle and the High Priest the second.

Casting A Circle

All spells and rituals, however formal or informal, are based on a magical circle. This may be large enough for an entire group of practitioners to stand in, or it may be small enough to fit on your personal altar. I have known practitioners who have only a small area create a circle on a table-top and sit facing North, physically outside it but spiritually within, manipulating the symbols within it. I have also known modern witches who will create an instant circle on paper or even on a computer screen.

If you have the space, you can keep a magick circle marked out with stones in a corner of your garden or painted on the floor of a room covered with a large rug. Attics are especially good since you are nearer the sky. If you are able to keep a special area for your circle, scatter dried lavender or potpourri on it before each use, and sweep it in circles widdershins to remove any negativity.

Whatever the form or size of your circle, mark the four main compass directions within it. In the marker positions, you can use stones, lines on the floor, four crystals hanging on cords on the four walls or candles in the appropriate elemental colours.

Once you know your directions, you can mark out your circle, beginning in the North (although some practitioners begin in the East), and working deosil. Draw your circle in one sweeping movement. You may wish to chant as you go.

If you are working in a group, or if this is a circle for a more formal ritual, you may wish to add god/goddess-power forms as an interspersed chant, with the voices of the group ebbing and rising in waves. You may wish to welcome the Archangels, or Guardians of the Four Watchtowers at the four compass points as you cast your circle. (The Archangels represent the celestial beings that feature in the cosmologies of the three main religions of the Western world -Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Alternatively, you may wish to call upon powerful goddess forms:

Isis, Ishtar, Cerridwen, Innana, Shakti, Yoruba, Danu, Kali and Aine, protect, empower and inspirethis magical endeavor.

You can embellish the casting ceremony as much as you like, perhaps drawing pentagrams in the air at the four main compass points, and combining this with lighting the four elemental candles.

Some practitioners like to cast a circle and then welcome other members of the group to enter, sealing the circle with a diagonal up-and-down slashing movement of their power hand (the one they write with), or a wand or an athame. (An athame is a double-edged knife used in formal rituals. It represents Air and is placed in the East of the circle.

As well as drawing circles, it may be used to conduct magical energies into a symbol.) But I think it is more powerful if one person actually walks around the outside of a circle of people, enclosing them in light. In this way, the circle is created in human dimensions and is as large or small as is required by the actual formation. The circle made to fit the group is far better magically than the group made to fit the circle, for the group is the circle.

If you want to visualize a circle, use a clear, pointed quartz crystal, or wand, or the forefinger of your power hand, and draw an outline, in the air at chest level or on the ground. The circle extends wherever you draw it from the ground upwards to above your head like a wall of gold. Again, begin in the North, and continue in an unbroken, circular movement.

Remember, the circle is created with your own power, amplified if you wish by the sacred Guardians or powers you may invoke. For this reason, creating a light body and thus drawing energy from the ground, before casting the circle, is a powerful preliminary. Some practitioners, having drawn the light, extend then-hands upwards so that light from the cosmos can also enter. Do this before joining hands if you are creating the circle as a group.

In a conventional coven, the High Priestess casts and uncast the circle, but you may prefer to allow the person leading the ritual to cast the magical boundaries.

Let’s Talk Witch – Ethics or Etiquette

Recently in conversation with friends in a small intimate gathering, I mentioned outer-court names and passed on gossip. Later I was told that I had “violated etiquette.” Had I?

Etiquette is socially accepted forms of behavior, agreed upon by the members of a community. Ethics involves morality, the nature of right as determined by a group or an individual.I believe there is a great deal of confusion of these terms in the “Pagan Community.”

Going by fairly traditional rules there are the “Laws of Wicca.” Among these there is a very firm one saying one should never reveal another person as a Witch without their permission. However a person who has revealed themselves publicly as a witch shouldn’t complain. And is it a violation of ethics to tell of a person by their outer-court name? Only insiders could know the legal name of the person, so what is the danger?

Ethics can be fairly easily agreed upon in the general pagan community. Anything that puts someone else in an embarrassing or dangerous position is unethical. We all make mistakes at times, but we try to act in a manner consistent with our ethical code. Etiquette, on the other hand, is very deceiving. We assume, since we are all members of the “Neo-Pagan Community” that we

have the same etiquette. But the only etiquette I have ever been explicitly told about involves greetings to be exchanged between members of a group and their high priestess or between two high priestess of different groups. What about a more common meeting?

Say a friend of mine is tired of being a solitary and wishes to come to a group celebration. What etiquette should I follow to bring this person to such a circle? I could either contact the group beforehand and ask permission, or tell them I will be bringing a guest, or I could simply bring a guest – with no warning at all. In the first situation, the responsibility and decision is theirs; in the second I am responsible for my guest’s behavior; in the third I am a boor and will never be invited to their circles again.

No one has covered all the possible conflict situations in the Pagan Community. So there is no way I could agree to follow an “etiquette.” My general code is simply to use common sense, and give the other person an easy out. For example, if you think someone else is a Witch and wish to find out, you might tell them that you are one. To receive trust you have to give it first.

A secondary problem in this situation is how does one keep a secret? Should one only speak in whispers, or when no one is within 100 paces? I think that looks furtive and produces suspicion

in the mind of outsiders. Or do we follow Poe’s lead and put the secret out in the open and disarm the opposition?

I know several people who studiously “maintain secrecy” but everyone knows that they are “witches.” Worse, because of their secrecy, their colleagues don’t know what a witch is except it must be nasty since they won’t speak of it. I do not proclaim my religion, nor do I hide it, and I have never had any problems. I hear 3rd hand horror stories but would like to hear first hand experiences, good or bad.

Author:
Ellen

Internet Book of Shadows

Witches Reed of Chivalry

Witchy Comments & Graphics

Witches Reed of Chivalry

Insofar as the Craft of the Wise is the most ancient and most honorable creed of humankind, it behooves all who are Witches to act in ways that give respect to the Old Gods, to their sisters and brothers of the Craft, and to themselves.

Therefore, be it noted that:

Chivalry is a high code of honour which is of most ancient Celtic Pagan origin, and must be lived by all who follow the Old ways.

It must be kenned that thoughts and intent put forth on this Middle-Earth will wax strong in other worlds beyond, and return… bringing into creation, on this world, that which had been sent forth. Thus one should exercise discipline, for “as ye sow, so shall ye reap.”

It is only by preparing our minds to be as Gods that we can ultimately attain godhead.

“This above all…to thine own self be true….”

A Witch’s word must have the validity of a signed and witnessed oath. Thus, give thy word sparingly, but adhere to it like iron.

Refrain from speaking ill of others, for not all truths of the matter may be known.

Pass not unverified words about another, for hearsay is, in large part, a thing of falsehoods.

Be thou honest with others, and have them known that honesty is likewise expected of them.

The fury of the moment plays folly with the truth; to keep one’s head is a virtue.

Contemplate always the consequences of thine acts upon others. Strive not to harm another.

Though there may be differences between those of the Old Ways, diverse covens and circles may well have diverse views. These views, even if they are different than yours, should always be given respect. When a coven, circle, clan, or grove is visited or joined, one should discern quietly their practices, and abide thereby.

Dignity, a gracious manner, and a good humour are much to be admired.

As a Witch, thou hast power, and thy powers wax strongly as wisdom increases. Therefore exercise discretion in the use thereof.

Courage and honour endure forever. Their echoes remain when the mountains have crumbled to dust.

Pledge friendship and fealty to those who so warrant. Strengthen others of the Brethren and they shall strengthen thee.

Thou shalt not reveal the secrets of another Witch or another Coven. Others have laboured long and hard for them, and cherish them as treasures.

Those who follow the mysteries should be above reproach in the eyes of the world, and should always seek to make this so.

The laws of the land should be obeyed whenever possible and within reason, for in the main they have been chosen with wisdom for the well-being of all.

Have pride in thyself, and seek perfection in body and in mind. For the Lady hath said, “How canst thou honour another unless thou give honour to thyself firstly?”

Those who seek the Mysteries should consider themselves as select of the Gods, for it is they who lead the race of humankind to the highest of thrones and beyond to the very stars.

Author Unknown

The Celtic Connection

Let’s Talk Witch – Nine Steps To Becoming A Witch

Nine Steps To Becoming A Witch

STEP ONE – discovering your path

Read and study. Read everything you can get your hands on. You need to read anything that will tell you more about the beliefs of witchcraft, magazines, books and web pages. While studying there are other forms of the craft that help. (nature) For example you could go hiking or go camping. Sunbathe, moonbathe, watch animals etc. This step should take you at least 2 months.

STEP TWO – defining your path

In a notebook, folder or journal start writing down some reasons why the craft is for you. What does being a witch mean to you? What do you hope to achieve? How do you visualize the God and Goddess? What does the Divine mean to you? Be honest. This notebook will become your book of shadows.

STEP THREE – Exploring magic

Magic is simply raising and channeling energy that is found in yourself, nature and the divine. Before you begin working with magic you need to understand what it is. You also need to know the basic structure of a ritual, casting circles, calling quarters, invoking the God/dess, raising and directing energy, grounding and centering and closing the circle. Know the moon phases. Learn to feel how the moon effects your body. Keep records of all you have learned in your book of shadows. This step will probably take you about another couple of months.

STEP FOUR – learning to focus

Now you should start working on meditation and visualization exercises to increase your concentration. Learn to be calm. You can start out by meditating at least 3 times a week for about five minutes. You should do this for at least a month. Remember to keep a record in your book of shadows.

STEP FIVE – working with magic

Now you can begin some basic spell work. Start with a full moon ritual or a new moon ritual. Every witch should write her own spells.

STEP SIX – self dedication

After you have been studying for at least five or six months on meditating and working with magic it is time to perform a self dedication ritual. Design it however you want. A self dedication ritual means you are dedicating yourself to the craft.

