Curses & Historical Horrors

Hello everyone, hope you all have a great day. Being based in New England, we here at Miracles N Magic love a good curse. Although most people don’t believe that they are real.

The definetion of a curse according to Wikipedia is: A curse (also called execration) is any manner of adversity thought to be inflicted by any supernatural power, such as a spell, a prayer, an imprecation, an execration, magic, witchcraft, a god, a natural force, or a spirit.

There are many different kinds of curses, some famous & some not so famous. They have been practiced by many cultures. The most common way of laying on a curse is by effigy, which is an image or representation of the victim, or the person who is wished to be harmed.

In places such as; ancient India, Persia, Egypt, Africa and Europe, the  Waxed effigies were common. They currently are still used in these places. Effigies can also be made of clay, wood and stuffed cloth, called poppets. The effigy is often marked or painted so it looks like the victim. It is believed that the closer the effigy resembles the victim, the more the victim will suffer when the effigy is harmed or destroyed.

The theory behind the harming or destroying an effigy to do harm to a victim is pure sympathetic magic. As the effigy is harmed, so the victim is harmed. Likewise, when the effigy is destroyed, so the victim dies.

One of my favorite curses comes from the well know Salem Witch Trials. It is probably one of the most terrifying curses to be issued from the gallows in Salem, Massachusetts.

Sarah Good was the one to utter the curse, although if one was to take a look at her life, you might say that she herself was the one who was cursed. Even though she was born into a prosperous family, Sarah & her sisters got cheated out of their inheritance after her father committed suicide in 1672.

Finding herself, suddenly with no money she married an equally impoverished suitor, Daniel Poole, who was an indentured servant. Sarah’s luck didn’t improve though. Her new husband died shortly afterward. Sarah inherited her husband’s debts.

She married William Good & under Massachusetts law he was responsible for paying them off. Being a weaver & laborer he was unable to pay off the debts. By 1689 he had to forfeit all his land and cattle to creditors. They were then reduced to begging, living in barns & sometimes even ditches.

Sarh had a hard time adjusting to her new lifestyle & wasn’t afraid to let her neighbors know they they didn’t meet her standards for Christian charity. If she felt that she was slighted, Sarah would scold, mutter reprimands & on occasion she would commit minor mischief, such as relaeasing someone’s cattle.

All these things caught up with sarah when she was hauled into court and accused of witchcraft. Typically disrespectful, she would respond to the magistrates in a spiteful & absuive manner.

Dorcas, her 6-year-old daughter was terrorized into testifying against her nad her timid husband William refused to speak on her behalf. Pregnant Sarah & her daughter Dorcas were locked away in Salem Jail. It was there that Sarah’s child was born & died.

Salem’s pious & pitiless assistant minister, Nicholas Noyes, tried to coax a confession out of her, even after she just lost her child. He’s reasoning was that “she knew she was a witch.”

But Sarah defended herself to the end with outsoken precision. She would resond to the self-righteous cleric with what might be described as “a holy curse.”

“You are a liar,” she said. “I am no more a witch than you are a wizard. And if you take away my life, God will give you lood to drink.”

Sarah Good was hung on July 19, 1692.

Reverend Noyes didn’t take Sarah’s dying curse seriously, but maybe he should have.  Later the merciless minister died of an internal hemmorrhage bleeding profusely from the mouth. He drowned in his own blood.

If you have any questions feel free to email us at miraclesnmagic@comcast.net

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