When you hear the word 'witch', what image does it conjure up for you? Perhaps you see an old crone, with a large warty nose, tall pointed hat and a sharp chin aboard a flying broomstick and a black cat, her familiar, hanging on behind her?
Well, I suppose it might, as these are the classic images that we are all fed when we're young - from traditional fairy stories to Hollywood films.
The truth, however, is far more terrifying.
Think of your close family; husband, wife, mother, father, or your best friend or work colleague. Could you ever imagine that they could have innocently been accused of being a witch? No, of course, not. But, if you had been unfortunate enough to have lived in Mediaeval Europe, then this could have happened.
The Old Testament says "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" Exodus 22:18. But what is a witch?
During the lengthy research that I did on 17th century life for my book, Manhattan Legacy, which is set in pre-New York Manhattan, I found that the term 'witch' was applied to the most extraordinary people. In C17th, there were no medically trained physicians as we know them today. Instead there were 'cunning' (from the Old Norse word 'Kunna' meaning to know i.e. wisdom) men and women, who understood how plants could heal and and cure many disorders that plagued Mediaeval folk. These healers were the equivalent of our modern doctors, nurses, midwives, GPs and dentists. Imagine a world where your toothache cannot be dealt with, where a broken bone meant death and common illnesses were killers.
Then take superstition, fear and ignorance. Witches were seen by the Church as the Devil's secret army and it was up to all good folk to assist the Church in fighting the Devil. A book written in 1486 by two Germans, Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, called 'Malleus Maleficarum' ('Hammer of the Witches'), was a guidebook used by both Catholics and Protestants for several hundred years to find and identify witches and instructed them how to put them on trial and how to determine their punishment.
Settlers emigrating from Europe during the 17th century would have taken with them the laws and rules that governed their lives since birth. The main religions of time in England and most of Europe were either Catholic or Protestant and both peasantry and nobility abided by the tenets set down in these religions. This led to fear and suspicion following along with them to the New World.
The fact that innocent healers were persecuted for trying to help their fellow settlers was not taken into account. If a word should be said by someone harbouring a grudge, or if a person failed to recover from an illness or physical disability after being treated by a cunning woman, then it was more than likely that they would end up being accused of witchcraft and consorting with the Devil.
If the witch were sent to trial - how could he/she prove that he/she wasn't a witch? A popular test was to be tied up then dropped into deep water. If the witch sank and drowned that proved innocent - probably a bit late for justice to be done - and if the witch survived that proved guilt and the unfortunate was hanged. Other tests were just as unfair!
We should all be very relieved that we live in the age that we do and, although it's far from perfect, imagine the horrors if we didn't!
No comments:
Post a Comment