Content Warning: Some content within this blog refers to violence against women within the context of witch hunts. Please take care when reading this blog as well as if you search within Open Collections for content related to the topic of witchcraft and superstition as it may contain upsetting, discriminatory sentiments.
Do you consider yourself superstitious? What do you do if a black cat crosses your path? Do you cancel plans or avoid travel on Friday the 13th? Do you knock on wood to ward off evil spirits and avoid tempting fate?
Halloween is certainly the time to indulge in our darker curiosities, and what better way to do so than through perusing historical sources? Historical newspapers and books offer insight into the common societal beliefs of a given time. In honor of October 31st, All Hallow’s Eve, I have curated a collection of historical articles and books on superstition and witchcraft, all of which can be found within UBC’s Open Collections.
What’s truly scary about this blog post is the insidious discriminatory sentiments that were historically thinly veiled as superstitious beliefs, resulting in real and serious harm and loss of life. Famously, the persecution of women as well as religious and ethnic groups on the basis of witchcraft pervaded for centuries across Western Europe, the Eastern United States as well as other places across the globe in varying degrees.
Superstition and belief in the supernatural or occult pervades history. However, superstitious beliefs evolve often in order to suit the state of accepted knowledge and trends of any given era. As scientific knowledge became more accepted, the steadfast belief in superstition waned since many of the foundations of these beliefs were debunked. This blog includes sources from between the 16th, 19th and 20th Centuries, mostly sharing opinions and observations regarding witchcraft and other superstitious beliefs.
Scot’s Discovery of Witchcraft – 1584
Scot’s Discovery of Witchcraft is from the Western Manuscripts and Early Printed Books collection. This book was originally published in 1584 and is, unsurprisingly, heavily informed by the devoutly religious nature of the time, Scot himself followed the Christian faith. However, the purpose of this book is to prove that witchcraft is “but imaginary erroneous conceptions and novelties”. Moreover, Scot claimed that “witchmonger[ing]” is a “lewde unchristian practice[]”.
Of natural witchcraft for love &c.:
The Paystreak – Superstitions and Their Growth
This article on superstition of witchcraft was featured in The Paystreak from January 1897. The writer observes that there is still significant superstition and belief in witchcraft in their own community and points to the murder of a woman in Ireland the year prior on the basis of her “possessing an evil eye” as evidence that these beliefs persist. The article speaks on beliefs regarding the evil eye, white witches, and other practices commonly believed to either bring harm against an intended individual or to protect one’s self from such witchcraft. Ultimately, the writer cautions that such superstitions may not be growing as they once were but nonetheless persist quietly amongst society with real consequences.
Nelson Tribune – Old Time Witchcraft
This article from the June 25th, 1900 edition of the Nelson Tribune is looking back on superstitious beliefs surrounding witchcraft and is particularly concerned with the cruelty and violence that often occurs as a result of these beliefs. The article revisits a Bury St. Edmunds witch trial from 1676 in which two widows were accused of bewitching several neighborhood children.
This article asserts a different perspective than many of the others within this blog post. From a September, 1902 edition of Nelson’s The Daily News, this writer suggests that while science once disproved witchcraft that recent scientific developments proved that “thought is force” and “that it can be sent from brain to brain through space, by means of telepathy”. The core of the article is the writer championing the benefits of investigating the unknown, keeping an open mind and refraining from limiting the development of one’s beliefs: “The wise man accepts every mystery as a challenge out of the dark, walks up to it, turns the searchlight of his intelligence on it, and sees it dwindle and shrink, and then like a whipped spaniel come forward finally with its tail between its legs, ready to lick his hand and serve him”
The Cumberland News – Superstitions About Cats
A short blurb on various superstitions regarding cats from February, 1905.
The Mail Herald – The Thirteen Superstition
This article is from the July 1914 edition of Revelstoke’s The Mail Herald. The article covers many of the potential origins of the well-known superstition surrounding the number thirteen. The writer of this article is skeptical and unimpressed with the superstition, claiming that it stems from “a ridiculous deduction from biblical history of from the chance calculations of some forgotten insurance man’s computations” which could easily be disproven with a modern understanding of “life averages of healthy individuals”.
Thank you for reading this week’s blog post, we hope you have a safe and happy Halloween!
