Five signs that someone is a witch!

With the rise of witches in Salem, there is a high chance that someone you may know is a witch! Read below to help discover if your family member, friend, or even neighbor is a witch.

By: Liliana Ogden

Are your kids misbehaving? Has your livestock died? Have you been manipulated against your own will? Well, I have some unfortunate news for you... there could be a witch behind all of this mayhem in your life! Witches are cunning and manipulative and will often take the opportunity to harm you.

Using the following signs below, you can determine if someone you know is a witch and put them on trial to be held accountable for their crimes against the community.

Sign #1 - Are they female?

This first sign is the most important one and the easiest to determine. Since witches can only be female, all men can be automatically ruled out.

Sign #2 - Have you recently gotten into an argument with them?

Witches are cunning and love to get into arguments. By roping you into an argument, they can feel justified to use their dark magic against you. In return, you, family members, friends, or your business may be hurt. Therefore, be mindful of who you talk to and who upset you. If you accidentally engage with a witch, they will likely be ruthless.

Sign #3 - Do they have any witches' marks?

Witches' marks are developed when a witch formally makes a pact with the Devil. Once she bounds her body and mind to him, Satan will mark her body as a way to identify who is loyal. So, be sure to pay special attention to the person's body. If you notice any out-of-the-ordinary marks, bumps, or discoloration on their body, then that could be a sign that they are a witch!

Tip #4 - Do they go against the teachings of the church?

Only a witch would try to defy the teachings of the Puritan church. The Devil uses its pact with the witch as a way to cause harm to the community. The Devil and withes want the church to suffer and for members to become disloyal. Be sure to remain strong in your faith, and God will be there with you to help determine who is guilty of being a witch.

Tip #5 - Do they pass the touch test?

When a witch touches one of its victims, that victim can instantly be cured of their curse. Victims of sorcery often have special reactions to the ones who cursed them. Therefore, if the victim has no response and remains cursed, the individual who touched them is likely not the corporate.

An Analysis on Mass Hysteria In Salem, Massachusetts

Although the above blog post, "Five signs that someone is a witch!" is meant to be satire, all of the signs mentioned were real reasons people used to accuse others of being witches. Mass hysteria overtook Salem from 1692 to 1693, and 25 people were charged with being a witch and then executed. Mass hysteria is when a group starts to believe that they might be exposed to something dangerous. For Salem, Massachusetts, the danger was believed to be witches.

Without modern medicine and science to explain certain phenomena, individuals were left to their imaginations to determine why such events occurred. For the Salem community, their imaginations happened to let them believe that witches were causing the community such mayhem. But to stop the witches, one would first have to identify them. So who would often hold the blame? Females were the easiest target because only females could be witches. Furthermore, individuals would often use the signs I mentioned in the above satire blog post to identify witches.

However, the courts faced a significant challenge- most cases lacked objective, substantial evidence. Therefore, to make up for the lack of evidence, the court would rely on confession, testimony, and spectral evidence. For admission, most women on trial were given an ultimatum: confess and face jail or do not confess and face certain death. The ultimatum was biased and left those convicted no choice but to admit it. Additionally, those who confessed were forced to name others, thus bringing more and more people into the mix.

The second of evidence was testimony. People would go before the court and confirm that they have been eyewitnesses to acts of witchcraft. Some would confess testimonies from the point of hatred, and others would do it because they had no choice- if they did not confess, they could be condemned too. Finally, the court would rely on spectral evidence. Such evidence would be similar to the "touch test." They would have the afflicted interact with the witch and see how they reacted.

Overall, the Salem Witch Trials are an excellent example of how mass hysteria can impact a community. Lack of information regarding why specific harm is occurring can cause people to panic. Such panic leads to irrational decisions and often even more damage than before. For Salem, 25 innocent lives were lost due to mass hysteria.