STEP SEVEN – the year between dedication and initiation

You can initiate yourself when you feel you are ready. The year you spend between your self dedication and your initiation you should spend celebrating the Sabbats, meditation, practicing your spellwork and studying. Use this time to learn about different forms of divination, such as Tarot or Runes, and different forms of healing, such as herbalism. Make sure you are recording in your book of shadows.

STEP EIGHT – Networking

You should spend a solitary year study after self dedication before a witch considers joining a coven or a circle. This gives you a full year to celebrate the cycle of Sabbats.

STEP NINE – Initiation

An initiation should be something that’s meaningful to you. The ritual should be written only by you. A coven initiation is a means of bonding a group together. Initiation into the craft should always be a solitary ritual.

You still have to learn and practice. If you truly want to be a witch be prepared to spend the rest of your life studying and learning about this religion.

The Witches Magick for May 7th – Marigold and Sunflower Faery Magick

This is the time when flowers are in bloom and the energy of faeries is everywhere. In this spell you are creating a faery circle as a way of bringing this fluorescent energy into your life.

You will need a pot of marigolds and thirteen sunflower seeds.

Place the pot of marigolds in a sunny location. Call to Mari, Queen of the Faeries to protect and give life to the flowers:

Queen Mari, give life to this flower

That bears your name and glows with

your divine fluorescence.

Place the thirteen sunflower seeds in a circle around the marigolds. As you do so, call out to the faeries:

Marigolds and sunflowers,

Spread the magick of faery powers.

Care for the flowers during the month, making sure to give them the care and attention they need to thrive.

10 Facts About Paganism and Wicca

By Patti Wigington, About.com

There’s a lot of information out there on Paganism, including but not limited to Wicca, in books, on the Internet, and through local groups. But how much of it is accurate? How do you learn to separate the wheat from the chaff? The fact is, there are several basic things you should understand about Wicca and other forms of Paganism before you make the decision to join a new spiritual path. Let’s eliminate some of the misconceptions and talk about actual facts… it will make your spiritual journey all the more valuable if you understand these issues from the beginning.

1. Most Pagan Traditions Have Rules

Sure, a lot of people think that just because there’s no Grand High Pagan Council that there must be all kinds of magical carnage going on. Truth is, there are some fairly standard guidelines followed by a number of different Pagan traditions. While they vary from one group to the next, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with some of the concepts. Learn more about the rules of magic before you continue your studies.

2. Not All Witches are Pagans are Wiccans

3. There’s No Pagan Dress Code

Contrary to what many popular movies might have you believe, you don’t have to be a teenage goth princess to be Pagan or Wiccan. In fact, you don’t “have to be” anything at all. Pagans come from all walks of life — they are parents and teens, lawyers, nurses, firefighters, waitresses, teachers and writers. They come from all different walks of life, all socioeconomic groups, and all sorts of racial backgrounds. There’s no Pagan Dress Code that says you have to toss away your polo shirt or khakis in favor of capes and an all-black wardrobe. On the other hand, if you prefer the goth look, go for it… just remember that goth and Pagan are not synonymous.

4. Religious Freedom Applies to Pagans Too

Believe it or not, as a Pagan you have the same rights as people of any other religion. Despite the fact that some members of other faiths might disapprove of the existence of Wicca and Paganism, the fact is that if you live in the United States, you’re entitled to protection just like anyone else. It’s against the law for anyone to discriminate against you because you practice an earth-based faith. Learn about your rights as a Pagan or Wiccan parent, as an employee, and even as a member of the United States military.

5. It’s Okay to Be Out of the Broom Closet… or Not

6. Pagans Are Not Satanists

Ask any Pagan about the cornerstone of their faith, and they’ll probably tell you it’s a reverence for their ancestors, a belief in the sacredness of nature, a willingness to embrace the Divine within ourselves, or an acceptance of polarity between the male and female. It may be a combination of those principles. It will not have anything to do with the Satan, Old Scratch, Beelzebub, or any of the other names attributed to the Christian devil. Pagans and Wiccans aren’t devil worshipers, Satanists, or Diabolists. Learn more about how Pagans and Wiccans feel about such an entity.

7. Join a Coven, or Practice Solitary?

Many Wiccans and Pagans choose to join a coven or study group because it allows them the chance to learn from like-minded people. It’s an opportunity to share ideas and get new perspectives on any number of things. However, for some folks it’s just more practical or desirable to remain as a solitary practitioner.

8. Parents and Teens

Nothing will set a teenager at odds with a parent quite like coming into the house wearing a giant pentacle, toting a candle, and yelling, “I’m a witch now, leave me alone!” Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way. Parents, you may have some concerns about Wicca and other forms of Paganism… and teens, you probably aren’t sure how to talk to mom and dad about your new-found interest. Rest easy, though. With a little bit of good communication, both parents and teenagers should be able to find a happy medium.

9. You Don’t Need a Lot of Fancy Tools

Many people think they need to stock up on hundreds of dollars worth of incense, herbs, wands and candles before they can even begin to practice Wicca or Paganism. That’s simply not the case. While a few basic magical tools are nice to have, the key element of most traditions are the beliefs, not the tangible, physical items. If you’d like to gather a very basic “starter kit” of tools, there are several which are common to nearly every tradition.

10. You Can Write Your Own Spells and Rituals

Despite a commonly held (and generally Internet-based) belief to the contrary, anyone can write and cast a spell. The trick is to recognize what the key elements are to successful spellcrafting — intent or goal, components, and putting it into practice are all key. Don’t let anyone tell you that beginners can’t write a spell. Just like any other skill set, it will take some practice, but with a little work you can become a perfectly effective spellworker.

Living a Magical Life – Tips for Day to Day Magickal Living

Living a Magical Life

Tips for Day to Day Magical Living

By Patti Wigington, About.com

People find themselves drawn to Paganism and Wicca for a variety of reasons. Some may be trying to escape some other religion. Others may be looking for a sense of personal empowerment. Still others may realize that the beliefs they’ve held all along are in tune with those of a Pagan path. Regardless, once you’ve found your new path, there comes a time when you may ask yourself “How can I make this spiritual system part of my daily life?”

Are you someone who thinks about the principles of your tradition all the time, or only when it’s convenient? If you honor a particular deity in your path, do you do so just on the eight Sabbats, but not bother the rest of the time? Are you constantly reading and learning, or do you figure everything you need to know is contained in the three books you already own? In other words, are you a “weekend Wiccan”?

Living a magical life is something that one does twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Depending on the needs of your tradition, it may involve something as complex as daily ritual, or as simple as taking a moment to thank your gods each morning when you get out of bed. It means being in tune with the spiritual world around you, and staying in balance physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Does this mean you need to run around shouting “The Goddess loves you!” all day long? Not at all… in fact, the rest of us would appreciate it if you didn’t do that. What it does mean is there’s a difference between seeing Paganism and Wicca as something you “do” versus something you believe.

How can you bring more magic into your daily life? Try one, or more, of the following — and if something doesn’t apply to your particular flavor of Paganism, don’t sweat it. Use what you need, and set the rest aside.

Pay attention to the phases of the moon. Know what’s happening in the skies, and notice how (or if) it affects the way you feel.
Recognize that you don’t know everything there is to know. Continue learning and growing, and be willing to accept that sometimes new knowledge will come from unexpected sources. Don’t assume that you’re always right, just because you’ve always done or thought something.
Show respect for nature — do things on a daily basis that are good for the planet. Recycle, compost, cut back on excess energy consumption. If you believe the earth is sacred, treat it as such.
Get in touch with the land. Plant a garden, study the changes of the seasons. Realize how good it feels to grow your own herbs and vegetables.
Be empowered. Know that you have control over many of the things that happen to you. If someone or something makes you miserable, make the changes that are necessary to bring yourself happiness.
Understand that just as you have control over your life, you are also responsible for your actions. Take ownership of everything you do — even if that includes admitting you’re wrong sometimes.
Find a way to honor the Divine in your daily life, rather than just at monthly Esbats or the eight Sabbats each year. Even if you just start your day with a morning “thank you” to your gods or to the universe itself, it’s not a bad thing to acknowledge the gifts that we have in our lives.
Behave in a way that is honorable — if you make a promise, keep it. If someone needs help and you can provide it, offer it.
When you do something, think about how you can use it in a magical application. For example, when you’re baking cookies, consider what sort of magical working you can incorporate into the recipe.
Consider the impact that your words and actions have on not only the environment, but also on other people and on yourself.

INQUISITION

Again the burning came,
She felt the heat, the searing pain
a cry lanced through her heart
“Why, My Lady, Why”

She lay quietly, remembering
lost within the labyrinth of the past
and the future
she did not feel the bite of the cruel blade.
Bleeding, moaning, she saw the man
his face, and heart masked with black
she knew his choices and his pain
Oh, to cause pain, to accept his own
if only she could Touch him, Heal him.

“I love you” she whispered
dark eyes calm, yet full of pain
“Don’t ” cried the man “I want to see you die”
“I love you and forgive you” she said
tears rolled freely down her cheeks

Again, and again the searing pain
As the man applied the red hot blade
“Do you still love me, and forgive me” he screamed?

Despite the pain she answered strongly
“I do”, She smiled
“Blessed be” she whispered.

A wave of pain sent her among the stars.
“My Lady” she cried “I’m frightened”
Strong arms held her close
“You have done well my child, rest now”

The man watched as the blade grew cold
As the young body before him cooled
tears streamed down his face
and he whispered
“Forgive me”

LEST WE NOT FORGET

The year is 1500. Thousands of your friends, relatives, and even enemies are being tortured, hung, burned and worse. Your local church says that it’s in the name of God to protect others from the devil’s ways, but you’re not sure you totally agree with what’s going on. Now stop for a moment. Answer these questions.

