One of the most famous witch trials was conducted in Salem in the US from June to September 1692. In all 19 women and men were convicted of witchcraft and hanged for their crime.
In the previous post I referred to the practice of blaming witches for unexplained misfortunes that befell a community, Salem is a perfect example of this.
It is now believed that the crop of rye cultivated that year was infected by a fungus called Claviceps purpurea. One of the products of this fungus is a drug called ergot. When ingested in sufficient quantities ergot produces two possible effects
1. Nervous disorders such as convulsions, wrything and tremors.
2. Gangreen where victims loose fingers, toes and even limbs
The drug of choice in the 60s LSD is from this family of alkaloids.
The conditions for the spread of Claviceps purpurea were excellent in Salem that year and one by one young girls in the village fell in a state where they were rything and hallucinating. Symptoms very like those attributed to ergot. The village began to panic. Clearly some dark force was possessing the girls of the town.
A first a black slave from the West Indies was accused of practicing voodoo. Later two girls mischievously accused accused a woman they did not like of being a witch.
By the time the witchhunt ended, nineteen convicted witches were executed at least four accused witches had died in prison, and one man, Giles Corey, had been pressed to death. About one to two hundred other persons were arrested and imprisoned on witchcraft charges. Two dogs were executed as suspected accomplices of witches.
There are many jewels hidden amongst the leaves in this forgotten part of the ancient forest. Spend some time browsing and you are sure to find some. Click here or continue your search below
or read the most recent entries here.Who are you to tell someone that their tattoo's should be meaningful. It is that person's decision as to what they get on their body. They are the one's that have to live with it for the rest of their lives. If you don't like it you don't have to look.
Posted by: Misti at August 25, 2003 08:40 AMI didn't mean meaningful to me but to them. I didn't think it was such an unreasonable statement but if someone wants to mark themselves for life with an image that is not meaningful to them then you are right, it is entirely their choice.
This entry was not a social comment on the merit of tattoos. It was a comment on the skill of some who make this art form their profession.
Posted by: chris at August 25, 2003 10:28 AM
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