The Soul-Killing Witches That Deform the Body
The Salem Witch Trials were rooted in fear. Feelings of paranoia can be very dangerous, especially in a close-knit community like Salem was at the time. Samuel Parris was a Puritan minister whose daughter and niece became fascinated with ungodly ideas such as voodoo[1]. Soon after adopting these interests, the girls and their friends began acting weirdly, including but not limited to having visions, trembling, and making incoherent noises. In Puritan culture at the time, unexplainable ailments were thought to be the devil’s doing, so the girls must have been engaging in witchcraft. From here, hysteria spread. Accusations quickly spread throughout the community, which caused special courts to be established in order to handle the influx of witchcraft cases. Following trials, nineteen of those declared guilty were hanged. One man was killed by being pressed with heavy stones, some died in jail, and hundreds were imprisoned under harsh conditions.
My historical source is an image titled “The soul-killing witches that deform the body.” While the Salem Witch Trials took place in February of 1692, this image was not published until 1828. The fact that this book was published so long after the witch trials tells us that trials left a lasting legacy in American history. They are remembered as a cautionary tale about what can happen when mass hysteria influences due process. The image was published in Robert Calef’s More Wonders of the Invisible World[2]. Calef wrote the book to expose the injustices that happened during the Salem Witch Trials and to condemn mass hysteria, as it can lead to such irrational and damaging outcomes. In his book, Calef emphasizes the need for rational and evidence-based trials in order to protect the American people.
The image depicts two witches stirring a brewing cauldron. Taking a deeper look at the right side of the image reveals a cat and a witch riding on a broomstick holding a snake. On the left side of the image, ghostly figures leave the cauldron. The court records from the Salem Witch Trials include many references to cats, flying witches, and ghostly bodies. At the time, cats were strongly associated with witchcraft and were viewed as the animal companions of witches. Cats have even been associated with superstitions and folklore about witchcraft. These ideas still stick to this day, as we often see black cats in relation to Halloween festivities.
The point of view of the image is one of mass hysteria. The image depicts a dramatic and sensationalized view of witches engaging in sorcery. Like the accusations at the time, the image captures the fear of the supernatural that was common during the trials. The image is purposefully intensified and exaggerated to show just how hysterical and fearful the community was at the time.
The title of the image is a reference to the play called The Comedy Errors by William Shakespeare. A character in the play says “soil-killing witches that deform the body” when exclaiming worry that witches are fooling him[3]. In the play, the man’s fears turn out to be baseless and there are lots of misunderstandings that lead him there. Calef’s book was written as an attack on Reverend Cotton Mather who defended the incidents that took place during the witch trials. Calef specifically had an issue with Mather’s justification of using spectral evidence to prove that a person is guilty. Spectral evidence is a type of legal evidence that is based on the testimony of those who claim to have experienced visions. Spectral evidence was commonly used while delivering testimonies during the witch trials[4].
Spectral evidence was the basis of the convictions of witchcraft. The image and the event gives light to the need for the separation of church and state, as well as a just legal process. Spectral evidence is no longer considered legitimate evidence for an accusation. Today in the United States, the judicial system works under the presumption of innocence, which states that a person accused of a crime is considered innocent until proven guilty and that the burden of proof is always on the prosecution.
[1] Warren M. Billings and Kimberly Manning, “Salem Witchcraft Trials,” Salem Press Encyclopedia (2022),https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=ers&AN=89139882&site=eds-live.
[2] Robert Calef, More Wonders of the Invisible World, ed. Samuel G. Drake (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2001).
[3] Kekla, Magoon. 2008. The Salem Witch Trials. Essential Events. Edina, MN: Essential Library. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=e700xna&AN=394995&site=ehost-live.
[4] Roach, Marilynne K. 2002. The Salem Witch Trials : A Day-to-Day Chronicle of a Community under Siege. 1st Cooper Square Press ed. Cooper Square Press. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=cat00991a&AN=sth.ocn852158637&site=eds-live.