Post by Graveyardbride on Oct 13, 2016 19:21:11 GMT -5
Identifying Witches and Counteracting Witchcraft
The Puritans who settled in New England during the 17th century brought with them a belief in witches shared with religious leaders, kings and peasants in every part of Europe. They were convinced these evil beings caused their friends and relatives to come down with ailments that baffled physicians, and these same beings destroyed their livestock and crops, caused grain to mildew and soured ale, beer, cider, wine and milk when there was no logical explanation. To safeguard themselves and their families to some extent, the settlers made witchcraft one of the 12 crimes punishable by death. When the Puritans adopted their first code of laws in 1641, Article 94, Section 2, declared: “If any man or woman be a witch (that is hath or consulteth with a familiar spirit) they shall be put to death.”
Although this statute helped to legally rid the colony of such malefactors once their identities became known, it was also important for the colonists to learn how to protect themselves against those whose identities weren’t known, and they were convinced some of these individuals could harm bring harm only in the homes of their victims. Accordingly, it was necessary to ascertain how to keep them at bay, and by trial and error, the settlers eventually decided witches either will not, or cannot, enter a house in which apples are stored, wherein one door is hung upside-down, or where a bag of salt is kept under the bed of the master and/or mistress, or where there is a dried apple, coffin nail, dried clove or garlic or horseshoe hung above each entrance to the home. They also decided witches cannot harm anyone – regardless of where the individual might be – who carries with him a sprig of mistletoe, a dried clove of garlic, or a piece of dried sassafras root.
They were also convinced there were several methods of counteracting the effects of spells cast by witches. One of the most effective was also one of the simplest. The victim – or someone acting on his behalf – merely put seven drops of the juices of any vegetable into a dish of cold water containing a small piece of iron, and the victim rubbed his finger along the edge of the dish in a clockwise direction 21 times. This weakened the force of the spell almost immediately. If the person went through the same procedure seven times in one day at two-hour intervals, the spell would be completely broken and the evil being would never again be able to injure the victim in the same manner. It is almost impossible to determine where this counter-spell originated, although some believe it was likely brought to New England by people having knowledge of Mediterranean superstitions.
Regardless of whether these and other strange customs, beliefs and superstitions held by New Englanders – now or in the past – had their beginnings here or in some other part of the world, we now consider them a part of the lore of our six-state region and the following are some of the better-known examples:
Discovering the Identity of a Witch. If any livestock sicken and die because of a witch’s spell, the identity of the witch who cast the spell can be discovered by cutting off the ears of one of the afflicted animals and tossing them into a fire. The heat produced by the fire will release the witch’s imp from the ears and its master will appear at the fire before anyone else arrives.
If food will not cook property because a witch has cast a spell on it, the witch’s identity can be uncovered by putting some of the affected food into the fire. Again, the heat will chase the witch’s imp from the food and its master will appear at the house before anyone else arrives.
Another Way to Unmask Witches. There are a number of other ways in which to discover the identity of a witch. This method was tried in the late winter of 1691/92 in Salem Village. When Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams of that village – two of the girls who started the Salem witch hysteria – began to act as though they were bewitched, Tituba, a West Indian slave woman, collected some of their urine and cooked it in a small loaf of rye bread. She then fed it to a dog, hoping this would unmask the person, or persons, responsible for bewitching the girls. It is possible this had the desired effect, for Tituba and two other women – Sarah Goode and Sarah Osburne – were arrested a short time later, each being charged with afflicting the girls by means of witchcraft. Sarah Osborne was so ill she died in jail two months later, the other was tried, found guilty and hanged. Tituba saved her life by confessing she was a witch. She remained in jail for more than a year and was released by order of the governor upon payment of her court and jail fees.
Black Cats and Witches. Because black cats have been the traditional companions of witches for hundreds of years, it is only natural there are a number of beliefs concerning them. One of the better known is that a person will have bad luck all day if a black cat crosses his path. Another, not quite so well-known, claims that anyone who owns a black cat will be blessed with good luck for as long as the cat remains alive and in his possession. There also is a superstition that a bride who hears a black cat sneeze on her wedding day will have a happy marriage, while another claims an inflamed eye can be cured by passing the tail of a black cat across it nine times. One of the lesser-known superstitions is that if a black cat is placed in a cradle before the baby sleeps in it, the child will be protected from evil spirits until he outgrows the cradle.
Killing a Witch by Proxy. When a witch assumes the shape of a black cat, if the cat is injured, the witch will usually exhibit the same wounds on her body. Nonetheless, the witch will not necessarily die if the cat is killed, for a witch can take the shape of nine different cats, each of which has to be killed while the witch is in the shape of that particular cat before she is affected. Even then, the witch will die only if the ninth cat is killed with an article containing silver.
Poppets. Witches are able to torment people by sticking sharp objects, such as pins, into dolls they have made specifically for this purpose. The victims suffer pain in the corresponding parts of their bodies into which the pins are inserted.
