10 Unsettling Facts About The Witch Trials

When we think of witches today, we think of girls with crystals and hats who like to listen to Stevie Nicks. When visiting Salem, there are so many entertaining shows that were inspired by the real-life tragedies that took place in this spooky town. What was this witchery actually about and how did it all start?

Dramatic historic events such as witch trials didn't just come out of nowhere. They were a means of crowd control that gave way to changes in power structures. A fear-ridden society always finds scapegoats. The persecutors had to come up with a whole irrational legal system in order to justify this insanity.

Here are 10 facts about the witch trials that will surely send chills down your spine.

10 The Symptoms That Gave Witches Away Make No Sense At All

All witches are women, but not every woman is a witch. What gave witches away were body marks, such as scars and moles. There were no clear-cut rules besides that: either they were after women for being single, having too many friends, no friends or being too poor.

9 Women Could Save Themselves By Pointing A Finger (At Someone Innocent)

Just as true today as it was a few centuries ago, fearmongering really accelerated the accusations. People wanted to protect themselves, so they ratted out their own friends, neighbors or anyone they didn't like. Keeping to yourself and minding your own business seemed suspicious.

8 Witch Trials In Germany Took Thousands Of Lives

The 17th century Salem has nothing on witch hunts that went down in Europe. In Germany alone, thousands of women died horrible deaths. The European witch trials took place in the 15th century. They should've told the US it was all fake once they came to their senses, but they didn't.

7 How Did It Come To This Madness?

There are many theories that explain why the witch trials began in Medieval Europe. Some say it's because temperatures dropped significantly, there was famine and people needed a scapegoat. The Salem witch trials began because a group of girls claimed they were possessed by the devil.

6 The Role Of Religion In Witch Trials

Bad weather isn't the only reason why the witch hype began. European Witch trials started at a similar time as Protestantism. The Catholic and Protestant churches fought for new followers. The best way to get people's attention is to start spreading sensational and fake news. See, the concept of fake news is nothing new.

5 Not All Were Burned At The Stake

Maybe it's the influence of pop culture or maybe it's because it's theatrical, but a lot of people assume that witches were burned at the stake. In Salem, they actually didn't do any burning at all. They hanged the poor souls instead. Europe, on the other hand, was super into dramatic flames.

4 It Wasn't Just Women Who Suffered Because Of The Trials

While women were of course on the forefront of persecution, men could also be accused of witchcraft. Even poor animals were not safe and they could actually get accused and executed as well. They were said to have helped witches and were referred to as their familiars.

3 The Witch Tests Often Had No Way Of Getting Out Alive

There were all kinds of tests to determine whether a woman was a witch. Europe's favorite test was the swimming test. The accused was thrown into a river and if they made it out alive, it was because they were a witch. If they drowned, they were considered innocent.

2 The Trials Were Backed Up By Literature

Some (incredibly mean) people devoted their time to making a science out of witchcraft. Heinrich Kramer wrote a whole book on why witches should be all exterminated and how to do that. A man of God literally planned out a witch genocide. How twisted is that?

As if the lonely and misunderstood didn't have a hard enough life on its own, they seemed the most suspicious to the crowds. No one cared about minorities or "loners" anyway. In Salem for example, the first significant victim of the witch trials was Tituba, a slave from the Caribbean.

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