Comments on: 1663: Nathaniel Greensmith, Rebecca Greensmith and possibly Mary Barnes, Connecticut “witches”

By: Fiz (UK)

Fiz (UK) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:16:31 +0000

Quite possibly - or just (in Europe) poor old ladies with a cat which they spoke to in their isolation.

By: Headsman

Headsman — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 19:55:00 +0000

Witchcraft trials invite judgment. In which proportions these ingredients, do you think? And are they enough to account for the whole sweep of witch trials, even in colonial America — let alone in Europe?

By: Fiz (UK)

Fiz (UK) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:53:11 +0000

I wish I could say something that doesn’t sound judgemental, but a very interesting book I read a couple of years ago nominated ergot in rye bread to explain the “flying” often described, hysteria in schoolgirls who didn’t have enough to do, and often envy and greed in the accusers who wanted their victims land or property.