Once upon a time, in a small village nestled deep within the forest, there lived a witch named Agatha. Agatha was no ordinary witch, for she possessed extraordinary powers, far greater than any other witch in the land. Her magical abilities were so potent that they had become the stuff of legends. Rumors spread like wildfire, with tales of Agatha's abilities to shape-shift into any animal, conjure up storms with a flick of her finger, and even turn people into stone with just a gaze. However, despite her immense power, Agatha was a kind-hearted witch. She used her magic for the greater good, helping those in need and defending the village from any threats that may arise.
The above photo shows villagers living at a witch camp in Ghana. Elderly women are "most likely to be accused of witchcraft," a researcher told Newsweek HUMANIST GLOBAL CHARITY
Many Marylanders are probably familiar with Moll Dyer, the legendary witch tried in Leonardtown, who fled in the night from the townspeople who burned her cottage, and left marks on a boulder that can supposedly be seen to this day. While you re playing as Hundred Knight and occasionally get to make some responses, you re otherwise a silent protagonist and Metalia is really the main focus of the story.
She used her magic for the greater good, helping those in need and defending the village from any threats that may arise. The villagers revered her as their protector, and she became their beacon of hope in times of darkness. But as the years went by, the village faced increasingly dire circumstances.
A witch a hundred instances
An extremely dramatic depiction of the 1692 Salem trial of George Jacobs for witchcraft. Presumably there was considerably more order in the court when Rebecca Fowler was tried in Maryland seven years earlier, but she and George shared the same fate. (Image source: Library of Congress)
When you think of witch trials, Salem, Massachusetts usually comes to mind, as the site of a rash of accusations and mass hysteria that ended with hundreds accused and twenty people executed for witchcraft in a span of a few weeks. The DMV was never gripped by a panic of Salem’s scope; for one thing, the District was founded in a significantly less witch-paranoid century. [1] However, the area was not quite a stranger to witch trials. In 1635, the Maryland Assembly adopted England’s Witchcraft Act of 1604, declaring witchcraft to be a felony, punishable by death in some instances. Before, witches were the province of the church; now both church and state would punish witches. While this law was seldom used, a few witches were actually put to trial, including Rebecca Fowler, the unfortunate Marylander who was the only person to be executed for witchcraft in the state’s history. [2]
The number of witch trials in Maryland’s history are in the single digits. The few accusations of witchcraft that were brought to court mostly ended in the discrediting of the accuser and lawsuits for defamation. [3] Executions for witchcraft were not common outside of New England (even trials were almost unheard of outside of Massachusetts and Connecticut), but a few occurred elsewhere, including on ships heading to bound for America (in one instance, the captain of a Maryland-bound vessel blamed an old woman on board for causing a storm, and hung her from the mast). [4] [5] Most judgements on witchcraft were focused on cracking down on false accusations, which were considered more serious by judges because they could lead to violence (e.g.: Salem). [6] The more southern Chesapeake colonies were less Puritanical than their northern countrymen, and so, as researcher William H. Cooke speculates,”they may have been less inclined to look around every corner for a witch.” [7]
Nevertheless, seven years before the Salem Witch Trials, Rebecca Fowler was accused of witchcraft in Calvert County. Probably in her forties or fifties at the time she was accused, Rebecca lived in the area known as Mount Calvert Hundred, having sailed from England in 1656. [8] She and her husband John met while indentured servants to the same landowner; they had worked their way out of indenture, and her husband had managed to finally purchase some land in 1683. Her accuser was an indentured servant himself, named Francis Sandsbury, who worked on her husband’s plantation, Fowler’s Delight. [9] The details of the incident are unclear, but from what we can infer from court documents, Francis suffered some kind of injury or illness which he blamed on Rebecca. Possibly she cursed at him, or the two had some sort of altercation prior to this injury; either way, he reported Rebecca for witchcraft, and she was seized by the authorities.
The modern-day reconstruction of the Maryland State House in St. Mary's City, where the Provincial Court met and where Rebecca would have been tried. (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
The Maryland Provincial Court was the only one in the state allowed to try capital cases, so Rebecca was arrested and taken to trial at the then-state capital of St. Mary’s City, on September 30, 1685. [10] The court brought forward the accusations that she had been “led by the instigation of the Divell” to practice “certaine evil & dyabolicall artes called witchcrafts.” [11] Her indictment declares her to have made Francis’ body “very much the worse, consumed, pined & lamed,” as well as the vague accusation of repeating these offenses on “severall other persons” at “severall other dayes & times.” [11] [12] Rebecca pled not guilty to the charges, and requested a jury trial, which she was granted. [13] We have no record of the evidence put forth against her, but the jury must have found it convincing; the twelve jurors found her guilty of the charges against her, and left it up to the court to determine if this meant she met the legal definition of witchcraft. (It’s telling of how few witch trials there were that the court was so unfamiliar with the specifics of the laws on witchcraft that they had to take a recess of a few days to bone up on the particulars.) [14] She was sentenced on October 3, when the justices ordered that she “be hanged by the neck untill she be dead.” [14]
This was an extremely unusual decision. Other trials of similar character occurred, but none of them led to such a harsh sentence. Another woman from Mount Calvert Hundred, Hannah Edwards, tried in 1686 in similar circumstances, was acquitted and set free. [15] (The fact that she probably knew two of the jurors may have had something to do with this, but her case’s result was the general rule rather than the exception.)
