"Yer a wizard, Liliana"

What sparked my interest in witchcraft and the Salem Witch Trials?

Out of all of the courses offered at TCU- what led me to take "Spellbound: Witches, Witchcraft, and Witch Hunts?"

That is an excellent question and a question I've found myself asking as I near graduation. (Funny, I know. It's like I almost wrote that question.) Regardless of who asked, continue to read below for what contributed to my fascination with witchcraft and the Salem Witch Trials.

By: Liliana Ogden

I'll never forget my eleventh birthday. I remember waking up bright and early on November 14th, 2010, eagerly awaiting the arrival of a much-anticipated letter. "What could be so special about a letter?" one may question. Well, it was supposed to be my official acceptance to Hogwarts, the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, aka the famous school in Harry Potter. All this time, I just "knew" that my powers were about to be awakened and my true calling as a witch was about to be confirmed. However, there was one major plot hole I forgot to account for: I am not actually a witch, and Hogwarts isn't a real school. So you could imagine my poor heart being crushed at the realization that my letter was not coming.

For more context, the famous book and film franchise, Harry Potter, made many eleven-year-olds, like myself, eagerly await the arrival of their acceptance letter. In the wizarding world of Harry Potter, once a young witch or wizard turns eleven, they would receive an acceptance letter to attend Hogwarts. At Hogwarts, they could refine and explore their magical skills. The reason why, however, I even brought up my eleventh birthday story is to show the significance the Harry Potter Franchise has had on my life- even from such a young age. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is what got me so enthralled with the idea of magic and witchcraft.

My Growing Obsession With Harry Potter

The first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, better known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to Americans, was released in 1997. The first movie based on the series was released in 2001, and the last movie in the series was released in 2011. My older brother introduced me to the series as a child, and ironically enough, I actually hated it at first. I remember being terrified by the death eaters in the film and refusing to watch it for another year. Then, finally, I'm not sure what happened, but I gave the movies another go and fell in love with the series. Overall, I was excited by the idea that a whole other secret society with magic powers could exist. In fact, every once in a while, I still question if magic is real.

Before I knew it, I fell in love with the movies, books, and anything magic/Harry Potter-related. Thus my love for Harry Potter sparked my interest in other things witchy-related. Now, I love reading and watching magic-related fantasy stories. Harry Potter also grew my interest in the Salem Witch Trials. I also got to travel to Salem for an eighth-grade history trip. Besides being terrified during the ghost tour and witch trial demonstration (where I just so happened to be the audience member selected to be the accused witch), I remember having fond memories of it. I have always loved history and recall being highly fascinated by the idea of the Witch Trials and how they took place right where I was standing.

Ultimately, I attribute my fascination with witches, witchcraft, and witch hunts to Harry Potter.

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Fun Facts About the Author

If you were wondering, I am a Gryffindor- aka the best Harry Potter House. Besides owning all of the books and movies, I also own a few other types of Harry Potter Merchandise, like Luna Lovegood's wand. In addition, last year, I was able to achieve an item on my backlist: watch all of the Harry Potter movies within 24 hours. Now, please note that the total running time of all eight films (with no breaks) is 19 hours and 38 minutes. So yes, I stayed up for about 24 hours straight watching every Harry Potter movie back-to-back, and, yes, I had a blast doing it.