📜 Witch Facts
Discover fascinating facts about witchcraft, history, and magical practices
Daily Fact
CULTURALSamhain Origins
Samhain (SOW-win) is the Celtic new year when the veil between worlds thins. It became Halloween through Christian influence (All Hallows Eve). Modern witches celebrate it as the most magical night of the year—perfect for divination, ancestor work, and honoring death.
Read More →Salem Started With Teenagers
The Salem witch trials began when teenage girls claimed to be possessed after experimenting with fortune-telling. Their symptoms—convulsions, stran...
Witch Trial Economics
The accused witch's property was often seized to pay for their trial, imprisonment, torture, and execution. Wealthy widows were particularly target...
The Malleus Maleficarum
The 'Hammer of Witches' (1487) was the bestselling book after the Bible for nearly 200 years. This witch-hunting manual claimed women were more sus...
Witch Hunters Were Paid Per Conviction
Professional witch hunters like Matthew Hopkins were paid per witch convicted, creating financial incentive for accusations. Hopkins earned fees fr...
The Devil's Mark
Witch hunters searched accused witches for 'Devil's marks'—unusual moles, birthmarks, or scars supposedly left by Satan. They used pins to poke the...
Modern Witch Trials Still Happen
Witch hunts aren't just historical. In parts of Africa, India, Papua New Guinea, and Saudi Arabia, people are still accused, persecuted, and killed...
The Witch Craze Peak
The witch trials peaked between 1560-1630, a period of religious war, crop failures, and plague. Sociologists note that witch hunts intensify durin...
Spectral Evidence
During witch trials, 'spectral evidence'—testimony that the accused's spirit appeared in dreams or visions—was often accepted. You could be convict...
The Bamberg Witch House
In 1627, Prince-Bishop of Bamberg built the 'Drudenhaus' (Witch House), a special prison designed specifically for torturing accused witches. Over ...
Witches and Midwifery
Many accused witches were midwives and healers. Their knowledge of herbs for pain relief, birth control, and abortion made them threatening to Chur...
The Witch of Endor
The Bible mentions a 'witch'—the Witch of Endor in 1 Samuel 28. King Saul asks her to summon the spirit of the prophet Samuel. This biblical accoun...
Witchcraft Was a Capital Crime Until 1951
The UK's Witchcraft Act of 1735 made it illegal to claim to have magical powers until it was finally repealed in 1951. The last person convicted un...
The Youngest Victim
Dorothy Good was only 4 years old when she was accused of witchcraft in Salem. She spent months in chains in prison, which permanently damaged her ...
King James I Wrote About Witchcraft
Before becoming King of England, James VI of Scotland wrote 'Daemonologie' (1597), a philosophical treatise on witchcraft. His personal paranoia ab...
The Witches of Salem Were Not Burned
Contrary to popular belief, no witches were burned at the Salem trials. Nineteen people were hanged, and one man (Giles Corey) was pressed to death...
Witch Bottles for Protection
From the 16th-18th centuries, people created 'witch bottles'—glass or ceramic bottles filled with urine, pins, nails, and hair—then buried them und...
Male Witches Were Also Persecuted
While 75-80% of accused witches were women, men were also tried and executed for witchcraft. In Iceland and Estonia, the majority of accused were a...
The Swimming Test
During witch trials, accused witches were sometimes subjected to 'swimming'—tied up and thrown into water. If they floated, they were guilty (water...
Witch Marks and Protection Symbols
Medieval Europeans carved 'witch marks' into their homes—hexafoils, daisy wheels, and crossed lines—to protect against evil spirits and witchcraft....
The Last Witch Executed in Europe
Anna Göldi was the last person executed for witchcraft in Europe, hanged in Switzerland in 1782. She was a maidservant accused of poisoning a child...