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The witch trials in the early modern period, alternately known as the Great Witch Craze, were a period of witch hunts that took place across early modern Europe and the European colonies in North America between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries. The trials were sparked by the belief that malevolent Satanic witches were operating as an organized threat to Christendom. Those accused of witchcraft were portrayed as being worshippers of the Devil, who engaged in such acts as malevolent sorcery at meetings known as Witches’ Sabbaths. Many people were subsequently accused of being witches, and were put on trial for the crime, with varying punishments being applicable in different regions and at different times.

Over the entire duration of the phenomenon of some three centuries, an estimated total of 40,000 people were executed. The best known of these trials were the Scottish North Berwick witch trials, Swedish Torsaker witch trials and the American Salem witch trials. Among the largest and most notable were the Trier witch trials (1581–1593), the Fulda witch trials (1603–1606), the Wurzburg witch trial (1626–1631) and the Bamberg witch trials (1626–1631). The sociological causes of the witch-hunts have long been debated in scholarship. Mainstream historiography sees the reason for the witch craze in a complex interplay of various factors that mark the early modern period, including the religious sectarianism in the wake of the Reformation, besides other religious, societal, economic and climatic factors. [1]

TRIER WITCH TRIALS

The Witch Trials of Trier in Germany in the years from 1581 to 1593 was perhaps the biggest witch trial in European history. The persecutions started in the diocese of Trier in 1581 and reached the city itself in 1587, where it was to lead to the death of about three hundred and sixty-eight people, and was as such perhaps the biggest mass execution in Europe in peace time. This counts only the executed within the city itself, and the real number of executed, counting also those executed in all the witch hunts within the diocese as a whole, was therefore even larger. The exact number of executed has never been established; a total of 1000 has been suggested but not confirmed. [2]

Hanover College - The Witch Persecution at Trier

Internet Sacred Text Archive - The Witch Persecution at Trier

Historicum - Trier Witch Hunt

Witchcraft - Trier Witch Trials (German, 1581-1593)

NORTH BERWICK WITCH TRIALS

The North Berwick witch trials were the trials in 1590 of a number of people from East Lothian, Scotland, accused of witchcraft in the St Andrew’s Auld Kirk in North Berwick. They ran for two years and implicated seventy people. The accused included Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell on charges of high treason. The “witches” held their covens on the Auld Kirk Green, part of the modern-day North Berwick Harbour area. The confessions were extracted by torture in the Old Tolbooth, Edinburgh. [3]

Education Scotland - North Berwick Witch Trials

The Scotsman - Scotland’s Most Infamous Witch Trials

The Scotsman - North Berwick and the Brew of Tortured Witches

University of Edinburgh - Survey of Scottish Witchcraft: The Illustration

University of Glasgow - Newes from Scotland

University of Tulsa - Historical Witches and Witchtrials in Scotland

FULDA WITCH TRIALS

The Witch trials of Fulda in Germany in the years from 1603 to 1606 resulted in the death of about 250 people. The witch trials were ordered by Prince-abbot Balthasar von Dernbach after he had returned to power in 1602 after being exiled for over twenty years, and presided over by Dernbach’s right-hand man, Balthasar Nuss, who had attached himself to the abbot during his exile and afterwards was appointed Zentgraf of Hofbieber and Malefizmeister. Investigations began in March 1603, and shortly thereafter, the arrests begun in the city. One of the first and the most well-known victim was Merga Bien, whose case even concerned the Imperial Chamber Court.

The witchhunts ceased soon after the Prince-abbot died on 15 March 1605. Nuss was imprisoned and accused of having enriched himself. Nuss remained in custody for 13 years; after the university of Ingolstadt ruled to that effect, Nuss was beheaded in 1618. [4]

Witchcraft - Fulda Witch Trials (German, 1603-1606)

Leiron Reviews - Witch Towers and Trial: A Much Different Time

BASQUE WITCH TRIALS

The Basque witch trials of the 17th century represent the most ambitious attempt at rooting out witchcraft ever undertaken by the Spanish Inquisition. The trial of the Basque witches at Logrono, near Navarre, in northern Spain, which began in January 1609, against the background of similar persecutions conducted in Labourd by Pierre de Lancre, was almost certainly the biggest single event of its kind in history. By the end some 7,000 cases had been examined by the Inquisition. [5]

Internet Sacred Text Archive - The Basque Witches (1609)

University of Washington - Spanish Witch Trials

The Holy Inquisition - The Witch Burnings: Holocaust Without Equal

Witchcraft - Basque Witch Trials (Spain/Basque County, 1609-1611)

JSTOR - Witchcraft and the Problem of Evil in a Basque Village

WURZBURG WITCH TRIALS

The Würzburg witch trial, which took place in Germany in 1626–1631, is one of the biggest mass-trials and mass-executions seen in Europe during the Thirty Years War; 157 men, women and children in the city of Würzburg are confirmed to have been burned alive at the stake; 219 are estimated to have been executed in the city proper, and an estimated 900 were killed in the entire Prince-Bishopric.