================
1.) Do you have a birthmark, mole, disfigurement, or do you even have a pimple?
2.) Are you a liberal type?
3.) Do you like to dance?
4.) Do you have a pet cat, mouse, snake, goat?
5.) Do you own a broom?
6.) Do you speak out against what you don’t believe is right?
7.) Do you sometimes give your husband or mother grief or do you “obey his/her every command like you should?”
8.) Have you ever had any enemies or just someone who didn’t think highly of you?
9.) Have you ever lived near someone that lost their job? Had a pet that died? Had a bad crop? Had a family member that died? That got sick?
10.) Have you ever gone out for a walk by yourself after nightfall?
11.) Has there ever been a hail storm or even a wicked thunder storm in the same area that you live?
=============

Answering yes to just one of these questions would have gotten you tried, persecuted, tortured and either hung or burned at a stake between the dates of 1100-1700. Men, women, children, the elderly, the crippled and even pets, all ended up as victims during the Witch Craze (aka The Burning Times and Witch Hunts/Craze). More middle-aged women than any other were tortured and killed though.

During the times when man was just discovering and concurring “new frontiers”, fears began to develop of the unknown that lie ahead in these “new worlds”.

These fears lead to the largest global killing spree on any scale. Many refute that the Burning times all started with the two girls who claimed they were “bewitched”.

But in fact, the start of the hatred towards Pagans, Wiccans, and Witches started far, far earlier during the renaissance period. When the Christians first arrived on the British shores, they encountered the Pagans and their rituals.

At first they worshipped side by side, but in time the Christians realized that the Pagans had a much larger following than them so they decided that something needed to be done to get more followers of Christ in their churches. Pagan Sabbats were starting to be broken up by groups of people against their ways.

Pagan temples were being destroyed. And eventually all of the beautiful ways, practices and the worshipping of the Old Gods was outlawed. The Pagan God was perverted into the depiction of the Christian Devil to scare away others from “the temptation of those heathen practices”.

Celebrations that turned into Christian Holidays were conveniently dated close and even on the same date to Pagan Sabbats to further deter others from going to the gatherings. Pagan followers had to practice in secret and seclusion.

They were no longer sure of who they could trust with their true feelings. Eventually, the old clans split up in fear of being caught and they moved far away from the newcomers.

The Christians had the law on their side and they kept a very watchful eye on their congregation. Anyone with thoughts, notions, or opinions different than that of the teachings of Christ were shamed, teased, persecuted and forced to leave or be jailed.

Fear and hatred started to breed…one thing lead to another and the Witch Craze was starting to happen.

——————–

The most infamous Witchcraft Trials was the Salem Witchcraft Trials in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Although only 30 were killed there, it was ironic how a “fresh start in a New World” ended up as a killing spree on innocent victims.

Reasoning in the trials in the New World included political tensions, land related grievances, disease and religious repression. Because of the strict religious society of the time, with it’s adamant upbringing of children to follow the Bible, it created a very strong belief in the Devil.

(By this time the Christians and Catholics has already done a “great job” of spreading the word that the Pagan God was actually the Devil in the Bible.)

So it only took the hysterics of two young girls ( Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams),one of them was the daughter of Rev. Samuel Parris, to start off the madness of the Witch Hunts there.

The two girls became interested in the magickal culture of a West Indian slave named Tituba, who was incidentally was “owned” by Rev. Parris. They started doing divinations about future husbands, and various other things.

When some of the towns people caught them in the act of doing some of the divination techniques on their own, they quickly claimed they were bewitched to do it to save their butts.

Tibtuta, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne were the first named by the two girls and arrested as the perpetrators of their “bewitchment” on February 29, 1692. From that point on, neighbors and friends instantly became back-stabbers and foes.
—————————
In the year 1233, Pope Gregory IX instituted the Roman Catholic Inquisition in an attempt to gain popularity for Catholicism and his church. In 1320, Pope John XXII requested that the church officially declare Witchcraft ,and the Old Religion of the Pagans, as a “heretical movement” and a “hostile threat” to Christianity.
———————————-
The single most influential piece of propaganda that fueled their campaign was commissioned by Pope Innocent VIII in 1484 . He instructed the Dominican monks, Heinrich Kraemer and Jacob Sprenger, to publish a manual for Witch-hunters. Two years later the Malleus malificarum, or “The Witches’ Hammer” was produced. The manual was used for the next 250 years in the church’s
attempt to destroy the Old Religion.
=============

A clip from the book of Exodus states ,
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live”. This quote, alone, sealed the fate for many of the accused as well as the true followers of the Olde Ways.

However, this is a false translation. What has been translated as “witch” comes from the Hebrew chaspah, a “poisoner” or murderer. The verse can be reinterpreted to mean not to tolerate people who poison–or murderers. This is very different from condoning the brutal murder of witches. Regardless, the witch hunters were able to claim the backing of God in their tasks, and the
support of towns folk that would not question their methods.

The reasoning behind why the Witch Hunters were so interested in their “work” was largely due to their financial gain. The estate of a convicted witch was confiscated, and so more witches would mean more wealth.

Torturers, executioners, and others involved in the persecutions benefited as well. The costs of torturing, imprisoning, and executing the accused came from the accused’s own purse. Additional money was made from the selling of charms and amulets to ward of the curses of witches; and even a person who did not buy such a trinket would fall under suspicion.

Finally in 1711, the General Court reversed twenty-two of the thirty one convictions. It was not until 1957 that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts reversed the remaining guilty verdicts finally acknowledging the errors of Salem Witchcraft Trials. Unfortunately, when the persecutions finally ended in the 18th century, the stereotype of Witches, Wiccans and Pagans as devil worshippers, murderers, etc sadly remained for those who practiced within the true teachings of Witchcraft.

NEVER AGAIN THE BURNING

It is always the morning of my execution……

….I know they will come for me today.
Last night the jailer, pulling up his trousers,
Sneered, “Perhaps you’ll fancy the poll
They give you in the morning more then mine,
Stubborn bitch.” I think
He liked it better when I had strength
And spirit enough to fight him.
He is too stupid to lie just to torment me.
I will welcome death, though the dying scares me…
I was a healer…. how long ago? Oh Gods,
I cannot think straight anymore! And I know
That their gross insults to my body will never mend.
And the pain is constant, and they have sworn me
That I will go to the fire conscious and aware.
My Goddess, I am sick to my very soul with shame;
At the last I gave them screaming what they wanted,
Mouthed any obscenity they asked, told them
What they told me to say. My sanity remains
Only because Your names to with me to the pyre,
And the grave beyond, and only there.
Oh, Beloved, if I could only see you
One last time, that your clean spirit’s fire
Could rid me of this filth and fear….
The crowd gathers now.
I hear them outside, laughing, festive….
Gods grant I will be entertaining enough….
I wonder if those pious souls who in the past
Have asked my help will mourn me?
Well, I shall be glad to quit this stinking cell…
The rats grow bolder as I decline…
Oh, Mother, give me strength!
I hear the guards outside.
“What,” I taunt, “three of you
All for one small half-starved wench?
Indeed, terrible I must be!”
They have the grace to look ashamed,
The youngest one grown pale and horrified
At the light of me; I delivered his wife
Of a fine strong one not many weeks ago.
But now I dare not ask how the child fares.
“Nay, you must carry me or drag me,
My fine bravos….these ruined feet will never
Bear my weight again. I fear I danced too long
With your good priest and his fine Spanish boots.”
They haul me to my feel and the pain….
I will not scream again for their amusement!
I must go naked, then, to my death before these fools?
I would not have them see me so, who danced
Naked for the Goddess, graceful and free,
On winged feet without a trace of shame.
Their avaricious eyes defile me; as their
Twisted priests defiled my body’s temple….
There are many strangers here in the square,
Churchmen and villagers from all the country round….
I am to be a marvelous, far-felt lesson, I see.
They bind me to their stake, too tight, more agony…
The splintering pole claws my raw back,
My shoulders wrenched and cramping, the rough rope
Burning my wrists. My legs will not support me,
And I sag in my bonds, and I fill with terror,
As a pitcher with muddy water. A priest approaches….
Oh, Goddess, must I suffer them even now?
The crowd protests the cup in his hands.
He exhorts them gently; his sect bears mercy towards all,
Malice towards none, and might not even such as I
Be saved at the bitter end?
I don’t know this one. I fight to raise my head,
To spit in his face, for one last shred of defiance….
Mother of All, no! Not you…. here!
How have you come, Beloved,
To trade your green robes for their black,
Your antlered crown for their cross?
Surely I dream, I dream…..
But now I smell your clean scent,
And your dear presence cloaks me in peace.
Rage fires in your eyes, but your pure love
Sustains me, strengthens me and warms me.
You brush the hair back form my face….
The cup you hold gently to my bruised lips I gave you
At our handfasting…. softly you whisper,
“Drink deep of salvation, my dear love,”
And your voice, harsh with unshed tears,
Rips at my soul and my own tears begin, and fully
Do I drink of your deep eyes and the chalice,
And the taste of the flying herbs bursts upon my tongue,
Belladonna, aconite, dark sweet dreams….
They are coming now with the fire.
Almost you linger too long, haunted eyes on mine,
But as sleep steals over me, I see you melt
Safely into the throng.
I am drifting now; I hear my mother singing, far away….
The pain is gone. I am a little girl again…I am safe,
My mother is calling me and I run gladly into her arms….
But in the room I have left behind, someone has been careless
With the supper, Mother, they must turn the spit faster,
For I can smell the roasting meat burning,
And the dinner guests are shouting….

