Early Persecution

The earliest written records of a witch were in the bible and were estimated to be written between 931 B.C. and 721 B.C. This is in the story in shock King Saul wished to resurrect the spirit of Samuel, the prophet to assist him in his war with the Palestinian army. King Saul employed the Witch of Endor to do his bidding. She did as commanded and prophesied the death of Saul and all his sons. During the battle the next day, all of Saul’s sons died and King Saul committed suicide in his grief (History, February 21). 

After this a “witch hysteria” overtook Europe in the 1400s. Some of the witches of the time were simply women who used witchcraft and spells to call upon spirits for help and to create positive change for themselves or others. Many were just “wise-women” or natural healers who were misunderstood in their profession. Many of the accused were tortured into confession for a variety of activities and behaviors they had not committed. Witch hunts became common singling out widows, single women and other women on the margins of society. The “witches” were executed primarily by hanging and burning at the stake (History, February 21).

From 1500 and 1660, it is speculated that roughly 80,000 witches were sentenced to death in Europe. Germany had the highest execution and Ireland had the lowest. Roughly 80 percent of these women were suspected to be filled with lust and have had relations with the devil (History, February 21).

Malleus Maleficarium, a German publication written in 1486, did nothing but encourage the persecution of witches. Essentially, the book served as a handbook for the identification and hunting of witches; it’s title translating to “The Hammer of Witches.” It labeled witchcraft as heresy. Protestants and Catholics soon took every word to heart and used it in the attempt to flush out any and all witches that may be amongst them. The Bible was the only book to surpass sales of Maleus Maleficarium for over 100 years (History, February 21).

The 16th and 17th centuries saw another rise in witchcraft persecution as religious wars broke out across Europe. The countries that practiced Catholic and Protestant faiths were brutal in their hunts and persecutions. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, it is approximated that between 40,000 and 60,000 were executed across Europe and the early American colonies. 75 percent (30,000 to 45,000) of witches were women. 10,000 to 15,000 were men (Brayton, n.d.). 

Some of the earliest documented witch hunts and persecutions took place in Denmark, often based off of conspiracy theories about magical connections to the weather. Gyde Spandemanger was one such victim; accused of causing the winds to fail as the Danish navy pursued  the Dutch fleet. Although she was the simple wife of a merchant, she was arrested and tortured into confession, naming several others as accomplices, as well. Although none of her alleged accomplices confessed, she was burned at the stake for her “crimes” (Brayton, n.d.). 

In 1589, a princess of Denmark boarded a ship to travel to Scotland for her marriage to the King of Scotland. Storms almost destroyed her carrier along the journey and the King met her in Norway to finalize the marriage. On their way back to Scotland, storms battered their vessels as well, though both survived (Brayton, n.d.). 

This worsened the fear of weather witches in Denmark and spread the persecution to Scotland. In Denmark, the Minister of Finance was accused of under equipping the ships. He, in turn, blamed women in Copenhagen for witchcraft involving the inclement weather. Anna Koldings, one of the accused, named five others under duress. All were tortured mercilessly until the government received a confession of dealings with the Devil. Specifically sending the devil onto the ships. All 13 women were burned at the stake in 1590 (Brayton, n.d.).