| Basic Concept: Salem Magic
Magic is the attempt to control the natural order through a unique or occult knowledge, including the formulas for ritual manipulation of the natural world. It was one of the components of the witchcraft hysteria allegedly used to harass the victims of Salem Village in 1692. . Sir James Fraser, author of The Golden Bough, distinguishes two types of magic: contagious and sympathetic magic. Contagious magic is the manipulation of the natural order through the ritual use of contact. It is the belief of those who claim to practice it that an element in nature (like a person) can be affected by the ritual use of some object or property that has come in contact with that element (person). Sympathetic magic is the attempt to control elements in the natural world through the ritual use of "likeness" (the image) of the element. . Online Connections Various accounts relate the alleged use of magic in Salem village by the accused. . Our Course Connections Readings in Increase Mather's "Wonders of the Invisible World" reflect some suggestions of the belief in magic as defined above. Certainly, the transcripts of the Salem witch trials reveal the colonists' belief in the same. .  |