6,493
edits
Difference between revisions of "Witch-hunt"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
no edit summary
Occultwiki (talk | contribs) |
Occultwiki (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
The last executions of people convicted as witches in Europe took place in the 18th century. In other regions, like Africa and Asia, contemporary witch-hunts have been reported from sub-Saharan Africa and Papua New Guinea, and official legislation against witchcraft is still found in Saudi Arabia and Cameroon today. | The last executions of people convicted as witches in Europe took place in the 18th century. In other regions, like Africa and Asia, contemporary witch-hunts have been reported from sub-Saharan Africa and Papua New Guinea, and official legislation against witchcraft is still found in Saudi Arabia and Cameroon today. | ||
==Cause of witch-hunting activities== | |||
Harvard professor George. L. Kittredge, author of the book ''Witchcraft in Old and New England'' stated, "Witch-hunting never flourishes unless the common people are eager for it." He believed that witch-hunting had nothing to do with actual acts of [[black magic]], but were motivated by a collective fear and anxiety found beneath the surface of certain societies at certain times. At its core, these violent acts were the result of male misogynistic attitudes and a desire to assert their power over women. | |||
This is borne out in the nature of the laws under which witches were arrested and tried. The criminal offense of ''maleficium'' required only that the witch in question caused sensations of fear and terror among members of the populace. Thus, if anyone felt uneasy about a particular woman's attitude or behavior, they only needed to claim they "felt afraid" in order for the case to proceed. Spells, [[familiar]]s, and [[diabolical pact]]s were merely accessories to the crime. | |||
''Maleficium'' permitted men of authority to hunt women like animals simply because they were viewed as an enemy of masculine power. | |||
==Early European witch-hunts== | ==Early European witch-hunts== | ||