Welcome to the Witchy World!
Hello everyone and welcome to a new post-absence article called Witchy World! This article will talk about the history of witches, witchcraft, and all things magical!
Today, we’ll be studying an interesting historical misconception. How many of us have seen or heard the phrase “We are the granddaughters of the witches you couldn’t burn?” Or even heard the term “burning times” in reference to the very real and tragic witch trials?
Well, while there certainly were trials, tribulations, and even executions, the whole matter might have been a little less heated than we think as far as methods…at least in the infamous Salem Witch Trials!
The common image of a witch’s execution shows a large group of hysteric people surrounding the guilty person on a burning pyre—but immolation was not the primary means of execution used for those accused of witchcraft. During the Salem Witch Trials, no one was burned to death. In fact, no one found guilty of witchcraft was ever executed by burning in the American colonies—immolation wasn't permissible by English law. All but one victim of the Salem Witch Trials were hanged.
The number of people burned is also up for debate! While witchcraft scholar and religious leader Gerald Gardner put the number of witches executed by burning during the witch hunts to be between 8 and 9 million, the number of witches executed by ANY methods was more along the lines of 40-50,000. This is still horrifying, especially considering how women and others marginalized by society were frequently the targets of these farce trials.
The witch trials and the vision of them became a rallying cry for many modern day feminist movements, with women using the symbol of the witch as a rallying cry against oppression. There are also still nations in the world in which laws and punishments for witchcraft as religious practice are on the books, and these laws generally affect women, queer people, and people with visible differences or disabilities.
However, the vision we have of the witch on the pyre isn’t quite as common as we’ve been led to believe. Still, it’s good to remember how times change and progress!
Each week at Witchy World, we’ll have a trivia question! The first person to answer will win a first prize and all subsequent answers will win a smaller prize!
Our first question of the blog: What Salem farmer, accused of witchcraft, was executed by pressing instead of hanging?
Drop a comment to me to let me know and win a prize!
I look forward to seeing your thoughts and comments! Have a magical day!