I wake in cold sweat, and cannot drink
From the glass you bring me. Oh, sisters, hear:
Our daughters must not dream these dreams!
We must defend ourselves, stand with out brothers,
And make the arsonists let us be.
Oh, sisters, hear: Never again,
Never again the burning.

Gale Perrigo (1985)

AGAINST THE WITCH HUNTERS

AGAINST THE WITCH HUNTERS
Robin Culain

“All this has happened before. And all this will happen again. But this time it happened to …”

Well, us.

The beginning of Sir James Barrie’s Peter Pan must echo what many of us are feeling, as we watch a new and loosely-knit conglomerate of yellow journalists, right-wing eco-spoilers and Evangelical and Fundamental Christians move slowly towards a Witch hunt for the 90’s. Our spiritual ancestors faced similar problems in many times and many lands.

Recall the Priestesses of Eleusis, last of an ancient line, in decline, falling at last to the stratagems of Theseus and his new Attic Gods. Recall the Etruscans, their vision of sexual-political balance overpowered by the might and organization of the husband-headed Roman Empire. And most tender to the touch, recall the agony of the middle ages, as the Catholic, then Protestant churches
consolidated their grip on the rural population, killing six million alleged or actual Witches in the process.

The hunt is in a beginning stage and beginnings are important. The formal focus of the television specials, Redbook articles, diatribes in the LaRouchite New Federalist, “Occult Crime” seminars and newspaper articles is some thing called “Satanism”, which bears little or no relationship to Wicca and Neo-Paganism.

In fact, media “Satanism” bears little resemblance to any historically verifiable Satan-ism. It is neither classical Egyptian Set-worship”, Romantic Ceremonial Satanism a la Huysmanns nor modern Egoist flamboyance per La Vey. Sometimes it’s heavy metal sullenness, drugs and violence, but that’s usually only for starters. The heavy metal boys, we’re usually told, are just dupes of
the Great Conspiracy. And when you get down to the real stuff, the genuine complaint, it’s generally the stuff of horror movies and nightmare — baby-eating, virgin-sacrificing bloodsucking monsters!

All this has happened before. And all this will happen again.

There’s a limited range of things that can be used to stir up the anger of a populace against a group, or deaden moral sensitivity to a persecution. It pretty much boils down to baby-eating, virgin-sacrificing and bloodsucking.

This has been the century of Hitler’s Holocaust, but the Russians who butchered entire Jewish villages in the Pogroms, the inhabitants of York who slaughtered nearly every Jew in the city in the 1100’s didn’t merely think the Yiddim dressed and talked funny. The accusations were the same. By Jesus, those Jews ate babies! They were just like Satanists, with one exception.

You could find the Jews.
There probably aren’t any “Satanists” as portrayed in the articles, seminars and diatrib-es. If there are, they’re certainly not Neo-Pagans or Wiccans. But in the lucrative atmo-sphere in which the press, missionaries and so-called “Crime Advisers” publicize and proselytize the word “Witch” creeps in every third sentence.

Naturally, we Witches and Neo-Pagans have spent a certain amount of effort pointing out that we love children like anybody else, have no particular attraction to virginity, and tend, in the most extreme of our diets, to vegetarianism. In short, we have tried to educate our detractors and the media to our harmlessness.

This tactic is true, and this tactic is good, but I think that if it becomes our primary response to persecution we will ultimately fail to endure.

Imagine a Witch in the Middle Ages in front of a Catholic or Protestant tribunal. In some cases she has been denounced by a business competitor, or an envious rival in love, or a spiteful neighbor. In other cases she has been brought to the dock by an expert in “Occult Crime” — the traveling Witch
Finder.

She stands bound before her Inquisitors, plain or pompous depending on their religious persuasion. Perhaps there’s a crowd around. She tries to educate them to the simple fact that she’s a worshipper of the Old Gods, loves children like anybody else, has no particular attraction to virginity, and tends, in the most extreme of her diets, to vegetar-ianism.

They, in turn, accuse her of worshipping a living fiend, blighting the cattle, and eating babies.

She doesn’t stand a chance.

Now picture another scene, one that has not occurred often. She stands before those assembled, and begins, shall I say, to point out some facts. She points out the medieval physician with the two per cent live delivery rate who wants the local midwifery practice shut down. She points out the priest and bishop who are terrifying the once fun-loving populace into penury and pestilence with the twin threats of damnation and the noose. She denounces the Christian nobles who will brook no interference with their rule, least of all from the old Nobility of the land.

She’d be shut up in short order, but in a different way, for she would be addressing the real issues. The nonsense about babies, Black Men and cattle was then, and is now nothing more than a smoke screen to mask real and significant religious and political differences. It’s all a cheap trick, a coward’s cheat, a way of throwing muck until some sticks. It is only used when the real terms of
debate cannot stand the light of day, and it works only if we permit it!

Our situation is in no way as dire as that of our ancestors. Only now have things moved to the stage where one group, the far-right and sometimes farcical Limonites, actively bait Wiccans and Neo-Pagans as being “as bad as Satanists”. And unlike our ancest-ors, we have a freedom of speech they could only dream of. We will not be silenced if we speak, certainly not at this time. So let’s not waste our opportunity! Whenever the “Witch-Hunters” bait us or attempt to smear us with their cannibal taunts, let’s find out what the real agenda is, and address it. Make the Lyndonite defend himself against whipping up the population against a minor-ity religion as Hitler stirred hatred
against the Jews. Make the entire La Rouche crew explain their suicidal environmental policies, and their editorial statement that “the worship of Mother Earth does indirectly lead to mass murder …” Engage them on the real issues — just what the worship of the Mother really means, and what people are really like that scapegoat innocents and despise nature!

Likewise with the “Occult Crimewatch”. Ask them about their sources of revenue. About their religious agendas and connection with Evangelical missions. Ask the if they support religious freedom, and if non-Evangelical religious belief, in their opinion, is a hazard to the public. Ask them, if you can corner them into a frank reply, what on earth they are doing lecturing hate to police officers sworn to protect all the public, Christian and Pagan!

The media deserve the same. Let’s not spend more than a breath denying lurid charg-es. Instead, ask them why they are sensationalizing and smearing a legitimate religion to make sales. Inquire as to whether the German press in the 30’s had a responsibility for the slanders on the Jews that they printed. Ask them how they’ll feel if harm comes to one Pagan woman or man, girl or boy
through their negligence, indifference to non-sensational fact and search for sales.

In every case we have an opportunity to turn the tide, by coming right out with our real differences in front of the public, and insisting that the terms of debate be on genuine issues. We must refuse to be backed into a defensive posture, denying ever-wilder charges.

Instead let us bring our active advocacy and love of our Gods, of Mother Earth, of our families and children and ourselves to the fore in every debate. We must require our opponents to bare their genuine beliefs and motives, and contrast them clearly with our own in full view. We must sharpen the terms of debate so keenly that no person can leave the scene without having to make a clear and conscious choice about what they value and believe is right.

There’s no point in lecturing to the Cardinal. The audience for every debate is not the Witch Hunter, it is the neutral observer. Let them see the love of the Earth, and contrast it to nearsighted greed and poverty of emotion. Let them see the love of the Old Gods and contrast it to a cringing fear of the Father’s judgment. Let them see generosity and intelligence and refusal to be sacrificed,
and contrast them to venality, cunning and scape goating. In every debate, let us rise to the height of our capability, and let our opponents have it in the Values — right where it hurts!

The Salem Witch Trials 1692

A Chronology of Events

——————————————————————————–
What evil spirit have you familiarity with?
None.
Have you made no contract with the devil?
No.
Why do you hurt these children?
I do not hurt them. I scorn it.
Who do you imploy then to do it?
I imploy no body.
What creature do you imploy then?
No creature. I am falsely accused.

Dialogue based on the exmination of Sarah Good by Judges Hathorne and Corwin, from The Salem Witchcraft Papers,Book II, p.355

——————————————————————————–
January 20
Nine-year-old Elizabeth Parris and eleven-year-old Abigail Williams began to exhibit strange behavior, such as blasphemous screaming, convulsive seizures, trance-like states and mysterious spells. Within a short time, several other Salem girls began to demonstrate similar behavior.

Mid-February
Unable to determine any physical cause for the symptoms and dreadful behavior, physicians concluded that the girls were under the influence of Satan.

Late February
Prayer services and community fasting were conducted by Reverand Samuel Parris in hopes of relieving the evil forces that plagued them. In an effort to expose the “witches”, John Indian baked a witch cake made with rye meal and the afflicted girls’ urine. This counter-magic was meant to reveal the identities of the “witches” to the afflicted girls.

Pressured to identify the source of their affliction, the girls named three women, including Tituba, Parris’ Carib Indian slave, as witches. On February 29, warrants were issued for the arrests of Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne.

Although Osborne and Good maintained innocence, Tituba confessed to seeing the devil who appeared to her “sometimes like a hog and sometimes like a great dog”. What’s more, Tituba testified that there was a conspiracy of witches at work in Salem.

March 1
Magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin examined Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne in the meeting house in Salem Village. Tituba confessed to practicing witchcraft.

Over the next weeks, other townspeople came forward and testified that they, too, had been harmed by or had seen strange apparitions of some of the community members. As the witch hunt continued, accusations were made against many different people.

Frequently denouced were women whose behavior or economic circumstances were somehow disturbing to the social order and conventions of the time. Some of the accused had previous records of criminal activity, including witchcraft, but others were faithful churchgoers and people of high standing in the community.

March 12
Martha Corey is accused of witchcraft.

March 19
Rebecca Nurse was denounced as a witch.

March 21
Martha Corey was examined before Magistrates Hathorne and Corwin.

March 24
Rebecca Nurse was examined before Magistrates Hathorne and Corwin.

March 28
Elizabeth Proctor was denounced as a witch.

