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A witch is easy to recognize.
17 Signs You Would Have Been Called a Witch in 1692
1. You're a woman.
Are you a woman? If so, you may well be a servant of the devil. In the Middle Ages, women were often associated with witches: people for thousands of years believed that women were more sinful than men, and sin was a clear indication of Devil worship. In Salem, 13 women and five men were accused of witchcraft, but more women died in the Witch Hunt.
2. You are poor or you simply can’t support yourself.
The poor, the homeless and those who had to beg were often accused of witchcraft. Sarah Goode, for example, was hanged in 1692 because she wandered from house to house and begged for food - her neighbors did not like her, did not trust her, so they accused her of witchcraft.
3. You are wealthy or financially independent.
If you are an adult wealthy woman and live without any financial support from a man, then in your pantry, most likely, there are cans with alcoholized newt eyes.
Any case of a woman living on her own without the support of a man was alarming. Most likely, society would shun such a woman, and then she would be accused and tried. Between 1620 and 1725, women who had no husbands, sons, or brothers, but who were nevertheless successful, were often accused of witchcraft in New England - roughly 89% of those hanged were such.
4. You have one friend or more.
A group of women gathering together without men could be mistaken for a “devil-worshipping coven.” It was probably more convenient for the ladies to make eyes for him.
5. You argue with one or more of your friends.
Witch hunters like Matthew Hopkins or John Sirne were so horrified that some women accused others of witchcraft to defend themselves. According to writer Elizabeth Reiss, women were more likely than men to be suspected of conspiring with the Devil, and women believed in it themselves, so they could be damned.
Take Rachel Clinton, for example, where decent women accused her of making them hump when she walked past them in church. Rachel, herself a “decent and dignified” woman, was also mentally unstable: her late marriage and subsequent motherhood forced her to be at the bottom of the social ladder.
The full set - left to add other women shouting absurdities at all corners, and Rachel can safely be accused of witchcraft, which happened.
6. You argue or disagree with someone.
It is important to remember that anyone could blame anyone, which everyone did. And if you suddenly find that you are accused of witchcraft, then check where the wind is blowing from - it is quite possible that a former lover saw you naked on a broomstick.
7. You're very old.
Older women, both married and unmarried, were an ideal target for accusations. Rebecca Nurs was 70 years old, disabled, and the neighbors suddenly started blaming her. She is known as the oldest woman to be convicted and executed as a witch at 71.
8. You're very young.
Dorothy Goode was only four years old when she confessed to witchcraft (at the same time her mother was accused and hanged in 1692). Dorothy spent nine months in prison, but was eventually released. However, the girl lost her mind forever.
9. You're a midwife.
The writer Joel Sutern said well:
“Social and marital status, independence, pagan influences, secret knowledge of herbs – all spoke against midwives. The main thing - the profession was considered unclean and humiliating, so such women simply had to be in collusion with the Devil. In short, the midwives were all afraid.”
10. You are married and you have too many children.
Such unnatural fertility is probably the result of black magic. You put a couple next door who can't conceive a child, and they'll think you're stealing their happiness. Because you're a witch.
11. You are married, and you have only one child.
The devil cursed you and gave you infertility. Also, if your neighbors and their six children have already been harmed, then surely those who live near them have already turned to evil.
12. You can be called “strange,” “stubborn,” or “bold.”
Allow yourself any impudence and you will most likely be called a witch. During the trial of Rachel Clinton, the charges against her were: “Isn’t she acting like an angry, annoying, rude woman?” That's the character of a witch! Doesn't she swear, threaten, fight? ?
13. You have a mole, a birthmark or a third nipple.
This could have been interpreted as a diabolical sign. It could also mean that a dog, cat, or snake would be sucked onto the witch to drink her blood. The defendants were completely shaved off their entire body hair to find the mark.
14. There is spoiled butter or milk in your cellar.
At the Salem trial, the defendants were accused of having spoiled dairy products in their cellars. So check the fridge.
15. You had sex outside of marriage.
If that applies to you, you can throw yourself into the blue hellfire. In 1651, Alice Lake of Dorchester was tried as a witch for being a prostitute and having a child. She was tortured so that she eventually confessed that she had slept with the Devil, and the child was his. That same year, she was hanged.
16. You tried to predict the identity of your future husband.
Are you dreaming of your second half? Write his name in your notebook? Then your actions can be interpreted as witchcraft, as happened to Tituba, a slave from the city of Salem. Tituba invited young girls to know the names of their future husbands and became the first woman in Salem to be accused of witchcraft. But not the last.
17. You have broken every rule in the Bible, and you have made a pact with the Devil.
The Puritans had to strictly observe the following rules. Violation of any of them could be grounds for accusations of witchcraft.
- Strict observance of the Sabbath: you can not kindle a fire, trade, travel - sometimes this was called "new breads of offer in the holy place", it was punishable by death;
- Not to commit adultery;
- Do not lead people to other gods by prophecy or dreaming.
- Do not allow yourself to be raped;
- Do not sow more than one type of seed in the field;
- Do not touch the pig carcass;
- Do not wear clothing of more than one type;
- Do not cut your hair in a circle;
- Don't braid your hair.
- And, of course, don't let witches live.
If you did anything on this list, you could be accused of witchcraft. You will probably be hanged, burned, or left to rot in prison until you die.
