Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- A Note on Transcriptions and Citations
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Witchcraft and Inquisition in the Most Serene Republic
- 2 Blackened Fingernails and Bones in the Bedclothes
- 3 Appeals to Experts
- 4 “Spiritual Remedies” for Possession and Witchcraft
- 5 The Exorcist’s Library
- 6 “Not My Profession”: Physicians’ Naturalism
- 7 Physicians as Believers
- 8 The Inquisitor’s Library
- 9 “Nothing Proven”: The Practical Difficulties of Witchcraft Prosecution
- Conclusion
- Appendix I
- Appendix II
- Bibliography
- Index
2 - Blackened Fingernails and Bones in the Bedclothes
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 September 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- A Note on Transcriptions and Citations
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Witchcraft and Inquisition in the Most Serene Republic
- 2 Blackened Fingernails and Bones in the Bedclothes
- 3 Appeals to Experts
- 4 “Spiritual Remedies” for Possession and Witchcraft
- 5 The Exorcist’s Library
- 6 “Not My Profession”: Physicians’ Naturalism
- 7 Physicians as Believers
- 8 The Inquisitor’s Library
- 9 “Nothing Proven”: The Practical Difficulties of Witchcraft Prosecution
- Conclusion
- Appendix I
- Appendix II
- Bibliography
- Index
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.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Witchcraft and Inquisition in Early Modern Venice , pp. 59 - 72Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011