As a practicing witch, and a student of history, I have known for sometime that the killing of witches is mostly a political act. The oldest, least able to defend themselves, were usually the targets. Of course, it helped if they had a bit of land for a neighbor to covet. That way, when the execution was carried out, the neighbor, who had accused the old woman of hexing a cow or some such act, would be awarded the land as a repayment for the loss of the cow.

Most of the women who were killed were healers, the keepers of the wisdom, midwives. As such, they were powerful in the eyes of other women. This isn't a healthy place to be in a male dominated system. Being old, widowed, or worse yet, an old maid, and being in possession of the knowledge of herbs and healing, a skill which must have looked very much like sorcery to the peasant folk, was enough to get you hanged. If you were unfortunate enough to have a physical deformity, not uncommon in those days, you were doubly damned. To the ignorant folks, you looked like their god had marked you for your crimes.

I don't disagree with the idea that weather could have played a part in the persecution of witches. It seems that anything that is unexplainable is good enough reason to try to remove those who are viewed as the least able to resist, and that contribute the least as well. What we must ask ourselves is this; why women, why the elderly, why now, in this day and age, can we allow this to happen?

You describe economic rather than political motivations for killing witches. In essence, you agree with the article and seem to miss the point with your suggestion it's just about cold weather. I hope you're more cautious when dispensing herbs and invocations.

I will give you one odd case to consider: Helen Duncan, executed in the UK in 1944 because her paranormal powers might reveal invasion secrets. Now, that's political.

I agree that persecution of witches is linked to persecution of the feminine, but I suspect the article is more accurate in that the persecution was of a second order. That is, a scapegoat was wanted, and women were seen as convenient because of their lower status in a patriarchal society.

I very much doubt it was often in-your-face-Great-Mother misogyny all by itself that led to a woman's murder. I suspect the ideological/intellectual sort of misogyny-talk took place at higher, political levels, much as gay bashing does today, serving to provide the national scape-goat.

Yes, violent political speech licenses violence, but I suspect there are, as in the essay, other more directly opportunist motives as well. Hate is complex and pernicious, and we do not give the devil his due when we oversimplify it.

"Suffer not the witch to live"

That's good enough for me, heathens.

shortcut:

"Suffer not the witch to live"

That's good enough for me, heathens.

Wow, Christ said that? Christians are more badass than I thought.

My Jesus forgives the hatefulness of your Jesus

So you would kill me? For the reason that I worship nature? I am more sure every time I encounter people like you that I am fortunate to have found the path I am on. My religion tells me "harm none". I will quote Mahatma Gandhi, " I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ".

You are hereby found guilty of fifteen counts of heresy, thirty-two counts of blasphemy, three counts of sedition and twenty-seven counts of irreligious utterings. You have performed such acts against god and the church with maliciousness and selfish lack of regard for the faith and sanctity of others. You have shown no remorse or compunction about these acts, and have been condemned by your own testimony. I therefore charge that you be taken from this chapel and placed in the hands of the confessors who will, with proper authority of Ecclesiarchal Law and with full consent of this court, administer the rites of flagellation and burning.

I had never heard of Helen Duncan. Threat to Britain

I like the Gandhi quote: "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ".

I detect a tongue planted firmly in cheek re: a certain shortcut. Be that as it may- a measure of respect is given for excellent sentence construction- either way.

Christians are indeed more “badass” than some might think, sometimes to a fault. This bears repeating: Hate is complex and pernicious, and we do not give the devil his due when we oversimplify it. Thanks, Cracker

Isn't this covered under Section29, subsection A, paragraph 32, sub-subsection H, sentence 185 (a) of the Patriot Act?

From what I've read, the "witch" in England was imprisoned, not executed. And if someone's running around, blabbing about sunken ships when Nazi-occupied territory is literally a hundred miles away, I jail her, too, if for no other reason than to shut her up. We had those "someone talked" posters for a reason.

As far as burning witches goes, put yourself back 1600s Europe. You're superstitious, you're hungry, and you've been raised in an oppressive religious system that, despite its faults, has held your society together. And down the road, every time some crazy old woman mixes a bunch of worthless herbs together, coincidentally it snows and wipes out your bean crop.

I say burn her ass.

You like that, HAP?

No duty should be beyond us as we defend the holy truth of the god’s canon. Every device will be employed and all human skills exploited to the utmost. There is no shirking from our duty. In these darkest of times we must employ the darkest of methods. We must be vigilant, strong and unyielding lest we weaken our resolve and fracture the faith that bonds us together. We, the brothers and sisters of the great ecclesiarchy, will fight to the bitter end. We shall not let one heretic or traitor stay us from our holy duty. Not one witch or changeling will shock us into meek surrender. Be vigilant, be strong, the god is with us all!

shortcut: you slay me! Indeed the god is with us all!

Well shoot. I missed that one, HAP. This is all cut and paste from a neat little game called inquisitor. I changed the references from emperor to god. I missed that the.

It's interesting reading anyway.

Ya know shorty, I did catch on after the last post, and I'm sorry for my lack of humor about your clever input. I suppose, after a millennium of persecution, I have just gotten a bit testy about my religion. Kind of like how some xtians get offended by the 'god on a stick' joke. In future, I will try to keep an open mind about silly referrals to the constant disrespect of my faith. We Pagans are really a lovely bunch, we're terribly open minded, after all, our Goddess gave birth to your God.

You give as good as you recieve I see, elviragultch.

And pagans gave birth to the jewish religion? I never heard that one before.