Witch Stuff

Because Senator Graham (Rep-SC) brought up witchcraft trials and 'tests' (how to handle Judge Kavanaugh)....I went back today and spent an hour over one of the 500-odd topics which I've often had an interest in witches.

Being from Alabama, we never really had any local witches, and most of my introduction was limited to books such as The Crucible and some historical piece which the local school had bought for their library but I noted since 1959 (when it was put into the school library and the first check-out card was placed into it)....it'd only been checked out three times by the time I'd read it in 1972.  I was probably the only kid in that school that checked out every single non-fiction book they had.

To know that you are in the presence of a witch?  Well....there are seven basic ways:

1.  You get the witch to give you some urine (don't ask), and you mix this with rye....making it into some kind of bread.  Then you find some dog (can't be a human), and if the dog eats the cake....a true witch will have severe pains.  I admit it's pretty crazy but this whole witchcraft thing of the 1690s took off and guys just invented stuff like this out of thin air.

2.  The Lords Prayer.  Basically, if you could recite the whole prayer, you were safe.

3.  You measure up some gal, and gather all the Bibles in the community to equal her height.....stacking them on a scale.  You put the witch on the other side of the scale.  If the gal is heavier than the Bibles....she's a witch.  You tended to find that fat chunky women usually lost out on this test.

4.  Women that hung around cats....especially black cats....were readily identified as witches.

5.  You look over the accused gal for scares or birthmarks.  Now the fact that everyone in some family might have scares, or birthmarks?  Well.....that did present a problem.

6.  The tear test.  Basically, if you could provide tears, on request.....you were clear of being a witch.

7.  The scratch test.  Basically, you'd scratch some witch enough.....that she'd cast a spell.  Usually, in this episode.....you ended up with forty-odd scratches, which the locals would all deem it sufficient that you didn't apparently have any spell-casting ability.

The odd case with the Kavanaugh episode....is that none of the Democrats seem willing to say how he could be innocent, and thus he can never prove or disprove the 'witch' business.