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Witch hunts in history formed basis for today's Halloween images, historian says
The old, female witch with warts and a hooked nose, wearing a black robe and pointed hat and riding a broomstick, is one of the most recognized symbols of Halloween. Dr. Richard Golden, University of North Texas professor of history, says this image came from the age of witch hunting in Europe, which started around 1430 and ended approximately in 1750. During this period, some 35,000 to 50,000 people - mostly old, poor women - were accused of witchcraft and legally executed, says Golden, the editor of the four-volume "Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Western Tradition," which was published earlier this year. The encyclopedia includes more than 700 entries from 172 distinguished witchcraft scholars from 28 nations. The entries cover key trials, folklore, magical practices, influential texts and witchcraft theorists, as well as the accused and their persecutors. Golden, who spent more than five years editing the encyclopedia, says that during the age of witch hunting, some poor women were often first accused of witchcraft after they went door-to-door begging for charity. "Women were seen as especially susceptible to the power of the Devil because they were considered more carnal and therefore evil, so they had to be controlled," he says. He points out that while the elite of that time - clergy, magistrates and teachers - emphasized diabolism, or contact with the Devil, villagers were concerned about the ability of witches to work maleficium, or physically harmful magic. "In fact, village committee often initiated witch hunting by pressuring authorities to persecute witches," he says. If a family turned a woman away and a misfortune struck the household shortly afterward, the family might say the woman was a witch who had played a "trick" by throwing a curse to kill or injure a family member or livestock, or to spoil food, he says. He also says those accused of diabolical witchcraft were believed to fly at night on animals, demons or brooms to witches' gatherings, or Sabbats, where they worshipped the Devil, practiced cannibalism and infanticide and worked evil magic in order to overthrow Christian society. This a reason why many of today's costumed witches carry brooms, he says. Many Americans are familiar with witch hunts through works such as Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible," which dramatized the Salem, Mass., witch trials of 1692. Golden points out, however, that events at Salem, which resulted in 150 people being imprisoned and 19 killed for witchcraft, did not even compare to the witch hunts in Europe at the same time. "In this period of history, people honestly believed there were those practicing diabolical witchcraft with the intent to overthrow Christendom," he says. "There was witchcraft before and after, but it was only during this time that people were persecuted and prosecuted in large numbers for it."
UNT News Service Phone Number: (940) 565-2108
Contact: Nancy Kolsti (940) 565-3509
Email: nkolsti@unt.edu
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