Davies, Owen, 1969-
Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2013.
Added to CLICnet on 05/07/2014
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Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 269-271) and index.
- 1. Aftermath : Salem: never again? The witchcraft of others Reporting witchcraft Where to find witchcraft A five points witch — 2. Magic of a new land : Snakes and roots Witch balls What happened to the fairies? They shoot witches don’t they? — 3. The law : The squire Fiasco in Fentress Delaware witches beware What’s in a name? Dealing with slander German-style Popular understanding — 4. Witches : Three sorts of witch Doing witchcraft: lizards, bags, and dolls Witchcraft fantasies Skin shedding and shape-shifting The new witches — 5. Dealing with witches : Pillow talk Confronting the witch The witch must die Attacking from a distance Warding off witchery Written charms Catholic armoury Bringing in the experts — 6. Dealing with witch believers : The other Salem witch trials Alaska: of barbers and gunboats The Pennsylvania problem — 7. Insanity : Putting it to the test Blame it on the roots Paranoia in the heat A danger to the public: incarcerating witch believers — 8. Witch killings up close : Beard-stroking and friendly words: witchcraft in Sullivan County Big trouble at Booger Hole Solomon Hotema: Choctaw witch killer — 9. Times a-changing : Reinventing witchcraft Finding an American heritage And so back to Salem.
- Reveals how witchcraft in post-Salem America was not just a matter of scary fireside tales, Halloween legends, and superstitions: it continued to be a matter of life and death. If anything, witchcraft disputes multiplied as hundreds of thousands of immigrants poured into North America, people for whom witchcraft was still a heinous crime. Tells the story of countless murders and many other personal tragedies that resulted from accusations of witchcraft among European Americans–as well as in Native American and African American communities. For instance, the impact of this belief on Native Americans, as colonists–from Anglo-American settlers to Spanish missionaries–saw Indian medicine men as the Devil’s agents, potent workers of malign magic. But also reveals that seventeenth-century Iroquois–faced with decimating, mysterious diseases–accused Jesuits of being plague-spreading witches. The book shows how different American groups shaped each other’s languages and beliefs, sharing not only our positive cultural traits, but our fears and weaknesses as well.
Subjects:
- Witchcraft — United States — History — 18th century.
- Witchcraft — United States — History — 19th century.
- Witchcraft — United States — History — 20th century.
- Witch hunting — United States — History — 18th century.
- Witch hunting — United States — History — 19th century.
- Witch hunting — United States — History — 20th century.
Requested by Lansing, M.