Dried Hex Apples. If you shape an apple into the semblance of a human face, then hang it in the kitchen, witches and other evil beings will not be able to harm you or any member of your family who lives in the house.
Seventh Daughter of a Seventh Son. The seventh daughter of a seventh son almost always possesses the gift of spectral sight, that is, the ability to see into the world of the supernatural, and she can usually communicate with a variety of spectral beings over vast distances. She should not be classified as a witch, even though these are some of the powers attributed to witches, for, unlike witches, she was born with these powers and did not make a deal with the devil to attain them.
Counteracting a Spell with Dry Apple Seeds. The effects of a spell can be reduced by tossing a handful of dry apple seeds over the left shoulder with the right hand on a cloudless night when the moon is full.
Flying Witches. Witches can travel through the air at amazingly high speeds. They are usually transported on broomsticks that have been supernaturally charged by the devil. When a large number of witches are bound for the same destination, they sometimes ride tandem on long poles that have the same powers as broomsticks. Witches have no problem flying over or around trees, tall buildings, mountains or other obstacles. The only thing an airborne witch fears is the sound of church bells rung in close proximity to where she (or he) is flying. The ringing of church bells causes the broom or pole to lose its powers and the witch crashes to the ground.
New England Witch Groups. Although witch covens in most parts of Europe were said to consist of 13 members, presumably representing 13 moons, there has never been a limit to the size of New England’s covens. In 1692, the afflicted girls, who boasted spectral sight, claimed more than 100 witches met regularly at Salem Village, where they conducted their profane rites and rituals in honor of the devil.
Specters. Some believe witches are able to impersonate almost anyone they wish. This is an excellent camouflage because it allows them to torment people in the shape of someone who is someplace else, totally unaware of what is taking place. This gives the victim the impression the person whose shape is being impersonated is responsible for hurting him, thereby allowing the real witch’s identity to remain secret. But neither the devil nor any of his witches can assume the precise shape of another person. They always make at least one mistake that can be detected by someone who knows the person whom the witch is impersonating. Sometimes a part of the face is misshapen, but usually the mistake is that the assumed face is the mirror image of the face of the actual person.
Covenant Witches. Covenant witches are those who have made a pact with the devil and received supernatural powers that allow them to attain goals to which they could never aspire by any other means. More often than not, their goals are the acquisition of wealth and power. A number of people, however, have admitted they accepted the devil as master and even engaged in sexual relations with him on a number of occasions merely to satisfy a relatively minor desire. One woman claimed she did so because the devil allowed her to see the apparition of her two-year-old daughter who had died a short while before. Regardless of the reason, these people agree to accept the devil as their master for all time and bind the agreement by placing their marks or signatures in his book.
The Devil’s Children. Although there are several references to children sired by the devil in literature, many “authorities” on the occult are convinced the devil has never impregnated a human female and that he is incapable of doing so.
Witch Marks and Imps. The devil almost always assigns one of his imps to a witch, and while the imp is serving its temporary master or mistress, it takes a shape familiar to humans. This may be a pig, cat, dog, rat, bird, or even a small person. Regardless of the shape it assumes, the imp can be nourished only by the witch. For this reason, a growth (or teat) from which the imp suckles quickly appears on the witch’s body. Because this growth is of abnormal origin, it has no nerves and sharp objects can be stuck into it without producing pain or discomfort. One of the methods of discovering whether a woman, or man, was a witch was to thoroughly search of his or her body for evidence of a growth of this sort and piercing it with a pin or other sharp instrument. If the witch cried out in pain, then it was a normal growth. (The expression “cold as a witch’s tit” comes from the belief these abnormal growths had no feeling.)
Imps Issuing from a Witch’s Body. On at least two occasions during the witchcraft hysteria of 1692, there were those who claimed they saw small beings, very much like children, issuing from between the legs of women who were suspected witches. In each ease, the woman was in jail when the incident occurred and although her jail cell was thoroughly searched, no sign of the imp was discovered.
Proselytizing for the Devil. During the Salem madness, several suspected witches testified they recruited new members for their covens. This was usually accomplished by tempting individuals with promises of beautiful items they could never hope to attain absent supernatural intervention. Those who failed to yield to such temptation would sometimes be subjected to supernatural torture, and the victims would “set their hands to the book” to relieve their suffering. These new witches now became the tormentors and they were as cruel toward those they wished to bring into the devil’s fold as their tormentors had been toward them.
The Witch’s Touch. If a witch touches a plant of any kind with malicious intent, it will not bear flowers, fruit or vegetables until the following growing season.
Exposing the Identity of a Witch. Although witches can make themselves invisible, it is difficult for them to maintain their invisibility during extremely cold weather. Sometimes only part of the witch’s body will become visible during these adverse weather conditions, but if someone grabs and hangs on to the visible part, the rest of the witch’s body will become visible, thereby exposing his or her identity.
Weightless Witches. Although some experts were convinced witches were weightless, others argued if this were the case, it would be impossible to hang them.
Sources: Strange Beliefs, Customs and Superstitions of New England by Robert Ellis Cahill, and Dark Age Superstitions.
