They’ll get you and your little dog, too Witches & Witchcraft They’ll get you and your little dog, too

Background Information Most people lived in small villages & had to fight nature to survive People held beliefs in spirits populating the world Both good & bad spirits Superstitions became popular Priests offered blessings that people saw as ways to ward off evil spirits

Wise men & women Wise men/women were able to interpret signs & warnings Offered remedies (potions, chants, spells) Could be considered ‘good witches’ or ‘bad witches’ Witch hunts were particularly church driven because witches were seen as a threat to church power/authority

Who were accused witches? Over 100,000 witch trials 40,000-50,000 executions (Only 25% of accused & executed were men—the rest were women) The accused witches were usually high profile (very rich or very poor, very popular or very unpopular) Many accused witches would confess after being tortured to avoid death.

Accusations People were afraid that witches were taking over the land, killing children, and livestock Those who accused witches often claimed they saw the accused associating with the Devil Accusations would increase if harvests were poor, if weather was harsh, or if money or food was scarce

Punishments Punishments included: The witches collar (inward spikes against the throat) Ducking Pressing The Strappado (tying hands behind a person’s back, lifting them up by the wrists above a ceiling beam & then dropping them several times until joints are dislocated) Turcas (designed to rip finger nails out) Stoning Red hot pinchers (used to tear off bits of flesh) The Malleus Malificarum was used as a handbook for successfully identifying & killing witches

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!