The Würzburg witch trial is among the largest among the Witch trials in the Early Modern period, alongside the trials of Trier (1581–1593) and Bamberg (1626–1631). [6]

Hanover College - The Witch Persecution at Wurzburg

Oehring - History of Witch Burnings in Wurzburg (in German)

Witchcraft - Wurzburg Witch Trials (Germany, 1626-1631)

World Wide School - Memoirs of Popular Delusions: Wurzburg

Ancestry - How Margarethe Weller Lost Her Head

Controverscial - Friedrich von Spee

BAMBERG WITCH TRIALS

The Bamberg witch trials, which took place in Bamberg in Germany in 1626–1631, are among the more famous cases in European witchcraft history. They resulted in the executions of between 300 and 600 people, and were some of the greatest witch trials in history, as well as some of the greatest executions in the Thirty Years’ War.

The Bamberg witch trials erupted during a period of a series of mass witch trials in the area of Southern Germany, contemporary with the Wurzburg witch trials and others. The witch craze of the 1620s was not confined to Germany, but influenced Alsace, Lorraine and Franche-Comté: in the lands of the abbey of Luxueil the years 1628–30 have been described as an épidémie démoniaque. [7]

Hanover College - The Witch Persecution at Bamberg

Augustana College - Bamberg Trials

Witchcraft - Bamberg Witch Trials (Germany, 1626-1631)

Angelfire - The Bamberg Witch Trials

The Local - How the Germans went crazy for witch hunts

TORSAKER WITCH TRIALS

The Torsåker witch trials took place in 1675 in Torsaker parish, Sweden. 71 people: 6 men and 65 women were beheaded and then burned, all in a single day. This was the largest witch trial in Swedish history. [8]

Hans Högman’s Genealogy and History Site - The Torsåker Witch Trial of 1675 and the Clergyman Hornaues

Witchcraft - Torsaker Witch Trials (Sweden, 1674-1675)

ZAUBERERJACKL WITCH TRIALS

The Zaubererjackl trials or Salzburg witch trials, also known in history as the Magician Jackls process, which took place in the city of Salzburg in Austria in 1675-1690, was one of the largest and most famous witch trials in Austria. It led to the execution of 139 people. It was an unusual witch trial, as the majority of its victims were of male gender. [9]

Witchcraft - Salzburg Witch Trials (Austria, 1675-1690)

SALEM WITCH TRIALS

The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witch craft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. The trials resulted in the executions of twenty people, most of them women. Despite being generally known as the Salem witch trials, the preliminary hearings in 1692 were conducted in several towns in the Province of Massachusetts Bay: Salem Village (now Danvers), Ipswich, Andover, and Salem Town. [10]

National Geographic Society - Salem Witch Trials Begin

HISTORY.com - Salem Witch Trials: Facts & Summary

Encyclopaedia Britannica - Salem Witch Trials (American History)

Salem Witch Museum - Salem, Massachusetts: The Salem Witch Trials of 1692

National Geographic Kids - The Salem Witch Trials

Discovery Education - Salem Witch Trials: Life in Salem 1962

Saint Anselm College - Life in Salem,1692

University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law - The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692

University of Chicago - The Salem Witch Trials: A Legal Bibliography

Houston Library - Salem Witchcraft in 1692: A Bibliography

History of Massachusetts - Betty Parris: First Afflicted Girl of the Salem Witch Trials

HISTORY - First Salem Witch Hanging

University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law - Chronology of Events Relating to the Salem Witchcraft Trial of 1692

Smithsonian - A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials

Independence Hall Association - Witchcraft in Salem

University of Virginia - Salem Witch Trials Documents Archive

Washington State University- Salem Witch Trials

EyeWitness to History - The Salem Witch Trials, 1692

LiveScience - Did Cold Weather Cause the Salem Witch Trials?

Crime Library - Salem Witch Trials: Parris

University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law - An Account of the Salem witchcraft investigations, trials, and aftermath

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History - Cotton Mather’s account of the Salem Witch Trials, 1693

Reddit: Ask Historians - Why did some people confess during the Salem Witch Trials? Did they actually believe they were witches?

Reddit: Ask Historians - I stand accused of witchcraft. How do I beat the rap?

