Pinehurst Final

Pinehurst Town Crier October Edition Section B Page 3
Early witches were people who practiced
witchcraft—they used magic
spells and called upon spirits for help
or to bring about change. Most witches
were thought to be pagans doing
the Devil’s work. Many, however, were
simply natural healers or so-called
“wise women” whose choice of profession
was misunderstood.
It’s unclear exactly when witches
came on the historical scene, but
one of the earliest records of a witch
is in the Bible in the book of 1 Samuel,
thought be written between 931
B.C. and 721 B.C. It tells the story of
when King Saul sought the Witch of
Endor to summon the dead prophet
Samuel’s spirit to help him defeat the
Philistine army.
It’s Midnight---The “Witching Hour”
The witch roused Samuel, who then
prophesied the death of Saul and his
sons. The next day, according to the
Bible, Saul’s sons died in battle, and
Saul committed suicide.
Other Old Testament verses condemn
witches, such as the oft-cited
Exodus 22:18, which says, “thou
shalt not suffer a witch to live.” Additional
Biblical passages caution
against divination, chanting or using
witches to contact the dead.
Witch hysteria really took hold in Europe
during the mid-1400s, when
many accused witches confessed, often
under torture, to a variety of wicked
behaviors. Within a century, witch
hunts were common and most of the
accused were executed by burning at
the stake or hanging.
Between the years 1500 and 1660,
up to 80,000 suspected witches
were put to death in Europe. Around
80 percent of them were women
thought to be in cahoots with the
Devil and filled with lust. Germany
had the highest witchcraft execution
ly Edition Page 7
rate, while Ireland had the lowest.
One of the most famous witches in
Virginia’s history is Grace Sherwood,
whose neighbors alleged she killed
their pigs and hexed their cotton.
Other accusations followed and Sherwood
was brought to trial in 1706.
The court decided to use a controversial
water test to determine her guilt
or innocence. Sherwood’s arms and
legs were bound and she was thrown
into a body of water. It was thought
if she sank, she was innocent; if she
floated, she was guilty. Sherwood
floated, she was guilty. Sherwood
didn’t sink and was convicted of being
a witch. She wasn’t killed but put
in prison and for eight years.
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Have you ever wondered, especially
on Halloween, why witches are depicted
as riding on brooms through
the nighttime sky?
“Double, double toil and trouble
Fire burn and cauldron bubble” - Macbeth
IV, i
The truth lies in science -- pharmacology,
actually, and natural products
pharmacology at that. The historical
depiction of witches riding broomsticks
has its origins in hallucinogenic
plant pharmacology, as popularized
by Shakespeare, but the indigenous
knowledge predates even him.
Hallucinogenic chemicals called tropane
alkaloids are made by a number
of plants including Atropa belladonna
(deadly nightshade). During
the Middle Ages, parts of these
plants were used to make “brews,”
“oyntments” or “witches’ salves” for
witchcraft, sorcery and other nefarious
activities.
Edited By: Brittany Samuels
David Kroll Contributor
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