The Origin of Witches
•Early witches were people who practiced witchcraft, using magic spells and calling upon spirits for help or to bring about change. Most witches were thought to be pagans doing the Devil's work. Many, however, were simply natural healers or so-called "wise women" whose choice of profession was misunderstood.
• It's unclear exactly when witches appeared historically, but one of the earliest records of a witch is in the Bible(between 931 B.C and 721 B.C)¹
Malleus Maleficarum
•In Europe during the mid-1400s, many accused witches confessed, often under torture, to a variety of wicked behaviors. Within a century, witch hunts were common and most of the accused were executed by burning at the stake or hanging.²
•Between the years 1500 and 1660, up to 80,000 suspected witches were put to death in Europe. Around 80 percent of them were women thought to be in cahoots with the Devil and filled with lust.
•The Malleus Maleficarum(The Hammer of Witches) was a guide on how to identify, hunt and interrogate witches.
The First Person Executed in the Colonies
•In 1642 witchcraft was punishable by death in Connecticut.Alse Young of Windsor,Connecticut was the first person executed for witchcraft in America. Alse was hanged at Meeting House Square in Hartford.
•Witchcraft was last listed as a capital crime in 1715. The crime of witchcraft disappeared from the list of capital crimes when the laws were next printed in 1750.
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Witchcraft
Non-FictionThis is my research to become a witch. I hope it helps other people who are interested. Here are all the notes I have so far. if you have questions i would try to answer and if anyone wants to help i would be grateful I repeat I am NOT a witch!!! ...
