The Witch Hunts – How to Identify a Witch

Disclaimer
This is NOT a about Wiccans or neo-pagans, and I do not advocatethe belief that Wiccans are Satan-worshippers and/or baby-killers. This isa starting point for historical research into the great witch craze of1100-1700 AD.

There were almost as many ways to identify a witch asthere were witch-hunters.  No one person could pass every one of thesetests. Nonetheless, the results of these tests were never ignored.

* Balance Scales

* Conversing With Familiars

* The Devil’s Mark

* Ducking the Witch

BALANCE SCALES

“Giant balance scales could…help identify a witch. If thesuspect was heavier than the weights–sometimes a Bible was used instead ofweights — then he or she was clearly a witch. Only if a perfect balance wasstruck was the accused vindicated.  This rarely, if ever, occurred.”

Bibliography.  (Farrington 58)

CONVERSING WITH FAMILIARS

If a woman had a pet, she could become a prime candidatefor witchcraft accusations.  Familiars were imps in animal form, creatureswhich suckled from the Devil’s marks.

Bibliography.  (Farrington 58)

DUNKING THE WITCH

One ‘foolproof’ way to establish whether a suspect was awitch was ducking.  With right thumb bound to left toe, the accused wasplunged into a convenient pond.  If he or she floated it proved anassociation with the black arts, with the body rejecting the baptismal water.If the victim drowned they (sic) were innocent. Given the curious position ofthe prisoner, it was more likely they
would float.

Bibliography.  (Farrington 58)

THE DEVIL’S MARK

It was widely believed that most witches sported a markon their body which was placed there by the Devil.  The Witches’ mark,Devil’s Mark, or Witches’ teat was the seal of the Devil, given to witches uponinitiation.   This mark could be a scar, a mole, a birthmark, orsuperfluous nipple.  The Devil’s Mark was a nipple through which the witchnourished her or his familiar.

However, even if a person had no mark, it did not meanshe or he was not a witch.  Some witch-hunters believed that a witches’mark was only put on the bodies of witches that the Devil thought he could nottrust.  If a witch had no mark, it meant that she or he was especiallydevout to Satan.

Suspected witches were stripped, shaved, and strappedinto a chair for interrogation.  The Inquisitors would then wait andwatch.  If a mouse, rat, or beetle entered the cell and approach thevictim, the accused was proven guilty. It did not matter that prisons werevermin-infested.  The witches were obviously conversing with familiars.

The witch’s body was then painstakingly searched. Particular scrutiny was paid to the genitalia, for it was the most hidden partof the body.

When a Devil’s mark was found, the Inquisitor would prickthe spot with a needle or blade.  If the mark did not bleed and thepricking did not cause pain, the spot was surely placed there by the Devil.

Many witch-hunters and Inquisitors used pricking kniveswith retractable blades.  Matthew Hopkins was one such hunter.  Whenthe Devil’s mark was speared, the blade would retract, so the victim felt nopain, and no blood appeared.

Bibliography.  (Farrington 58)