Top 10 Most Notable Witch Trials

Original source : http://www.smashinglists.com
Posted : July 2013
Author : the admin

Though having mutated into a term with a wholly metaphorical meaning today, ‘Witch Hunt’ has origins both un-ancient and un-settling. Surfacing in centuries passed as a name for those accused of the ability of harnessing certain dark magic or unholy powers*, Witch is a word still which has survived in popular culture. Today, it’s a word that you may associate with the annual festival of Halloween, or better yet several of the movies pivotal in shaping its contemporary connotations, such as ‘The Wizard of OZ’ or even, I suppose, ‘Hocus Pocus’. The more public affairs’ oriented of us may identify with the worrying reports of real life ‘Witch Hunts’ taking place in lesser developed parts of Africa upon hearing the term uttered. As interesting and conversation provoking as all of this is, we’re here for a more specific reason. Namely, to identify some of the more notable Witch Hunts to have taken place throughout history. Most of the following is derived from accounts dating back to post-Medieval era Europe (1600-1800), though admittedly there is an extremely famous North American case thrown in their for good measure. While maybe slightly entertaining now, one may only imagine the circumstances which called for such drastic consequence, and in turn be thankful for the seemingly more evolved era which we call home.

Read more »