Page 7 - EM 1 Oct Nov 2019_june_july_2009_Neat

Five myths about ‘witch hunts’ 7

Five myths about ‘witch “witch hunt” to describe the work of Mueller
and his team. And is it really wrong to suggest Some People Died on
hunts’ that someone who uses torture to investigate

alleged multigenerational cannibalistic cults October 31
Continued from Page 6
whose members can fly is either stupid or evil?
But the notion that witches could fly was
Despite their continued influence, Murray’s • INDIRA GANDHI - D.O.B. 1917/11/19
uncontroversial among scholars at the time of
theories have been consistently and repeatedly - Indian - Former Prime Minister of
the persecutions. Further, ignoring what
debunked by scholars, and were never even India
appeared to be credible allegations of child
taken seriously by the scientific community • HARRY HOUDINI - D.O.B.
abductions, Satanism and ceremonial
when they were presented. The most important 1874/03/24 - Hungarian - Illusionist
cannibalism would have been a grave oversight
reason is that Murray quotes her sources • JOHN HOUSEMAN - D.O.B.
by anyone in a position of authority.
selectively and superficially to avoid the fact 1902/09/22 - Romanian, British,
That people tasked with the judicial handling of
that the allegations made against witches were American - Actor
witch persecutions regularly approached their
simply not credible — eliding that the initial • FREDERICO FELLINI - D.O.B.
duties with a serious and critical attitude is
accusations of witchcraft had no basis in fact. As 1920/01/20 - Italian - Film Director and
illustrated by the fact that these very people
Cohn notes, Murray must have been aware of Scriptwriter
were often the ones responsible for putting an
the fantastic features of the accounts she quotes • ROBERT S MULLIKEN - D.O.B.
end to these explosive events. As historian
in support of her theory. As he puts it, “she 1896/06/07 - American - Chemist,
Bengt Ankarloo describes it, the Great Swedish
nevertheless contrives, by the way she arranges Physicist
Witch Panic of 1668-76 ended after members of
her quotations, to give the impression that a • JOSEPH HOOKER - D.O.B.
a royal commission in Stockholm decided to
number of perfectly sober, realistic accounts of 1814/11/13 - American - Officer, Soldier
critically reexamine all evidence (admittedly
the sabbat exist.” • STUDS TERKEL - D.O.B. 1912/05/16
after a number of alleged witches had already
- America - Journalist, Historian, Radio
been sentenced to death). The Basque outbreak
Myth No. 5 Personality, Writer
of 1609, Gustav Henningsen writes, ended
Most witch hunters were sadistic • OTTO RANK - D.O.B. 1884/04/22 -
thanks to the actions of the inquisitor Alonso de
torturers. Salazar Frías. He reinterviewed witnesses and Austrian - Psychologist
• JACQUES PIERRE BRISSOT -
subjects, ultimately concluding that no acts of
The stereotype of the witch hunter as a cruel witchcraft had occurred. D.O.B. 1754/01/15 - French - Politician,
inquisitor who deliberately frames innocent Journalist, Diplomat, Writer, Judge
• WILLIAM PARSONS, 3rd Earl of
people is prevalent in literature, movies and About the Author:
artworks. One example is the character Lucas de Rickard L. Sjoberg is a neurosurgeon at Rosse - D.O.B. 1800/06/17 -
Beaumanoir in Sir Walter Scott’s novel the University Hospital of northern Sweden. He Astronomer, Politician
“Ivanhoe .” Another is the witch-smeller is also affiliated with Umea University, where • PAUL DUDLEY WHITE - D.O.B.
pursuivant in the British comedy show part of his scholarly work focuses on the 1886/06/06 - Physician, Cardiologist,
“Blackadder.” Today the president implicitly psychological mechanisms behind the Swedish University Teacher, Lecturer
evokes this stereotype when he uses the term witch persecutions. []