Author Marion Gibson, a historian of witchcraft and magic, writes about ancient and modern witches and witch-trials. In this book, Gibson hones in on thirteen trials that span Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Author Marion Gibson
In modern times people often associate witches with characters in television shows like Bewitched, Charmed, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Mayfair Witches, etc., where the witches are funny or helpful or heroic....protagonists we root for.
Elizabeth Montgomery played witch Samantha Stevens in 'Bewitched'
In the real world, however, witches have generally been thought of as evil beings who use magic to do harm. In the Bible, witch stories extend back hundreds of years BCE, but witch hunts really took off during the medieval period, with the study of demonology by Christian clergymen.
Christian clerics persecuted witches in the Middle Ages
According to Gibson, clerics believed witches were committed to wickedness, and "the imaginative world of the 15th to 18th centuries was crammed with curses and blessings, angels, devils, ghosts, sprits that could invade bodies, fairies, and elves."
Belief in demons and other supernatural beings was common in the Middle Ages
Witches, thought to be empowered by Satan, caused fear and terror, and had to be rooted out of society. Gibson writes that most witches were thought to be female, and many of them were poor and uneducated. Gibson goes on to say, "Christian priests were all male....[and some] were obsessed with the regulation of women: their sexuality, conduct, and thought." Often, women (and a few men) accused of witchcraft were perceived as wanting revenge for some slight, so that something happened to the offender: their cow died, their wife couldn't conceive, their ship sank, their crops failed, their business lost money, their child took sick, and so on.
There were many accusations of witchcraft in the Middle Ages
Gibson discusses thirteen witch trials, expanding on the lives of the accused as well as the accusers, and she provides background details of the time, place, atmosphere, laws, religious beliefs, witnesses, verdicts, etc. Many 'witches' were tortured into 'confessing', and the tales are shocking and sad.
I'll mention a few examples of witch trials, to give you a glimpse of the book.
Helena Scheuberin (1485) in Austria. Helena was accused of poisoning a knight named Jörg Spiess, who had wanted 'more than friendship' with married Helena. Helena was tried by inquisitor Heinrich Kramer who believed witches were devil-worshippers who had given their souls to Satan; prayed to the devil; killed animals and people; and performed every evil they could imagine.
Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer
Tatabe (1692) in Salem, Massachusetts. Native American Tatabe grew up in Barbados and was brought to Salem as a slave. Tatabe was unfortunate enough to be enslaved in the household of a Puritan minister named Samuel Parris when young girls in the home claimed to be bewitched.
Puritan Minister Samuel Parris
Many 'witches' were hung during the Salem witch trials
Helen Duncan (1941) in Barham, England. Helen was a spiritualist/medium who announced that a British ship, the HMS Barham was lost BEFORE this information was public knowledge. This 'foreknowledge', as well as Helen channeling dead people, materializing ectoplasm, and so on led to accusations of witchcraft.
Helen Duncan (allegedly) materialized spirits during her seances
Stormy Daniels (2020) in Columbus, Ohio. Stormy (perhaps best known for her liaisons with Donald Trump) is an adult film star, tarot-reader, ghost-hunter, medium, and believer in a non-traditional religion. When Stormy sued her lawyer Michael Avenattii for defrauding her, she found herself accused of being 'a witch who practices witchcraft.'
Stormy Daniels
The libeling of Stormy Daniels shows that accusations of 'witch' still occur in modern times. Gibson notes, "Witchcraft is still criminalized in multiple nations and quasi-states." The author observes that in Guatemala, traditional healers were killed for being witches in 2021; during Nepal's civil war (1996-2006), suspected witches were beaten or burned to death; in Britain in 2000, a 'child witch' of African descent was tied up in a bath, beaten with hammers and chains, burned, and cut. And more.
In modern times, children are often accused of being witches
The author has done an immense amount of research for the book, which has extensive notes and an index. The narrative is interesting but dry and repetitive, and the author tries too hard to connect incidents in disparate places. What comes across very clearly is that men have felt compelled to control women from time immemorial, and an accusation of witchcraft is one tool in their arsenal. Historically, this has been a powerful tool, and it continues in some places today.
The book is well worth reading for readers interested in the subject matter.
Thanks to Netgalley, Marion Gibson, and Scribner for a copy of the book.
Rating: 3.5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment