The term witch hunt is often used when someone became very provocative, asked an uncomfortable question, or even tried to change the way things are. When someone tried to shake things up and made some enemies, we tend to call the consequences a witch hunt. Since even J.K. Rowling was granted a lot of attention in her so called „Witch hunt“ in the light of this interpretation and it puzzles me a lot, I want to summarize what I have learned about witch hunts so far while researching it for my witching novel. You may find some of them very surprising!
Before getting started, I also have to clarify that the reasons and executions of witch hunts depend on where and when they took place. What happened in Europe in the 16th century is fundamentally different than what happened in some places in Africa in the 19th and 20th century (which I am not expert for at all and won‘t try to be). Even in Europe, it makes a big difference if you look north or south of the alps, and I think here the first problem can be found: most people may refer to the incident in Salem in the United States in 1699, which of course also differs a lot to anything that ever happened in Europe, but is very much alive in pop culture.
So follow me into some surprising facts about the witch hunts north of the alps from the 15th to the 17th century!
1. Not only women were executed
Maybe not the most surprising, but still worth mentioning is the fact that men as well as women were at risk of being prosecuted for witchcraft. Since suspects after their arrest were questioned and tortured until they named more witches, as a man you could easily find your name in one of those forced confessions and therefor bear the consequences. Still, the trials for men and women most of the time had a different dynamic and the two groups had different risk factors.
2. Many men that were on trial for witchcraft had been caught up in politics.
Not all of them, though! There are also many cases were people just called names in torture, or a teacher was blamed for the actions of their students etc. But often when men are involved, it includes some kind of political play. I have read about cases of voodoo rituals conducted by men wishing to get rid of someone on the city council. Either as the victim or the executor of such a spell you were in danger of being seen as a male witch. Most of them were not scientists questioning the world view. The majority of them could not or barely read.
3. Most women that were executed for witchcraft were not political active.
And they also were not especially intellectual. The woman talking back to her husband and having read a lot of books was most likely not your witch. As most people could not read back in the 16th century, also most witches on trial were not able to.
4. Being childless was risky as a woman!
As well as being over 40, or of poor health. Health in general is a big issue for the female suspects, because a woman that was not giving birth to a lot of babies seemed to scare people. Have a big mole? Funny looking skin? Fainted sometimes? All very suspicious. Even if you had successfully given birth but were simply too old now, you were more likely to be accused of witchcraft. Had you ever had a miscarriage in the years before, it became even more likely.
5. Midwives were at risk.
Having to do with childbirth was risky even if you were just helping. If you wanted to sell a babies soul to the devil, who else had the best chance to it? Also, if you had been helping too many women who had miscarriages, you could easily be suspected as a witch.
6. Also children were charged with witchcraft.
They were not save either and since it was seen the most serious crime, often had to deal with the consequences. In most places in the Holy Roman empire, children were taken to an exorcist and reeducated in a monastery rather than executed, but if the child was over 12, a “pain free” version of death could be chosen as well.
7. The pope was skeptical towards the witch hunts north of the alps.
But crossing the alps to intervene took time and effort! Still, it often happened that the pope sent someone to investigate, or to calm the citizens of a city that believed to have captured a witch. It even happened that those suspects were brought to Rome for protection. That the catholic church itself wanted to see all women burn is not a historic fact.
8. Witches were connected to the weather!
Extreme weather scenarios like thunder storms or late and early snow were seen as a sign of witchcraft. The crop failure as a consequence caused a witch hunt in many cases.
I think this summarizes many important aspects of witch hunts in the 15-17th century north of the alps, although the list could of course continue. What I think it shows is that the stereotype of the scientist or the intellectual women being hunted down by overwhelmed and jealous enemies is simply not a historical fact if you look through old cases of witches on trial. Cases such as Giordano Bruno being burned by the stake or Galileo Galilei being locked up took place as well, but were an extreme exception in a time of religious and political unrest in Europe.
So, the next time you call something a witch hunt and you want to be accurate, check the weather and the fields outside and make sure to threaten the neighbour with the ugliest mole!
Maissen, T. (2018). Frühe Neuzeit. C.H.Beck: München.
Decker, R. (2013). Die Päpste und die Hexen. Primus: Darmstadt.
Dillinger, J. (2013). Kinder im Hexenprozess. Steiner: Stuttgart
Lehmann, K. (2012). Unschuldig. Hexenverfolgung südlich des Thüringer Waldes. Wehry.
Geo Epoche. Inquisition. https://www.geo.de/magazine/geo-epoche/29125-geo-epoche-nr-89-die-inquisition
Mistress witch writes 