America bewitched
Subtitle: the story of witchcraft after Salem
By: Owen Davies
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Oxford
Language: eng
Number of pages: 289
ISBN-13: 9780199578719; 9780198745389
Subjects: Hexenglaube; Witchcraft; Hexenverfolgung; Historia; Witch hunting; Häxor; Häxprocesser; History
Description: Reveals how witchcraft in post-Salem America was not just a matter of scary fireside tales, Halloween legends, and superstitions: it continued to be a matter of life and death. If anything, witchcraft disputes multiplied as hundreds of thousands of immigrants poured into North America, people for whom witchcraft was still a heinous crime. Tells the story of countless murders and many other personal tragedies that resulted from accusations of witchcraft among European Americans--as well as in Native American and African American communities. For instance, the impact of this belief on Native Americans, as colonists--from Anglo-American settlers to Spanish missionaries--saw Indian medicine men as the Devil's agents, potent workers of malign magic. But also reveals that seventeenth-century Iroquois--faced with decimating, mysterious diseases--accused Jesuits of being plague-spreading witches. The book shows how different American groups shaped each other's languages and beliefs, sharing not only our positive cultural traits, but our fears and weaknesses as well.

"The infamous Salem witch trials of 1692 are etched into the consciousness of America. Nineteen people executed, one tortured to death, four others perished in jail--the tragic toll of Salem remains a powerful symbol of the dangers of intolerance and persecution. As time passed, the trials were seen as a milepost measuring the distance America had progressed from its benighted past. Yet the story of witchcraft did not end in Salem. As Owen Davies shows in America Bewitched, a new, long, and chilling chapter was about to begin. Davies, an authority on witches and the supernatural, reveals how witchcraft in post-Salem America was not just a matter of scary fire-side tales, Halloween legends, and superstitions: it continued to be a matter of life and death. If anything, witchcraft disputes multiplied as hundreds of thousands of immigrants poured into North America, people for whom witchcraft was still a heinous crime. Davies tells the story of countless murders and many other personal tragedies that resulted from accusations of witchcraft among European Americans-as well as in Native American and African American communities. He describes, for instance, the impact of this belief on Native Americans, as colonists-from Anglo-American settlers to Spanish missionaries-saw Indian medicine men as the Devil's agents, potent workers of malign magic. But Davies also reveals that seventeenth-century Iroquois--faced with decimating, mysterious diseases--accused Jesuits of being plague-spreading witches. Indeed, the book shows how different American groups shaped each other's languages and beliefs, sharing not only our positive cultural traits, but our fears and weaknesses as well."--Publisher's description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 269-271) and index.
Table of contents: title: 1. Aftermath : Salem: never again? ; The witchcraft of others ; Reporting witchcraft ; Where to find witchcraft ; A five points witch; title: 2. Magic of a new land : Snakes and roots ; Witch balls ; What happened to the fairies? ; They shoot witches don't they?; title: 3. The law : The squire ; Fiasco in Fentress ; Delaware witches beware ; What's in a name? ; Dealing with slander German-style ; Popular understanding; title: 4. Witches : Three sorts of witch ; Doing witchcraft: lizards, bags, and dolls ; Witchcraft fantasies ; Skin shedding and shape-shifting ; The new witches; title: 5. Dealing with witches : Pillow talk ; Confronting the witch ; The witch must die ; Attacking from a distance ; Warding off witchery ; Written charms ; Catholic armoury ; Bringing in the experts; title: 6. Dealing with witch believers : The other Salem witch trials ; Alaska: of barbers and gunboats ; The Pennsylvania problem; title: 7. Insanity : Putting it to the test ; Blame it on the roots ; Paranoia in the heat ; A danger to the public: incarcerating witch believers; title: 8. Witch killings up close : Beard-stroking and friendly words: witchcraft in Sullivan County ; Big trouble at Booger Hole ; Solomon Hotema: Choctaw witch killer; title: 9. Times a-changing : Reinventing witchcraft ; Finding an American heritage ; And so back to Salem.