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2 - Blackened Fingernails and Bones in the Bedclothes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 September 2011

Jonathan Seitz
Affiliation:
Drexel University, Philadelphia
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Summary

From a modern point of view, it can be difficult to conceive of what reasonable evidence individuals could have presented in support of accusations of witchcraft. After all, these days the term “witch-hunt” typically stands as a metaphor for ignorance, superstition, and lack of due process found in the “bad old days.” The evidence presented in early modern witchcraft trials can initially seem like a bewildering array of literally incredible experiences: statues found buried under hearths, people vomiting needles and toad’s skin, children turning black before dying. Other pieces of evidence seem utterly trivial to us: straw or seeds found under the bed or in the mattress, for instance. However, if we set aside our modern incredulity and skepticism, and attempt to understand the events in context, patterns are apparent in the kinds of evidence Venetians invoked to explain why they believed particular phenomena were supernaturally caused.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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