Transcription:
Witchcraft's European legacy comes to life each Halloween
By Stuart Hayes
The changing colors of the leaves and the cool, crisp nights signal the end of fall and the coming of little ghosts, goblins, E.T.'s and witches. Especially witches. Halloween brings out the mystical and magical questions about the existence of witches and their craft.
"Witchcraft is the belief that certain people are endowed with superhuman power because of their association with the devil. They know how to manipulate things so that they can gain power and wealth to the detriment of others," said Linda Degh, professor and chairperson of the Folklore Institute.
The practice of witchcraft originated in 1 5th-century Europe within the Catholic tradition, said Degh, as the church tried to keep its authority over a fragmenting Christianity by setting up guidelines for witch trials. Signs of witchcraft included people healing others, omens or any sort of bad luck that might befall someone.
Witchcraft cases were often the result of "common hysteria," she said. If two women were milking cows, and one cow produced more milk than the other, one woman could be accused of putting a hex on the other's cow.
Traditionally, women have been the target of most witchcraft accusations because of old European notions of a woman's frailty. "They were more fragile, and because of their physical weakness, they were easily given to the devil's manipulation," Degh said.
In 17th-century New England, the era of the Salem witch trials, the European fear of witches continued. People were convinced that witches existed. Adults were so nervous that it became possible for a child to accuse an adult of being a witch -and having the adult tried with no other evidence.
After the witchcraft trials died down in New England, remnants of witches and odd occurrences became synonymous with the changing of the seasons. "It's the end of the summer, the turn to winter. One goes from the growth and harvest to the silence of winter," Degh said. The changing of the seasons is also the time for spirits to come back and check on the living - to make sure that relatives are doing well, she added.
As for a belief in witches and witchcraft today, Degh said it is a personal decision. "If you want to believe in something, you can find the evidence for it. The mind is very, very powerful."
