The Puritans• Holy=Servitude

• Fire & Brimstone

• Work & God

• One of the most strict religions ever formed.

• Left Europe to form their own colony where sin was not allowed.

Lifestyle of a Puritan

• Rise and pray

• Work

• Go to church

• Work

• Pray

• Sleep

• Brightly colored clothing

• Making yourself pretty

• Being individual

• Music

• Dancing

• Gathering of women

• Working on Sunday (praying and reading- Bible ONLY)

No-No’s in Puritan Life

The targeted…• Midwives

– Too much power for a woman

– Men not included

• Gypsies

• Poets and artists

• Jews

• Old Women

• Wives of men with property

Reasons for the Panic• Revenge

• Financial gain

• Fear of God

• Lust

• Old rivalries

• Property ownerships

• Ergot (LSD) Poisoning ???

• “Whether the Belief that there are such Beings as Witches is so Essential a Part of the Catholic Faith that Obstinacy to maintain the Opposite Opinion manifestly savours of Heresy” ~ Malleus Maleficarum

• • The Malleus Maleficarum (Latin for “The Hammer of Witches”, or

“Hexenhammer” in German) is one of the most famous medieval treatises on witches. It was written in 1486 by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, and was first published in Germany in 1487. Its main purpose was to challenge all arguments against the existence of witchcraft and to instruct magistrates on how to identify, interrogate and convict witches.

• Malleus Maleficarum– Written by two ministers

– Limited knowledge of science, so needed to make sense of the unknown

– Many owned it

– Included information on how to spot a witch

In other words...

• Christians believe in witches, because witchcraft explains the evils that happen to them.

• To not believe in witches is heresy.

The Malleus says:

Women are prone to be witches– Fragile, weak minded, easily corrupted

– Made from Adam’s rib, therefore bent

– Ambitious women = evil

– Midwives plan what babies are born dead and then sacrifice them to the devil

– Witches steal members to get back at lost loves

How to Spot a WitchDevil's Marks•According to many witch-hunting guides, it is best to start your examination by shaving the suspect's body and examining it for devil's marks. These are the spots where Satan brands his followers to seal their pact with him. An English jurist in 1630 described' them as "sometimes like a blew spot, or a red spot, like a Fleabiting.” •One problem: In the vermin-ridden 17th century, such blemishes were hardly uncommon. So the witch hunters devised an ingenious solution. The Devil, they reasoned, would not allow anything of his to be harmed. Therefore, they pricked any suspicious marks with a long silver pin. If the spot didn't bleed or was insensitive to pain, the suspect was a witch.

How to Spot a Witch

Swimming and Other Tests•First, sprinkle the suspect with holy water. Tie his right thumb to his left big toe, and his left thumb to his right big toe. Fasten a rope around his waist. Then toss him into a pond or river. If he floats, he's a witch.•Weigh the suspect against a very heavy Bible (if she weighs less than the book, she is guilty) and ask her to recite the Lord's Prayer without making a mistake.•When you suspect a witch has murdered someone, ask her to lay her hands on the victim's body. If she is guilty, the corpse will start to bleed.

How to Spot a Witch

Nabbing the Elusive Imp

•One of the most devious ways to foil witches is to catch them with their familiars, the imps in animal form who do their nefarious bidding.

•Many witch hunters believed the imps could not go for more than 24 hours without being suckled by their master or mistress. Therefore, when you have a suspect in prison, drill a peephole in the cell door and keep a close watch. If you see a rat, mouse or beetle in the cell, you've nabbed an imp, so the prisoner is obviously a witch.

What happened to the “witches”?

•TORTURE– Hanging

– Burning

– Thumb screws

– Spanish boots

– The “Rack”

• Whatever would make them admit their “guilt” was tried

• If accused, “witches” were burned

• Trials were NOT necessary

• Often used inhuman torture devices– Spear the witch from legs to

top of head, then burn the body rotisserie style

– Skin the witch alive

Why would people do this?

If you could persecute another person, would you? Why?

How far would you go to save your own skin?

The Puritans claimed themselves to be the purest of the pure, the quintessence of virtue—how did a society built on faith turn against each other? Do you think this European legacy of intolerance played a role?