1. You're a woman.
Are you a woman? If so, you may well be a servant of the devil. In the Middle Ages, women were often associated with witches: people for thousands of years believed that women were more sinful than men, and sin was a clear indication of Devil worship. In Salem, 13 women and five men were accused of witchcraft, but more women died in the Witch Hunt.
2. You are poor or you simply can’t support yourself.
The poor, the homeless and those who had to beg were often accused of witchcraft. Sarah Goode, for example, was hanged in 1692 because she wandered from house to house and begged for food - her neighbors did not like her, did not trust her, so they accused her of witchcraft.
3. You are wealthy or financially independent.
If you are an adult wealthy woman and live without any financial support from a man, then in your pantry, most likely, there are cans with alcoholized newt eyes.
Any case of a woman living on her own without the support of a man was alarming. Most likely, society would shun such a woman, and then she would be accused and tried. Between 1620 and 1725, women who had no husbands, sons, or brothers, but who were nevertheless successful, were often accused of witchcraft in New England - roughly 89% of those hanged were such.
4. You have one friend or more.
A group of women gathering together without men could be mistaken for a “devil-worshipping coven.” It was probably more convenient for the ladies to make eyes for him.
5. You argue with one or more of your friends.
Witch hunters like Matthew Hopkins or John Sirne were so horrified that some women accused others of witchcraft to defend themselves. According to writer Elizabeth Reiss, women were more likely than men to be suspected of conspiring with the Devil, and women believed in it themselves, so they could be damned.
Take Rachel Clinton, for example, where decent women accused her of making them hump when she walked past them in church. Rachel, herself a “decent and dignified” woman, was also mentally unstable: her late marriage and subsequent motherhood forced her to be at the bottom of the social ladder.
The full set - left to add other women shouting absurdities at all corners, and Rachel can safely be accused of witchcraft, which happened.
6. You argue or disagree with someone.
It is important to remember that anyone could blame anyone, which everyone did. And if you suddenly find that you are accused of witchcraft, then check where the wind is blowing from - it is quite possible that a former lover saw you naked on a broomstick.
7. You're very old.
Older women, both married and unmarried, were an ideal target for accusations. Rebecca Nurs was 70 years old, disabled, and the neighbors suddenly started blaming her. She is known as the oldest woman to be convicted and executed as a witch at 71.
8. You're very young.
Dorothy Goode was only four years old when she confessed to witchcraft (at the same time her mother was accused and hanged in 1692). Dorothy spent nine months in prison, but was eventually released. However, the girl lost her mind forever.
9. You're a midwife.
The writer Joel Sutern said well:
“Social and marital status, independence, pagan influences, secret knowledge of herbs – all spoke against midwives. The main thing - the profession was considered unclean and humiliating, so such women simply had to be in collusion with the Devil. In short, the midwives were all afraid.”
10. You are married and you have too many children.
Such unnatural fertility is probably the result of black magic. You put a couple next door who can't conceive a child, and they'll think you're stealing their happiness. Because you're a witch.
11. You are married, and you have only one child.
The devil cursed you and gave you infertility. Also, if your neighbors and their six children have already been harmed, then surely those who live near them have already turned to evil.
12. You can be called “strange,” “stubborn,” or “bold.”
Allow yourself any impudence and you will most likely be called a witch. During the trial of Rachel Clinton, the charges against her were: “Isn’t she acting like an angry, annoying, rude woman?” That's the character of a witch! Doesn't she swear, threaten, fight? ?
13. You have a mole, a birthmark or a third nipple.
This could have been interpreted as a diabolical sign. It could also mean that a dog, cat, or snake would be sucked onto the witch to drink her blood. The defendants were completely shaved off their entire body hair to find the mark.
14. There is spoiled butter or milk in your cellar.
At the Salem trial, the defendants were accused of having spoiled dairy products in their cellars. So check the fridge.
15. You had sex outside of marriage.
If that applies to you, you can throw yourself into the blue hellfire. In 1651, Alice Lake of Dorchester was tried as a witch for being a prostitute and having a child. She was tortured so that she eventually confessed that she had slept with the Devil, and the child was his. That same year, she was hanged.
16. You tried to predict the identity of your future husband.
Are you dreaming of your second half? Write his name in your notebook? Then your actions can be interpreted as witchcraft, as happened to Tituba, a slave from the city of Salem. Tituba invited young girls to know the names of their future husbands and became the first woman in Salem to be accused of witchcraft. But not the last.
17. You have broken every rule in the Bible, and you have made a pact with the Devil.
The Puritans had to strictly observe the following rules. Violation of any of them could be grounds for accusations of witchcraft.
- Strict observance of the Sabbath: you can not kindle a fire, trade, travel - sometimes this was called "new breads of offer in the holy place", it was punishable by death;
- Not to commit adultery;
- Do not lead people to other gods by prophecy or dreaming.
- Do not allow yourself to be raped;
- Do not sow more than one type of seed in the field;
- Do not touch the pig carcass;
- Do not wear clothing of more than one type;
- Do not cut your hair in a circle;
- Don't braid your hair.
- And, of course, don't let witches live.
If you did anything on this list, you could be accused of witchcraft. You will probably be hanged, burned, or left to rot in prison until you die.