It's unclear what evidence was brought against Rebecca, although weighing the same as a duck certainly didn't help her case. (Image source: Monty Python and the Holy Grail)
So why was Rebecca punished so harshly? One modern scholar, Dr. Rebecca Logan, speculates that the court’s decision may have been linked to a recent scandal that made the court look bad, making them want to appear “tough on crime” and regain their authority in the public eye. [16] Whatever the reason, Rebecca suffered the full punishment of the law for an impossible crime of which she was unquestionably innocent.
The only other time that the Maryland Provincial Court handed down a conviction for witchcraft (John Cowman, convicted in 1674), the putative witch was saved by a last-minute decree of the Maryland Assembly. [17] If Rebecca hoped for a pardon, however, she hoped in vain: the Assembly was out of session during her trial and sentencing. [18] Rebecca Fowler was executed on October 9, 1685, with no chance for appeal.
No other Marylanders shared Rebecca’s fate. The last witch trial in the Chesapeake area was in 1712, when Virtue Violl was acquitted of making Elinor Moore’s tongue “lame and speechless.” [19] Witch trials became much less frequent in 18th-century America, although a handful still occurred sporadically until mid-century; executions for witchcraft in the United States ended with the panic in Salem. [20] In 1736, England repealed the Witchcraft Act; the era of the witch trial was over, but not soon enough to save Rebecca Fowler. [21] [22]
How King James I’s obsession with witchcraft led to the harsh laws under which Rebecca Fowler was prosecuted: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2186
Information on witchcraft trials in Virginia (there were a few, although none in the DC area): http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Witchcraft_in_Colonial_Virginia
Crops withered, disease spread, and the villagers suffered. They turned to Agatha, hoping she could use her powers to save them from their plight. Agatha knew that she had to find a solution, but her powers had limitations. She could not single-handedly solve all of the village's problems. Driven by her unwavering determination, Agatha embarked on a quest to seek ancient knowledge and uncover hidden spells that could address the village's myriad challenges. She traveled far and wide, spending countless days and nights in search of wisdom. Throughout her journey, she encountered a hundred instances where her powers were tested to their limits. From battling ferocious beasts to outsmarting cunning sorcerers, Agatha faced countless trials and tribulations. Each challenge pushed her further and forced her to tap into reserves of magic she never knew she had. Along the way, Agatha discovered that her true strength lay not only in her magic but in her unwavering spirit and the love she had for her village. She realized that she could not rely solely on her powers, but also needed the support of the community she protected. Returning to the village with newfound knowledge and a revitalized spirit, Agatha rallied the villagers to come together and face their problems as a united front. She shared her wisdom, teaching them to harness their own inner strength and unleash their potential. Together, the village and Agatha worked tirelessly to restore their land's fertility, eradicate disease, and cultivate a renewed sense of hope. The once struggling village began to thrive, with the villagers united in their purpose of building a better future. Agatha's journey had taught her that true power lies not in individual abilities but in the collective strength of a community. She understood that by combining their talents, the villagers could overcome any obstacle and create a brighter tomorrow. Agatha's legacy lived on as a testament to the transformative power of unity and determination. Her story reminds us that no matter how formidable the challenges we face may be, we can conquer them by standing together, bound by a common goal..
Reviews for "Embracing the Darkness: The Shadow Side of a Witch a Hundred Instances"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I really wanted to like "A witch a hundred instances" because I love fantasy novels, but I found this book to be incredibly dull. The plot was confusing and hard to follow, the characters lacked depth and development, and the writing style felt rushed and amateurish. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, and the story just didn't captivate me. Overall, I was disappointed and would not recommend this book.
2. John - 1 star - I couldn't even finish "A witch a hundred instances" because it was so poorly written. The grammar and spelling mistakes were distracting and made it difficult to understand what was going on. The dialogue was cheesy and unrealistic, and the pacing was incredibly slow. I wanted to give this book a chance, but ultimately, I couldn't get past the terrible writing. Save your time and skip this one.
3. Emily - 2 stars - "A witch a hundred instances" had an interesting concept, but the execution fell flat for me. The world-building was lacking, and the magic system was poorly explained. The characters felt one-dimensional and their actions were hard to believe. Additionally, the pacing was uneven, with long periods of nothing happening followed by rushed and confusing plot twists. I wanted to like this book, but it just didn't live up to my expectations.