April 3
Sarah Cloyce, Rebecca Nurse’s sister, was accused of witchcraft.

April 11
Elizabeth Proctor and Sarah Cloyce were examined before Hathorne, Corwin, Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth, and Captain Samuel Sewall. During this examination, John Proctor was also accused and imprisoned.

April 19
Abigail Hobbs, Bridget Bishop, Giles Corey, and Mary Warren were examined. Only Abigail Hobbs confessed.

William Hobbs
“I can deny it to my dying day.”

April 22
Nehemiah Abbott, William and Deliverance Hobbs, Edward and Sarah Bishop, Mary
Easty, Mary Black, Sarah Wildes, and Mary English were examined before Hathorne
and Corwin. Only Nehemiah Abbott was cleared of charges.

May 2
Sarah Morey, Lydia Dustin, Susannah Martin, and Dorcas Hoar were examined by
Hathorne and Corwin.

Dorcas Hoar
“I will speak the truth as long as I live.”

May 4
George Burroughs was arrested in Wells, Maine.

May 9
Burroughs was examined by Hathorne, Corwin, Sewall, and William Stoughton. One
of the afflicted girls, Sarah Churchill, was also examined.

May 10
George Jacobs, Sr. and his granddaughter Margaret were examined before Hathorne and Corwin. Margaret confessed and testified that her grandfather and George Burroughs were both witches.

Sarah Osborne died in prison in Boston.

Margaret Jacobs
“… They told me if I would not confess I should be put down into the dungeon and would be hanged, but if I would confess I should save my life.”

May 14
Increase Mather returned from England, bringing with him a new charter and the new governor, Sir William Phips.

May 18
Mary Easty was released from prison. Yet, due to the outcries and protests of her accusers, she was arrested a second time.

May 27
Governor Phips set up a special Court of Oyer and Terminer comprised of seven judges to try the witchcraft cases. Appointed were Lieutenant Governor William Stoughon, Nathaniel Saltonstall, Bartholomew Gedney, Peter Sergeant, Samuel Sewall, Wait Still Winthrop, John Richards, John Hathorne, and Jonathan Corwin.

These magistrates based their judgments and evaluations on various kinds of intangible evidence, including direct confessions, supernatural attributes (such as “witchmarks”), and reactions of the afflicted girls. Spectral evidence, based on the assumption that the Devil could assume the “specter” of an innocent person, was relied upon despite its controversial nature.

May 31
Martha Carrier, John Alden, Wilmott Redd, Elizabeth Howe, and Phillip English were exmined before Hathorne, Corwin, and Gedney.

June 2
Initial session of the Court of Oyer and Terminer. Bridget Bishop was the first to be pronounced guilty of witchcraft and condemned to death.

Early June
Soon after Bridget Bishop’s trial, Nathaniel Saltonstall resigned from the court, dissatisfied with its proceedings.

June 10
Bridget Bishop was hanged in Salem, the first official execution of the Salem witch trials.

Bridget Bishop
“I am no witch. I am innocent. I know nothing of it.”

Following her death, accusations of witchcraft escalated, but the trials were not unopposed. Several townspeople signed petitions on behalf of accused people they believed to be innocent.

June 29-30
Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Sarah Wildes, Sarah Good and Elizabeth Howe were tried for witchcraft and condemned.

Rebecca Nurse
“Oh Lord, help me! It is false. I am clear. For my life now lies in your hands….”

Mid-July
In an effort to expose the witches afflicting his life, Joseph Ballard of nearby Andover enlisted the aid of the accusing girls of Salem. This action marked the beginning of the Andover witch hunt.

July 19
Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, Sarah Good, and Sarah Wildes were executed.

Elizabeth Howe
“If it was the last moment I was to live, God knows I am innocent…”

Susannah Martin
“I have no hand in witchcraft.”;

August 2-6
George Jacobs, Sr., Martha Carrier, George Burroughs, John and Elizabeth Proctor, and John Willard were tried for witchcraft and condemned.

Martha Carrier
“…I am wronged. It is a shameful thing that you should mind these folks that are out of their wits.”

August 19
George Jacobs, Sr., Martha Carrier, George Burroughs, John Proctor, and John Willard were hanged on Gallows Hill.

George Jacobs
“Because I am falsely accused. I never did it.”

September 9
Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Dorcas Hoar, and Mary Bradbury were tried and condemned.

Mary Bradbury
“I do plead not guilty. I am wholly innocent of such wickedness.”

September 17
Margaret Scott, Wilmott Redd, Samuel Wardwell, Mary Parker, Abigail Faulkner, Rebecca Eames, Mary Lacy, Ann Foster, and Abigail Hobbs were tried and condemned.

September 19
Giles Corey was pressed to death for refusing a trial.

September 21
Dorcas Hoar was the first of those pleading innocent to confess. Her execution was delayed.

September 22
Martha Corey, Margaret Scott, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Wilmott Redd, Samuel Wardwell, and Mary Parker were hanged.

October 8
After 20 people had been executed in the Salem witch hunt, Thomas Brattle wrote a letter criticizing the witchcraft trials. This letter had great impact on Governor Phips, who ordered that reliance on spectral and intangible evidence no longer be allowed in trials.

October 29
Governor Phips dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer.

November 25
The General Court of the colony created the Superior Court to try the remaining witchcraft cases which took place in May, 1693. This time no one was convicted.

Mary Easty
“…if it be possible no more innocent blood be shed…
…I am clear of this sin.”

——————————————————————————–

The Witchcraft Hysteria of 1692

The events which led to the witch trials actually occurred in what is now the town of Danvers, then a parish of Salem Town, known as Salem Village. Launching the hysteria was the bizarre, seemingly inexplicable behavior of two young girls; the daughter, Betty, and the niece, Abigail Williams, of the Salem Village minister, Reverend Samuel Parris.

In February, 1692, three accused women were brought to Salem Town and examined by Magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne. Corwin’s home, the Witch House, still stands at the corner of North and Essex Streets in Salem, providing guided tours and tales of the first witchcraft trials. John Hathorne, an ancestor of author Nathaniel Hawthorne, is buried in the Charter Street Old Burying Point.

By the time the hysteria had spent itself, 24 people had died. Nineteen were hung on Gallows Hill in Salem Town, but some died in prison. Giles Corey pleaded not guilty to charges of witchcraft and refused trial. He was pressed to death over a two-day period during which his examiners placed stone weights on his body according to an antiquated English law allowing such interrogation.

It is remarkable that the original 552 documents recording court testimony during the witchcraft trials have been preserved and are still stored by the Peabody Essex Museum.

Eerie memorabilia associated with the trials, such as the “Witch Pins” used in the examination of witches and a small bottle supposed to contain the finger bones of the victim George Jacobs can be found there as well.

A more provoking commemoration, the Salem Witch Trials Tercentenary Memorial dedicated in 1992, can be found adjacent to the Charter Street Old Burying Point.
——————————————————————————–

Witches Today

Of course, Salem has become known as Witch City! The Salem Witch Museum and the Witch Dungeon take you back in history to 1692, yet, present-day popularization of the witchcraft hysteria doesn’t reveal anything about modern Witches living in Salem today.

In 1995, the City of Salem counts a large number of Witches in its population. Perhaps the best-known member of this group is Laurie Cabot, who was given the complimentary title of “The Official Witch of Salem, Mass.” by Gov. Michael Dukakis.

You can visit the Witches’ League for Public Awareness site to learn about this group founded by Laurie Cabot in 1986 as a “non-profit educational network dedicated to correcting misinformation about Witches”*. More information about the League’s newsletter and activities can be obtained by e-mail to the Witches’ League for Public Awareness, or writing to P.O. Box 8736, Salem, MA
01971-8736.
——————————————————————————–
*Pamphlet, The Witches’ League for Public Awareness, 1988

THE KILLINGS OF “WITCHES”

The following are all documented incidents in the killings of “witches.” ONLY incidents solely relating to witchcraft accusations have been included. Bear in mind that this is probably NOT all of them. Some were guilty. Most were probably innocent. Some were Satanists, others were not. Some were just senile. ALL on this list died as a result of a witchcraft accusation.

******************

Adamson, Francis: executed at Durham, England, in 1652
Albano, Peter of: died in prison circa 1310
Allen, Joan: hanged at the Old Bailey, London, England, in 1650
Allen, Jonet: burned in Scotland in 1661
Amalaric, Madeline: burned in France in mid-1500’s
Ancker, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Andrius, Barthelemy: burned at Carcassonne, France in 1330
Andrius, Jean: burned at Carcassonne, France in 1330
Andrius, Phillippe: burned at Carcassonne, France in 1330
Arnold, (first name unknown): hanged at Barking, England, in 1574
d’Arc, Joan: burned at Rouen, France, on 30 May, 1431 (note: the witchcraft
charge in this case was -implied- and not specific)
Ashby, Anne: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Askew, Anne: burned for witchcraft 1546
Audibert, Etienne: condemned for witchcraft in France, on 20 March 1619
Aupetit, Pierre: burned at Bordeaux, France, in 1598

