The Burning Times

The burning times was a period in history where many people were burn for practicing witchcraft.  The burning times took place mostly around 1550 AD to 1650AD through out all of Europe.  The biggest number of witch hunts occurred in Central Europe around Germany, Switzerland, and Eastern France.  The witch hunts occurred most where the strength of the church and the government was weak.  During this dark time there was approximately 40-60,000 people executed as witches.   Witch hunters burned a lot of people who weren't witches.  The witch hunters looked for people who had doubled bladed knives, or certain types of herbs or anything that may be related to witchcraft.  They would put that person on trial and then burned them.  A lot of husbands turned in their wives and children hoping to save their souls.  So the witch hunters killed many people who weren't witches just because they had a doubled bladed knife or a wacky looking broom they thought that that person was practicing the craft and therefore had to be burned.  The burning times still continued after 1650 but there wasn't as many because people were beginning to realize that if they wanted to stay alive they had to hide or get rid of certain artefacts in their homes.  And to keep their craft a secret from others.     I have had some people ask me if there is a Wiccan bible or old scripts from our ancestors.  I tell them that I don't believe there is one...there might have been such a book at one time but if there was it would have been destroyed by the witch hunters.   Today the inquisition is still not over.  Unfortunatley there are still witches who are suffering because others believe that witches believe in this so called "devil".  This is one of the reasons why we have to keep our craft a secret which is very unfortunate.   Please remember those who had to suffer during the burning times. And always remember to keep our faith alive.