| Basic Concept: Salem Witchcraft
Few citizens of Salem Village (present day Danvers, Massachusetts) doubted the existence of Satan and his diabolical machinations through the medium of witchcraft. Its belief, held by members of the clergy and the highest cultural and social levels, guaranteed its pervasive influence throughout New England. . In The Golden Bough, Sir James Fraser distinguishes between witchcraft and magic. Magic attempts to control the natural order through the occult knowledge of the "magician" or "sorcerer." Witchcraft, on the other hand, attempts to control the natural order through a liaison between the devil and a human being dedicated and covenanted to his service. It is through the medium of the human party that change in the natural world is affected by the devil or the supernatural. . Much of what the colonists of New England believed about witchcraft was rooted in English and European traditions and folklore. While it persisted, according to the reports, primarily in mischief and little personal, irritable inconveniences, it seldom displayed itself in the macabre or horrific. Nevertheless, witches were believed to fly about as specters in the night and to remain at the ready to do the work of the devil to lead believers into the snares of sin and damnation. Certainly, as the events in Salem Village transpired, collectively, they were frightful enough to lead the courts to condemn eighteen men and women and two dogs to gallows hill for hanging. . Online Connections Search the documents of "Witchcraft in Salem Village" for the historical records. For an extended definition and a discussion of its application in Salem, see "Salem Witchcraft." Following is an interesting resource on the History of Witchcraft. . Our Course Connections Increase Mather's "Wonders of the Invisible World" chronicle reports of witchcraft in New England prior to the outbreak of the Salem witchcraft hysteria in 1692. .  |