Babel, Zuickel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Babel, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Baker, Anne: executed in Leicester, England, in 1619
Balcoin, Marie: burned in the reign of Henry IV of France
Balfour, Alison: burned at Edinburgh, Scotland, on 16 December, 1594
Bannach, (husband) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Bannach, (wife) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Barber, Mary: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Barker, Janet: burned in Scotland in 1643
Baroni, Catterina: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April, 1647
Barthe, Angela de la: burned at Toulouse, France, in 1275
Barton, William: executed in Scotland (year unknown)
Basser, Fredrick: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Batsch, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Bayerin, Anna: executed at Salzburg, Austria, in 1751
Beaumont, Sieur de: accused of witchcraft on 21 October, 1596
Bebelin, Gabriel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Beck, Viertel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Beck, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Belon, Jean: executed in France, in 1597
Berger, Christopher: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Berrye, Agnes: hanged at Enfield, England, in 1616
Bentz, (mother) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Bentz, (daughter) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Beuchel, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1581
Beutler, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Bill, Arthur: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Birenseng, Agata: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 25 June, 1594
Bishop, Briget: hanged at Salem, New England on 10 June, 1692
Bodenham, Anne: hanged at Salisbury, England, in 1653
Bonnet, Jean: burned alive at Boissy-en-Ferez, France, in 1583
Boram, (mother) (first name unknown): hung at Bury St Edmunds, England, in
1655
Boram, (daughter) (first name unknown): hung at Bury St Edmunds, England, in
1655
Bolingbroke, Roger: hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn, England, on 18
November, 1441
Boulay, Anne: burned at Nancy, France, in 1620
Boulle, Thomas: burned alive at Rouen, France, on 21 August, 1647
Bowman, Janet: burned in Scotland in 1572
Bragadini, Mark Antony: beheaded in Italy in the 1500’s
Brickmann, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Brose, Elizabeth: tortured to death in the castle of Gommern, Germany, on
4 November, 1660
Brown, Janet: burned in Scotland in 1643
Browne, Agnes: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Browne, Joan: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Browne, Mary: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Brooks, Jane: hanged in England on 26 March, 1658
Brugh, John: burned in Scotland in 1643
Buckh, Appollonia: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1581
Bugler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Bulcock, John: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Bulcock, Jane: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Bull, Edmund: hanged at Taunton, England, in 1631
Bulmer, Matthew: hanged at Newcastle, England, in 1649
Burroughs, George: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Bursten-Binderin, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-
1629

Calles, Helen: executed at Braynford, England, on 1 December, 1595
Camelli, Domenica: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April, 1647
Canzler, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Carrier, Martha: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Caveden, Lucia: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April, 1647
Cemola, Zinevra: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April, 1647
Corey, Martha: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Corey, Giles: prssed to death at Salem, New England, on 19 September, 1692
Corset, Janet: killed by a mob at Pittenweem, Scotland, in 1704
Challiot, (first name unknown): murdered at St. Georges, France, in February,
1922
Chalmers, Bessie: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Chambers, (first name unknown): died in prison, in England, in 1693
Chamoulliard, (first name unknown): burned in France, in 1597
de Chantraine, Anne: burned as a witch in Waret-la-Chaussee, France, on
October 17, 1622
Chatto, Marioun: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Ciceron, Andre: burned alive at Carcassone, France, in 1335
Cockie, Isabel: burnt as a witch, at a cost of 105 s. 4 p., in England 1596
Cox, Julian: executed at Taunton, England, in 1663
Couper, Marable: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622
Craw, William: burned in Scotland in 1680
Crots, (son) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Cullender, Rose: executed at Bury St Edmunds, England, on 17 March 1664
Cumlaquoy, Marian: burned at Orkney, Scotland in 1643
Cunningham, John: burned at Edinburgh, in January, 1591
Cunny, Joan: hanged in Chelmsford, England, in 1589

Deiner, Hans: burned at Waldsee, Germany (year unknown)
Delort, Catherine: burned at Toulouse, France, in 1335
Demdike, Elizabeth: convicted, but died in prison, in Lancaster, England,
in 1612
DeMolay, Jacques: Grand Master of the Templars, burned in France on
22 March 1312
Desbordes, (first name unknown): burned in France, in 1628
Deshayes, Catherine: burned on 22 February, 1680
Device, Elizabeth: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Device, James: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Device, Alizon: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Doree, Catherine: executed at Courveres, France, in 1577
Dorlady, Mansfredo: burned at Vesoul, France as being the Devil’s banker, on
18 January, 1610
Dorlady, Fernando: burned at Vesoul, France as being the Devil’s banker, on
18 January, 1610
Dormar, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 October, 1586
Douglas, Janet: burned at Castle, Hill, Scotland, on 17 July, 1557
Drummond, Alexander: executed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1670
“Dummy” (name unknown; he was deaf-and-dumb): killed by a mob at Sible
Hedingham, England, on 3 August, 1865
Duncan, Gellie: hanged in Scotland in 1591
Dunhome, Margaret: burned in Scotland (year unknown)
Dunlop, Bessie: burned at Castle Hill, Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1576
Duny, Amy: executed at Bury St Edmunds, England, on 17 March, 1664
Dyneis, Jonka: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622

Easty, Mary: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Echtinger, Barbara: imprisoned for life at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 August,
1545
Edelfrau, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Edwards, Susanna: hanged at Bideford, England in 1682
Einseler, Catharina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581
Erb, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 March, 1586
Eyering, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Fian, John: hanged at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1591
Fief, Mary le: of Samur, France, accused of witchcraft, on 13 October 1573
Fleischbaum, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Flieger, Catharina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581
Flower, Joan: died before trial, at Lincoln, England, 1619
Flower, Margaret: executed at Lincoln, England, in March, 1619
Flower, Phillippa: executed at Lincoln, England, in March, 1619
Foster, Anne: hanged at Northhampton, England, in 1674
Fray, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 12 June, 1587
Fray, Margaret: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 25 June, 1594
Fynnie, Agnes: burned in Scotland in 1643

Gabley, (first name unknown): executed at King’s Lynn, England, in 1582
Galigai, Leonora: beheaded at the Place de Grieve, France, on 8 July, 1617
Garnier, Gilles: burned as a werewolf in Dole, France 1574
Gaufridi, Louis: burned at Marseilles, France, at 5:00 pm on 30 April, 1611
Geissler, Clara: strangled at Gelnhausen, Germany circa 1630
Georgel, Anna Marie de: burned at Toulouse, France, in 1335
Geraud, Hughes: burned in France in 1317
Gering, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Glaser, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Glover, Goody: hanged at Salem, New England, in 1688
Gobel, Barbara: burned at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1639
Goeldi, Anna: hanged at Glaris, Switzerland, on 17 June, 1782
Goldschmidt, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Good, Sarah: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Grandier, Urbain, burned at Loudon, France, on 18 August, 1634
Goodridge, Alse: executed at Darbie, England, in 1597
Gratiadei, Domenica: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April,
1647
Green, Ellen: executed in Leicester, England, in 1619
Greensmith, (first name unknown): hanged in Hartford, New England, on 20
January, 1662
Greland, Jean: burned at Chamonix, France, in 1438, with 10 others
Grierson, Isobel: burned in Scotland in March, 1607
Gutbrod, (first name unknown:) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Haan, George: burned at Bamberg, Germany, circa 1626, with his wife, daughter,
and son
Hacket, Margaret: executed at Tyburn, England, on 19 February, 1585
Hamilton, Margaret: burned in Scotland in 1680
Hafner, (son) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hammellmann, Melchoir: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hamyltoun, Christiane: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Hans, David: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hans, Kilian: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Harfner, (first name unknown): hanged herself in the prison of Bamberg,
1628-1629
Harlow, Bessie: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Harrisson, Joanna, and her daughter: executed in Hertford, England, in 1606
Harvilliers, Jeanne: executed in France, in 1578
Haus, (wife) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hennot, Catherine: burned alive in Germany in 1627
Henry III, King of France: assassinated on 1 August, 1589
Hewitt, Katherine: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Hezensohn, Joachim: beheaded at Waldsee, Germany, in 1557
Hibbins, Anne: hanged in Boston, Massachusetts on 19 June, 1656
Hirsch, Nicodemus: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hoecker, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hofschmidt, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Holtzmann, Stoffel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hofseiler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hoppo, (first name unknown): executed in Germany in 1599
How, Elizabeth: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Hoyd, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 November, 1586
Huebmeyer, Barbara: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 11 September, 1589
Huebmeyer, Appela: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 11 September, 1589
Hunt, Joan: hanged in Middlesex, England in 1615
Hunter, Alexander: burned at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1629
Huxley, Catherine: hanged at Worcester, England in the summer of 1652

Isel, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 7 November, 1586
Isolin, Madlen: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581

Jacobs, George: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Jenkenson, Helen: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Jennin, (first name unknown): burned at Cambrai, France, in 1460
Jollie, Alison: executed in Scotland, in October, 1596
Jones, Katherine: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622
Jones, Margaret: executed in Charlestown, North America, on 15 June, 1648
Jordemaine, Margery: burned at Smithfield, England, on 27 October, 1441
Junius, Johannes: of Bamberg, executed as a witch, on 6 August, 1628
Jung, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Kent, Margaret: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Kerke, Anne: executed at Tyburn, England, in 1599
Kleiss, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 30 October, 1586
Kless, Catharina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 12 June, 1587
Knertz, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Knor, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Knott, Elizabeth: hanged at St. Albans, England, in 1649
Kramerin, Schelmerey: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Kuhnlin, Elsa: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1518
Kuler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Lachenmeyer, Waldburg: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 5 July, 1585
deLarue, (first name unknown): burned at Rouen, in 1540
Lauder, Margaret: burned in Scotland in 1643
Leclerc, (no first name given): condemned for witchcraft, in France 1615
Lakeland, (first name unknown): burned at Ipswich, England, in 1645
Lamb, Dr.: stoned to death by a mob at St. Paul’s Cross, London, England,
in 1640
Lambrecht, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Leger, (no first name given): condemmned for witchcraft in France, on 6 May,
1616
Liebler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Lloyd, Temperance: hanged at Bideford, England in 1682
Louis, (first name unknown): executed at Suffolk, England, in 1646
Lowes, John: hanged at Bury, England, about 1645
Lutz, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Macalzean, Euphemia: burned alive in Scotland for witchcraft, on 25 June, 1591
Marigny, Enguerrand de: hanged in France in 1315
Marguerite, (last name unknown): burned at Paris, France, in 1586
Mark, Bernhard: burned alive at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Martin, Marie: executed in France, in 1586
Martin, Susannah: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Martyn, Anne: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Mayer, Christina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 October, 1586
Mazelier, Hanchemand de: arrested at Neuchatel, Germany 1439
Meath, Petronilla de: burned as a witch, the first such burning in Ireland,
on 3 November, 1324
Meyer, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Mirot, Dominic: burned at Paris, France, in 1586
Morin< (first name unknown): burned at Rouen, in 1540
Mossau, Renata von: beheaded and burned in Bavaria, Germany, on 21 June, 1749
Mullerin, Elsbet: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1531
Mundie, Beatrice: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621

