Would you have been burned as a witch?

[Nonplusultra]

I’ve gone down a bit of a rabbit hole reading about the history of witch hunting and I never appreciated the sheer scale of it and how it has affected women for centuries since. It never made sense to me how much women have participated in their own oppression through the centuries, and even today. Why there are such different gender standards around beauty, appearance and aging.

All sorts of women were arrested, brutalised and sadistically tortured for weeks or months (not even necessarily for information because whether they confessed or not , or recanted made little difference) and publicly executed, sometimes horrifically.

The spurious grounds for arrest and interrogation included

being old, or menopausal, or just looking old (statistically most of the women murdered were over 40)

being ugly, unattractive, having bad teeth, scars or bruises on your face, a limp or bad posture, or using artificial means to look more attractive (false eyelashes anyone?)

Being poor, a drain on communal resources (on benefits?),

practising medicine (cater, midwife, nurse, doctor?),

having no relatives, or relatives who don’t like you (anyone estranged from family or not get on with the in-laws?), or related to anyone who might meet the criteria of witch

struggling with your mental health, or related to , or associated with someone with mental health issues

working for anyone suspected of witchcraft, or working for someone who is suspicious of witchcraft - not good to be too good at your job or not good enough. Also being made redundant was a dangerous time.

insolent, mouthy, argumentative, or just too talkative

involved in social unrest (ever been on a march or signed a petition?), expressed anti authority views (commented online?)

causing a man to be impotent (dh ever struggle to keep an errection?) or to lose control of his sexual urges (ever been a victim of SA or rape?)

sexually promiscuous (eg not a nun), knowing anything about contraception, or anything about abortion

likes dancing or drinks alcohol

Dressing in men’s clothing (own a pair of jeans?)

Illwished or cursed anyone (Fottfsof), or made occult signs (flipped the finger?)

And, if you’re a man reading this, knowing or being related to anyone fitting the above criteria could get you dragged in too.

So, would you be likely to be found guilty of witchcraft?

YABU - My conduct is beyond reproach in every way
YANBU - I might have ended up tied to a stake

I think if they hadn’t concreted over the school pond theyd have had me in it like a witch 😂😂

I'm autistic and have adhd and own tarot cards. I'd have been burned long ago 🤣

Given my current life, quite possibly.

But had I lived back then, I might not. I’m another who put up with a poor marriage for a long time and when married, tended to conform a bit more than I do now. But it would depend on circumstances, of course. I think any of us could have ended up either being tried as witches or working as prostitutes. And now I’m wondering whether the latter would protect you somewhat, as prostitution would mean that you were useful to men.

I have different colour eyes, and my eldest dc tells me at least once a week that “in the olden days” people would have thought i was a witch. So I’m fairly confident that I’d have been turned in by my 6 year old.

Widows peak

Nah, the Witchfinder General would have taken a good look at me and decided not to start anything.

I have opinions.
I don’t take nonsense
i don’t believe human beings can change sex.
I don’t believe men’s feelings matter more than facts.
I live alone

Definitely I would have burned.

Men throughout history have found ways of punishing/disposing of noncompliant women: religion, witch hunts, more recently locking troublesome women away in asylums and most recently branding them TERFS for fighting to protect women's sex based rights. And then there's the new sport of vilifying lesbians for refusing sex with biological males. Sadly many women throughout history have colluded in female oppression, in the hope their collusion will protect them. It does, to some extent, but at what cost to us all?

I talk to myself, enjoy growing herbs, drink alcohol and… gasp… frequently argue with men. 🧙‍♀️

I hope you have moved your DC to another school? That one sounds toxic.

Undoubtedly as a menopausal atheist who grows herbs, talks to animals and interested in alternative medicine. I suspect I would have been burned when younger as often seemed out of step with the mainstream.

If we're talking about being accused by a bunch of attention seeking teenaged girls in Massachusetts, definitely. I'd either have been first or my rolling my eyes and walking away from the ridiculousness would have got me within about a fortnight.

I was far too smart for my own good, too (kind of Lisa Simpson without the charm or social skills). So being observant enough to realise that it's about to piss down or the cow isn't looking right (and talking to the animals) could have got a neighbour gossiping, especially as I was an annoying brat who had no interest in anything domestic or interacting with thick, violent people actually my mother would probably have been the accuser there.

As an adult, if I'd managed to survive childbirth (unlikely), I wouldn't have had property another bloke wanted, so I'd likely have been ignored until they'd run out of other people to accuse. Unless producing a redheaded child was an issue. And assuming I hadn't starved to death, my avoiding wheat/grains would have led to me not succumbing to ergotamine poisoning, which would have looked dodgy when everybody else was tripping balls on it.

I'm fairly good at appearing like a vaguely respectable middle aged woman, though. If you ignore the tiny white stripe that appeared in my hair aged 19 that has only spread in my forties (still a stripe, though). And all the assorted marks and bumps/blemishes that have appeared on me recently.

One of the things that’s been interesting to me was realising that there was a time before these mass scale persecutions and while suspicions of witch craft are ancient, there was a greater tolerance.

The enclosure of common lands, left many old women unable to support themselves as they had when they could tether a cow on the common. It’s interesting to think how we’re moving into a period where there will be too many elderly people (and statistically likely to be more female) dependent on the state. Already middle aged women are denigrated as Karens. And the taboos against euthanasia are changing. Getting rid of troublesome old ladies might not be in the past.

Yea on several accounts. Plus I have a mole between my cleavage, for nursing my familiar!

Can I add to this, haemorrhoids. Piles were the sign of having sex with devil.
See also, masturbation.

I would have burned. (Too much) postgraduate education, live alone, no relatives.

Red headed, I have two moles on my face and I have the temerity to express my opinion from time to time. Definitely burnable!

Oh yes, I have a third nipple too! And I don't believe in any god, and I'm old. Oh and I have a cat who I talk to. It makes me angry that women were treated like this, some men must really have hated women. [ And some still do]

I only learned about him when helping DS with his History homework!

The Witchfinder General! He earned a pretty penny didn’t he!

@ShagratandGorbag4ever Helena Scheuberin probably thought the same when she met Heinrich Kramer. She survived though

Older woman, lives alone, talks a lot to her cat (sorry, familiar)......the flaming torch and pitchfork mob would be after me.

And I have a very large mole under one nipple, so that is probably where I feed my cat, who is clearly my familiar.

I would have been dead at 31, but had I survived, yes I have a witchy vibe.

100% - suffered a severe psychotic episode and am also a bit “different” AND left handed.

I'm listening to BBC sounds Witch by India Rakusen andvits very interesting regarding the history