Final Exam Flashcards
maleficium
black magic
in what ways are witches commonly depicted?
usually female
young: sexual temptation, innocent but evil
old: angry and envious, betrayal of women by society
cross-cultural witchy characteristics
autonomous, aggressive, cunning, possessing arcane wisdom/knowledge, unmarried/widowed, ambitious
When did witchcraft first appear?
both in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia
Goetia
Greek word “goes,” denotes diviners, magicians, healers, and seers; term for European sorcery
Grimoires
traced back to Mesopotamia with cuneiform tables
Magic in Mesopotamia
guiding principle to understand natural phenomena like ghosts, demons, and sorcerers; spells and potions were part of disciplines
The Code of Hammurabi
2000 BC: first laws regarding magic, very harsh
Witch of Endor (1000 BCE)
one of the earliest stories of a witch: King Saul outlaws Necromancy (communicating and raising the dead) but he ended up seeking out a witch to help him win the war he was losing. Saul ended up be betrayed b witch and then committed suicide
magos
Greek origin of word magic, had negative connotations
Theurgy
magic practiced by respectable priests or miracles workers associated with religious rituals
Katedesmos
curse tablet that was used for supernatural interventions, “to bind”
Hecate
Greek goddess of witchcraft, sorcery, the moon, ghosts, and necromancy
Circe
young beautiful enchantress who used plant potions to transform her enemies into animals (deceptive)
Medea
young, beautifully, sorceress who kills her own children as revenge (treacherous)
Roman witch concept
“Magus” and “magia,” old, ugly, frightening, and powerful, female practitioners were become more frowned upon in Roman society
Erichtho
Roman witches depicted as horrific, a likely testimony to how men viewed powerful women; epitome of the fictional “horror-witch” and necromancer
Medieval Period
Practicing harmful magic was just one of many accusations levelled against any heretic, along with sexual promiscuity and child-killing
Malleus maleficarum (Hammer of witches)
tide began to turn with the publication in 1487 CE by Heinrich Kramer
Witch Hunting
a central step was linking witchcraft and heresy, “diabolical witchcraft” emerged held that magic involved a pact with the devil
Early Modern Period
40,000-80,000 executed, about 90% women “burning times” in Europe
Bamberg Witch Trials
1627-1632 CE
“early trials were unique b/c they also had trials and deaths of elites; including priests and landowners
-1,000 people, burned 139 people at once
Witch Exams and Signs
Malleus outlined directions, looking for any instrument of witchcraft, like a mark on the body, “witch’s tit” for suckling demon also commonly found
Witch hysteria contributions
-Little Ice Age
-Plagues
-Religious wars
-Advances in medical profession
-Hyperinflation (widespread instability and poverty)
Beer and witches
Brewing was a women’s task up until the 1500s, the nun Hildegard von Bingen was famous for her beer recipe. Women would boil it with cauldrons, broom sticks for the door for business, and wear tall pointed hats at the market. Witch hysteria allowed an opportunity for men to accused female brewers of witchcraft
The inverted mother
A woman whose supernatural forces harmed children and pregnant women essentially being the “invasion of maternal protection”
Transformed by suffering
women who lived ordinary lives than due to intense suffering and loss, they were transformed into dangerous creatures
Women as warning
give warning to the living/those who have endured loss and torment
Patriarchal defiance
woman who went against the patriarchy
Lamashtu
Sumerian child-snatcher and bringer of disease goddess; trait” suckling infants with her poisoned milk
Head of a lion and ears/teeth of a donkey, kept at bay with complex rituals, plaques or amulets
Origins of Lamashtu
casted out of heaven or sent to earth to control human population
Pazuzu
summon him with metal amulet around neck of woman in labor, would battle with Lamashtu out of mutual hatred
Lillith
demon known as lilu/lili that preyed on men, women, and children (death or sterility)
Jewish religious depiction of Lillith
by 500-600 Ce, in the Talmud, description of demonic Lilith would come in middle of night and make them climax so they could have demon babies
Alphabet of Sirach (700-1000 CE)
Adam’s first wife in Jewish folklore, same time and from same clay as Adam (his equal). Lilith questioned Adam’s order of things and ran away, if she did not come back all her demon babies would die.
incantation bowls
bowls with charms encrypted as protection from demonic forces, buried upside down under thresholds of houses
Cihuateteo
Aztec myth of divine woman, spirits who died in childbirth, honored like fallen warriors; their bodies possessed special powers and magic (had to protect their remains from warriors)
Tlamatlquiticitl
Aztec midwife; thought it was very important to have maternal care for all levels of society
how did the Aztec widwife say in the pregant woman’s home before birth?
around 5 days