Napier, Barbara: hanged in Scotland in 1591
Nathan, Abraham: executed at Haeck, Germany, on 24 September, 1772
Newell, John: executed at Barnett, England, on 1 December, 1595
Newell, Joane: executed at Barnett, England, on 1 December, 1595
Newman, Elizabeth: executed at Whitechapel, England in 1653
Nottingham, John of: died in custody, Coventry, England, 1324
Nurse, Rebecca: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Nutter, Alice: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612

Oliver, Mary: burned at Norwich, England, in 1658
Orchard, (first name unknown): executed at Salisbury, England, in 1658
Osborne, (husband) (first name unknown): killed by a mob at Tring,
Herefordshire, England, in 1751
Osborne, (wife) Ruth: killed by a mob at Tring, Herefordshire, England, in
1751
Osburne, Sarah: died in prison at Boston, Massachusetts, 10 May, 1692
Oswald, Catherine: burned in Scotland in 1670

Paeffin, Elsa: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1518
Pajot, Marguerite: executed at Tonnerre, France, in 1576
Paris, (first name unknown): hanged at St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1569
Parker, Alice: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Parker, Mary: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Palmer, John: hanged at St. Albans, England, in 1649
Pannel, Mary: executed in Yorkshire, England, in 1603
Pearson, Alison: burned in Scotland on 28 May, 1588
Peebles, Marion: burned in Scotland in 1643
Peterson, Joan: hanged at Tyburn, England, in April, 1652
Pichler, Emerenziana: burned at Defereggen, Germany, on 25 September, 1680
(her two sons, aged 12 and 14, were also burned two days later)
Poiret, (first name unknown): burned at Nancy, France, in 1620
Pomp, Anna: executed at Lindheim, Germany, in 1633
Porte, Vidal de la: condemned at Riom, France, in 1597
Powle, (first name unknown): executed at Durham, England, in 1652
Prentice, Joan: hanged in Chelmsford, England, in 1589
Preston, Jennet: executed in York, England, in 1612
Pringle, Margaret: burned in Scotland in 1680
Procter, John: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Pudeator, Anne: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692

Quattrino, Dominic: burned at Mesolcina, Italy, in 1583

Rais, Gilles de: on charges of witchcraft, executed 26 October, 1440
Rattray, George: executed in Spott, Scotland, in 1705
Rattray, Lachlan: executed in Spott, Scotland, in 1705
Rauffains, Catharina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 7 November, 1586
Reade, Mary: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Redfearne, Anne: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Reed, Wilmot: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Reich, Maria: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 5 July, 1585
Reid, John: hanged himself in prison, in Scotland, in 1697
Reoch, Elspeth: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622
Robey, Isobel: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Rodier, Catala: burned alive at Carcassone, France, in 1335
Rodier, Paul: burned alive at Carcassone, France, in 1335
Rohrfelder, Margaret: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 August, 1585
Rosch, Maria: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581
Rosseau, (no first name given), and his daughter, (no name given) of France,
accused of witchcraft on 2 October 1593
Rue, Abel de la: of Coulommiers, France, accused of witchcraft on 20 July,
1592
Roulet, Jacques: burned alive for being a were-wolf, at Angiers, France, in
1597
Rum, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Russel, Alice: killed by a mob at Great Paxton, England, 20 May, 1808
Rutchser, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Rutter, Elizabeth: hanged in Middlesex, England in 1616

Sailler, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 August, 1585
Sampsoune, Agnes: tried, strangled, and burnt for a witch in Scotland 1591
Samuels, (family): three members condemned for witchcraft in Warboys,
England, on 4 April, 1593
Sawyer, Elizabeth, hanged at Tyburn, England, on 19 April, 1621
Scharber, Elsbeth: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1581
Schneider, Felicitas: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 March, 1586
Schnelling, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 11 September, 1589
Schutz, Babel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schwaegel, Anna Maria: beheaded at Kempten, Germany, on 11 April, 1775
Schwartz, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schenck, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schellhar, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schickelte, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schneider, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schleipner, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schuler, (first name not known): burned at Lindheim, Germany on 23 February,
1663
Schultheiss, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 March, 1586
Schwarz, Eva: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1581
Schwerdt, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Scott, Margaret: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Scottie, Agnes: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622
Sechelle, (first name unknown): burned at Paris, France, in 1586
Smith, Mary: hanged at King’s Lynn, England, in 1616
Stadlin, (first name unknown): executed in Germany in 1599
Steicher, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Steinacher, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Steward, William: hanged at St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1569
Stewart, Christian: strangled and burned in Scotland, in November, 1596
Stolzberger, (son) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Stolzberger, (wife) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Stolzberger, (granddaughter) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg,
Germany, 1628-1629
Stubb, Peter: executed as a werewolf near Cologne, Germany, in 1589
Stuber, Laurence: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Sturmer, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Style, Elizabeth: died in prison, at Taunton, England, in 1664
Seiler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Silberhans, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Steinbach, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Stier, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Stadelmann, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 7 November, 1586
Sutton (mother) (first name unknown): executed in Bedford, England in 1613
Sutton, Mary: executed in Bedford, England in 1613

Thausser, Simon, and his wife (no name given): burned at Waldsee, Germany,
in 1518
Thompson, Annaple: burned in Scotland in 1680
Tod, Beigis: burned at Lang Nydrie, Scotland, on 27 May, 1608
Treher, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 5 July, 1585
Trembles, Mary: hanged at Bideford, England in 1682
Trois-Echelles (pseud.): executed at Paris, France, in 1571 (or 1574)
Tungerslieber, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Turner, Ann: murdered in England, in 1875

Uhlmer, Barbara: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 August, 1585
Upney, Joan: hanged in Chelsford, England, in 1589
Utley, (first name unknown): hanged at Lancaster, England, in 1630

Valee, Melchoir de la: burned at Nancy, France, in 1631
Vallin, Pierre: executed in France, in 1438
Valkenburger, (daughter) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Vaecker, Paul: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Vickar, Bessie: burned in Scotland in 1680

Wachin, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1528
Wagner, Michael: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Wagner, (first name unknown): burnt alive at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Wallace, Margaret: executed in Glascow, Scotland, in 1622
Wardwell, Samuel: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Waterhouse, (first name unknown): hanged in Dorset, England in 1565
Wanderson, (wife 1) (first name unknown): executed in England, in January,
1644.
Wanderson, (wife 2) (first name unknown): executed in England, in January,
1644.
Weir, Thomas: burned between Edinburgh and Leith, Scotland, on 11 April, 1670
Weiss, Agatha: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 October, 1586
Weydenbusch, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Whittle, Anne: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Wildes, Sarah: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Willard, John: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Willimot, Joan: executed in Leicester, England, in 1619
Wilson, Anne: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Wirth, Klingen: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Wirth, Trauben: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 5 July, 1585
Wright, Mildred: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Wuncil, Brigida: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581
Wunth, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Younge, Alse: hanged in Connecticut, North America, on 26 May, 1647
Yullock, Agnes: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622

