Witchcraft has been a topic of fascination and fear for centuries. Many cultures have beliefs and practices related to witchcraft, with some seeing it as a form of magic and others as a dark and sinister force. Despite the diverse interpretations, witchcraft has often been associated with harm and danger. Throughout history, witch hunts and trials have been conducted to root out those accused of practicing witchcraft. These individuals were often subjected to torture and death, as people believed that witchcraft could cause illness, crop failure, and other disasters. It was believed that witches made pacts with demons and used their powers for malicious purposes.
It was believed that witches made pacts with demons and used their powers for malicious purposes. However, as time went on, beliefs about witchcraft began to change. With the rise of science and rational thought, many people began to question the existence of witchcraft and the validity of the accusations made against alleged witches.
A Remedy for Witchcraft and Demonic Possession in Seventeenth-Century Ireland
There were only a handful of witch trials in early modern Ireland, and only one witch-lynching, of an old woman by her neighbours in Antrim town, Co. Antrim in 1698. The ‘witch’ was accused of using witchcraft to demonically possess a young girl of Presbyterian gentry stock.
An early eighteenth-century depiction of a witch conjuring up demons to do her evil work. From: Richard Boulton, A Compleat History of Magick, Sorcery and Witchcraft … (London, 2 vols, 1715-1722), vol. 1, frontispiece.
This case is detailed in Ireland’s only published witchcraft pamphlet by Daniel Higgs, The Wonderful and True Relation of the Bewitching of a Young Girle in Ireland, What Ways she was Tormented, and a Receipt of the Ointment that she was Cured with (Edinburgh [?], 1699). Higgs was a gentleman of considerable means who spoke Latin and French and was familiar with the contents of both English witchcraft pamphlets and learned, demonological works.
Higgs’ pamphlet is particularly important because he included (pp. 15-16), ‘for the good of others’ afflicted by witchcraft, a full description of the ‘receipt’ of the ointment he had used to cure the possessed girl with:
Take of dogs grease well dissolved and cleansed, four Ounces; Of bears Grease eight Ounce; Of Capons Grease, four and twenty Ounces; three trunks of the Misletoe of the Hazle while green, cut in pieces & pound it small[l], till it become moist; bruise together the wood, leaves and Berries, mix all in a vial, after you have exposed it to the sun for nine weeks; You shall extract a green Balsom, wherewith if you anoint the Bodies of the Bewitched, especially the parts most effected and the joynts, they will certainly be cured.
Higgs discovered his remedy in an obscure medical text by Bartholomew Carrichter, Practica Aus Den Furnemesten Secretis (Strassburg, 1579). Carrichter was physician to Emperor Maximillian II and a follower of early sixteenth-century Swiss physician, alchemist and astrologer, Philippus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim (Paracelsus). This did not mean that Higgs did not take full credit for the girl’s miraculous recovery.
He had, after all, rediscovered the ointment by researching, in his view, long forgotten books. Furthermore, he had manufactured and applied the remedy himself after apothecaries in Dublin refused to do it for him (for reasons unknown), and local physicians had been powerless to help the girl. Higgs suspected that in some cases physicians had refused to offer assistance because they did not believe in witchcraft. Disbelief in witchcraft shocked Higgs because he equated it with atheism.
Before Higgs had used Carrichter’s ointment, he had administered to the girl an ‘ex fuga Daemonum’ in the form of a drink concocted of ‘southeren wood, Mugwort, Vervene &c’ (Higgs, 16). This folkloric cure was similar to those used domestically in seventeenth-century Scotland to expel demons and counter witchcraft. Although we cannot be sure, Higgs was probably of Scots descent, he or his parents having come to Ulster in the later seventeenth century along with thousands of other Scottish Presbyterians. The Scottish ‘ex fuga Daemonum’, however, did not relieve the girl’s symptoms, prompting Higgs to search for a book-based remedy, which he duly found.
Higgs, in common with many educated men in early modern Europe, condemned the popular magic of cunning-folk as vulgar and “low-browed”, especially their anti-witch measures. Although he did not go as far as some who suggested that if the magic of cunning-folk had any efficacy at all, it was demonic in origin.
Ironically, HIggs did not regard the drink he gave the girl, nor the ointment he applied to her body, as magical, despite the fact that the ingredients of both held precisely that cultural connotation. He saw both remedies as alternative medicine, which the established medical profession had ignored to the peril of their patients and which he had finally brought to public attention.
Editors’ note
Extra, extra! Read all about it!
Andrew discusses this case further in his brand-new book, Witchcraft and Magic in Ireland (Basingstoke, Palgrave, 2015). You can take a look at the very tempting table of contents on the publisher’s page. Congratulations, Andrew!
Take of dogs grease well dissolved and cleansed, four Ounces; Of bears Grease eight Ounce; Of Capons Grease, four and twenty Ounces; three trunks of the Misletoe of the Hazle while green, cut in pieces & pound it small[l], till it become moist; bruise together the wood, leaves and Berries, mix all in a vial, after you have exposed it to the sun for nine weeks; You shall extract a green Balsom, wherewith if you anoint the Bodies of the Bewitched, especially the parts most effected and the joynts, they will certainly be cured.
It became clear that much of the evidence used in witch trials was based on superstition and hysteria rather than facts. In modern times, witchcraft is often seen as a spiritual or pagan practice rather than something to be feared. Many people now practice witchcraft as a form of self-expression, personal growth, and connection to nature. It is seen as a way to harness one's personal power and manifest desires. While witchcraft may not have the power to cause harm or manipulate others as once believed, it can still serve as a source of comfort and healing for many. Witchcraft often involves rituals, spells, and meditation that can help individuals find peace and balance in their lives. It can be a way to tap into one's intuition and channel energy for positive purposes. In conclusion, witchcraft has a complex and varied history. While it was once feared and persecuted, modern perspectives have shifted to view it as a personal and spiritual practice. Whether one believes in the power of witchcraft or not, it has the potential to provide solace and empowerment to those who practice it..
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