*****************************************

GENERAL SECTION: THE UNKNOWNS

8000 “Stedingers” killed on 27 May, 1234
180 burned for witchcraft at Montwimer, France, on 29 May, 1239
36 Knights Templar died under torture in France, in October, 1307
54 Knights Templar burned in France, on 12 May, 1310
39 Knights Templar burned in France, on 18 March 1314
“Some” burned at Kilkenny, Ireland, 1323
200 + burned at Carcassonne, France, between 1320-1350
63 burned at Toulouse, France, in 1335
8 burned at Carcassonne, France, in 1352
31 burned at Carcassonne, France, in 1357
67 burned at Carcassonne, France, between 1387-1400
1 burned at Berlin, Germany, in 1399
“Several” witches burned alive at Simmenthal, Switzerland, circa 1400
“Several” burned at Carcassonne, France, in 1423
200 + executed in the Valais, France between 1428-1434
167 executed in l’Isere, France, between 1428-1447
16 executed in Toulouse, France, in 1432
8 executed in Toulouse, France, in 1433
150 executed in Briancon, France, in 1437
3 burnt in Savoy between 1446 and 1447
7 killed at Marmande, France, in 1453
1 burned at Locarno, Italy, in 1455
“Many” burned in Arras, France in 1459
2 burned in Burgundy, France, in 1470
3 burned at Forno-Rivara, Italy, in 1472
2 burned at Levone, in Italy, in 1474
5 burned at Forno, Italy, in 1475
12 women and “several” men burned at Edinburgh, in 1479
4 burned at Metz, Germany, in 1482
48 burned at Constance, between 1482-1486
2 burned at Toulouse, France, in 1484
2 burned in Chaucy, France in 1485
1 died in prison, at Metz, Germany 1488
3 executed at Mairange, Germany, on 17 June, 1488
2 executed at Mairange, Germany, on 25 June, 1488
3 executed at Chastel, Germany, on 26 June, 1488
3 executed at Metz, Germany, on 1 July, 1488
1 executed at Salney, Germany, on 3 July, 1488
2 executed at Salney, Germany, on 12 July, 1488
3 executed at Salney, Germany, on 19 July, 1488
1 executed at Brieg, Germany, on 19 July, 1488
2 executed at Juxney, Germany, on 19 August, 1488
5 executed at Thionville, Germany, on 23 August, 1488
1 executed at Metz, Germany, on 2 September, 1488
1 executed at Vigey, Germany, on 15 September, 1488
1 executed at Juxney, Germany, on 22 September, 1488
1 executed in France circa 1500
30 burned in Calahorra, Spain, in 1507
1 burned in Saxony, Germany, in 1510
60 burned in Northern Italy, in 1510
500 + burned in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1515
2 burned in Besancon, France, in 1521
64 burned in Val Camonica, Italy between 1518-1521
100 burned in Como, Italy, in 1523
1000 + in Como, Italy, in 1524
900 executed by Nicholas Remy (years unknown, about 15 years total)
“A large number” executed at Saragossa, Spain, in 1536
7 burned at Nantes, France, in 1549
1 burned at Lyons, France, in 1549
3 burned alive at Derneburg, Germany, on 4 October, 1555
1 burned alive at Bievires, France, in 1556
5 burned at Verneuil, France, in 1561
17,000 + in Scotland from 1563 to 1603
4 burned at Potiers, France, in 1564
1 burned at St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1569
“Many” burned in France in 1571
1 burned at St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1572
70,000 killed in England after 1573
“Several” executed in Paris, France, in 1574
80 executed in one fire at Valery-en-Savoie, France, in 1574
3 executed in Dorset, England, in 1578
36 persons executed at Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1578
18 killed at St. Oses, England, in 1582
“Several” burned in Mesolcina, Italy, in 1583
368 persons killed for witchcraft between 18 January, 1587, and 18 November,
1593, in the diocese of Treves.
1 burned at Riom, France, in 1588
133 persons burned in one day at Quedlinburg, in Germany, in 1589
48 burned in Wurttemberg, Germany, in 1589
2 burned at Cologne, Germany in 1589
54 burned in Franconia in 1590
300 burned in Bern, Switzerland, between 1591-1600
1 burned in Ghent, Holland, in 1591
9 executed in Toulouse, France, in 1595
1 burned in Ghent, Holland, in 1598
24 burned in Aberdeen, Scotland, circa 1598
77 burned in Vaud, Switzerland, in 1599
10 -daily- were burned (average) in the Duchy of Brunswick between 1590-1600
20 executed (other than those listed by name above) in the reign of King James
VI and I of England.
40,000 executed between 1600-1680 in Great Britain
205 burned at the Abbey of Fulda, Germany, between 1603-1605
“Several” witches executed in Derbyshire, England, in 1607
24 burned + 3 suicides in Hagenau, Alsace, in 1607
“A number of women” burned at Breehin, Scotland, in 1608
1 burned alive by a mob at St. Jean de Liuz, France, circa 1608
18 killed at Orleans, France, in 1616
9 hanged at Leicester, England, in 1616
8 hanged at Londinieres, France, in 1618
“Several” witches condemned at Nerac, France, on 26 June, 1619
200 + executed at Labourt, France, in 1619
2 executed at Bedford, England, in 1624
56 executions at Mainz, Germany, between 1626-1629
77 executions at Burgstadt, Germany, between 1626-1629
40 executions at Berndit, Buttan, Ebenheit, Wenchdorf and Heinbach, Germany,
between 1626-1629
8 executions in Prozelten and Amorbach, Germany between 1626-1629
168 executions in the district of Miltenberg, Germany, between 1626-1629
85 burned in Dieburg, Germany, in 1627
79 burned at Offenburg, Austria, from 1627-1629
274 executed in Eichstatt, Germany in 1629
124 executed by the Teutonic Order at Mergentheim, Germany in 1630
900 executions at Bamberg, Germany, between 1627 and 1631
22,000 (approx) executed in Bamberg, Germany between 1610 and 1840
1 hanged at Sandwich, in Kent, England, in 1630
3 executed at Lindheim, Germany in 1631
20 executed in Norfolk, England, on evidence of Matthew Hopkins, before
26 July, 1645
29 condemned, on the evidence of Matthew Hopkins, at Chelmsford, England,
on 29 July, 1645
150 killed in England in the last six months of 1645
2 executed at Norwich, England, in 1648
14 hanged at Newcastle, England, in 1649
220 + in England and Scotland, on evidence of a Scottish Witch-finder, circa
1648-1650
2 killed by a mob at Auxonne, France, in 1650
30 burned in Lindheim, Germany, between 1640-1651
900 killed in Lorraine, France (years unknown)
30,000 (approx) burned by the Inquisition (not all may have been witches)
3-4000 killed during Cromwell’s tenure in England
102 burned in Zuckmantel, Germany, in 1654
18 burned at Castle Hill, Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1658
85 executed at Mohra, Sweden, on 25 August, 1670
71 beheaded or burned in Sweden between 1674-1677
90 burned at Salzburg, Austria, in 1678
11 burned at Prestonpans, Scotland, in 1678
36 executed in Paris, France, in 1680
“Several” burned at Rouen, France, in 1684-1685
3 executed (Suzanna, Isle and Catherine (last names unknown) at Arendsee,
Germany, in 1687
36 burned at Nordlingen, Germany between 1690-1694
5 burned at Paisley, Scotland, on 10 June, 1697
9 persons burned at Burghausen, Germany, all under 16 years of age, on 26
March, 1698
1 burned at Antrim, Ireland, in 1699
“Many” burned at Spott Loan, Scotland, in 1705
2 persons killed in the Trentino, Austria, between 1716 and 1717
1 executed in France, in 1718
2 persons, a mother and daughter, burned in Scotland, in 1722
13 burned at Szegedin, Hungary, in 1728
1 burned at Szegedin, Hungary, in 1730
13 burned alive at Szegedin, Hungary on 23 July, 1738
3 burned at Karpfen, Germany, in 1744
3 burned at Muhlbach, Germany, in 1746
1 executed at Szegedin, Hungary, in 1746
1 executed at Maros Vasarheli, (nation unknown), 1752
100 + executed at Haeck, Germany between 1772 and 1779
2 burned in Poland in 1793
“Several” burned in South America during the 1800’s
1 shot by a policeman at Uttenheim, Germany, on suspicion of being a were-
wolf, in November, 1925
1 murdered in Pennsylvania in 1929

for a total of 236,870 (unknowns listed)

Frank Donovan says: “Several modern writers claim that 9,000,000
people met their deaths during the witchcraft persecution but offer no valid
statistical records to support this estimate. On the other end of the scale is
the ‘educated guess’ of R.H.Robbins and others that the total may have been
about 200,000. Contemporary records are spotty and incomplete. Many deaths
were probably never recorded and other archives have been lost thru time.” It
is this writer’s opinion that – one-half million – executed is a reasonable
estimated total.

******************************************

I am compiling a listing of Protestants killed by Catholics, and a
listing of Protestants killed by Catholics. Contributions to all these lists
are solicited. The rules are:

1) You must have the NAME of the person killed. If all that is known
is HOW MANY were killed, this will be acceptable.
2) You must have a DATE. Day-month-year is preferred, but month-year
or year-only is acceptable.
3) You must have a LOCATION. Town-nation is best, but nation-only is
acceptable
3) You must REFERENCE your contribution.
4) Please follow the format as you see it above.

nb: I am not, at this time, compiling a list of Jews killed for their faith.
To list the six million names from the Holocaust of World War II alone
would be too much, and beyond comprehension. They are NOT forgotten!
Neither are the martyred Baha’is in Iran, nor the Muslim/Christian/Jew
problems current in the Mid-East…..nor the Muslim/Hindu troubles, nor
the……..well, add your own here.

I can be reached at whytbard@locksley.com thru the InterNet.

REFERENCES:

THE BOOK OF DAYS
W. J. Bethancourt III (unpublished ms.)

CHRONICLE OF THE WORLD
Jerome Burne; Ecam, 1990

A NATURAL HISTORY OF UNNATURAL THINGS
Daniel Cohen; McCall, 1971

NEVER ON A BROOMSTICK
Frank Donovan; Bell, 1971

A HISTORY OF SECRET SOCIETIES
Arkhon Daraul; Citadel, 1962

THE WEAKER VESSEL
Antonia Fraser, Borzoi, 1984

EXTRAORDINARY POPULAR DELUSIONS AND THE MADNESS OF
CROWDS
Charles MacKay; L.C.Page, 1932
(orig. pub. 1841)

THE HISTORY OF MAGIC AND THE OCCULT
Kurt Seligmann; Harmony Books, 1975

THE GEOGRAPHY OF WITCHCRAFT
Montague Summers, University Books, 1965

TREASURY OF WITCHCRAFT
Harry E. Wedeck; Philosophical Library, 1961

SOUNDINGS IN SATANISM

pp 46-54. ISBN 0 264 64627 4

Experience The Witch Trial First Hand, Could You Survive?

There is a spot on the National Geographic Site that has always captured my imagination. The site walks you through what our Ancestors actually experienced during the Witch hunts and trials. When I stop to think about it, it is very sad. It is sad to believe that someone could point a finger and scream “Witch,” you were then grabbed and carted off to jail. No one would listen to your side of the story. No one cared. All that was important is everything was done to ensure that person appeared as a witch. The atmosphere was crazed, hysteria run rampant, it was a very terrifying time whether you were a witch or not. I know there were millions that were recorded being killed during this period of time. The numbers of people killed in Europe was staggering. It is horrible to think that so many were killed, whether they were witches or not, it didn’t matter. No one cared. Your life belonged to someone else and that person was determined you were going to die…….

Could you survive the Witch Trials? Find out the fate you would have been dealt.

National Geographic presents Salem, the Witch Hysteria

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