Reddit: Ask Historians - What happened to the family members of people found guilty of witchcraft in early modern Europe and North America?

TIME - The Last of the Witch Trial Hangings

HISTORY - Were witches burned at the stake during the Salem Witch Trials?

HISTORY - 7 Bizarre Witch Trial Tests

Mental Floss - 10 Ways to Identify a Witch

University of Louisiana at Monroe - Four Theories About the Cause of the Salem Witch Trials — Early 1690s

The Huffington Post - 9 Reasons You Might Have Been Suspected of Witchcraft in 1692

Wikipedia - List of People of the Salem Witch Trials

University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law - Salem Witchcraft Trials: List of Dead and Death Warrant

University of Virginia - Salem Witch Trials Notable Persons: Bridget Bishop

University of Virginia - Salem Witch Trials Notable Persons: Abigail Williams

University of Virginia - Salem Witch Trials Notable Persons: Mary Warren

University of Virginia - Salem Witch Trials Notable Persons: Giles Corey

University of Chicago - The Salem Journal: The Aftermath

Grace Communion International - Fasting and Repentance After the Salem Witch Trials

National Endowment for the Humanities - Understanding the Salem Witch Trials

Tired of starting paras with everyone at the same place (the bar, most of the time)? Then here’s a list of 50 places you could use for your encounter with another character. 

So, I was filling out my little character chart thing and got to “Prominent/Distinguishing Features.” What are those? What could they be? I wanted my character to be interesting, so did some research. Then I thought, why not create a little guide for other authors? So, here you go. My “Writer’s Guide to Distinguishing Marks on Characters!” Have fun creating different, interesting characters with cool (or perhaps, not cool) marks.

This is by no means a complete list, but it’s something. All information came from webmd.com.

Freckles and Such

Moles

These are growths on the skin, usually brown or black, that can appear anywhere. They come alone as well as in groups. Most moles appear in early childhood or during the first 30 years of a person’s life. Most adults have anywhere from 10-40.

Moles can change as years pass, becoming raised, changing colors, developing hairs, or even disappearing. They may darken after sun exposure or during pregnancy.

Your character can have a mole that isn’t disgusting looking; moles do not have to detract from physical appearance.

Freckles

Small brown spots usually found on the face and arms. More common during the summer and on lighter-skinned people (and people with red hair). Think about the amount of freckles your character has, because these range from across the nose to everywhere on the face.

Birthmarks

There is not yet a known cause, but birthmarks are colored skin spots that are present at birth or develop shortly after birth. They can be brown, tan, black, pale blue, pink, white, red, or purple. Some birthmarks are colorations of the surface of the skin; others are raised above the surface of the skin or extend into the tissues under the skin.

Red birthmarks: Colored markings that develop before or shortly after birth. They have to do with blood vessels somehow.

Pigmented birthmarks: Skin markings present at birth. Like…

Mongolian spots: Bluish and similar to bruises in appearance. Often on the butt or lower back but also on trunk and arms. More common in darker skinned people.

Café-au-lait spots: Light tan or light brown spots, usually ovular in shape. (I have one of these).

Hemangiomas

A common type of vascular (having to do with blood vessels) tumor which occurs (usually) early in life and resembles a birthmark. Usually harmless and painless. Port-wine stains are the only type that are permanent (again, usually), unless they were treated at some point. Port-wine stains are flat purple or red birthmarks often on the face.

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has a port wine stain on his forehead, if you want to find a reference picture.

Lentigines

A spot on the skin that is darker than the surrounding skin, caused by exposure to sun. Kinda like a birthmark, except it happens later in life. Usually on the face or hands. (I have a spot like this on my leg, too. Atleast I think it’s this. It looks like I just dropped a drop of tanning cream on my leg or something. Idk.)

Scars

There are many types of scarring. Scars are caused by wounds to the body like cuts and burns. These can be any shape and occur anywhere. Scars do fade over time and become less noticeable.

Keloid scars: Result of an overly aggressive healing process. They may hamper movement, and are more common among darker skinned people.

Contracture scars: Burn scars. They tighten skin, which can impair movement.

Hypertrophic scars: Raised, red scars.

Acne scars: Result of, obviously, acne. These can be anything from deep pits to scars angular or wavelike in appearance.

Rosacea

Redness of the skin (some times pimples also); this is a skin disease.

Skin can also become red due to allergies- rashes- so perhaps think about your character’s allergies.

Age Marks

Wrinkles

All aged people have them, really. Folds in the skin due to the thinning of skin, loss of elasticity, inability to retain moisture, less efficient oil glands, and slower healing rates.

Wrinkles are also caused my smoking, so if your character is a long time smoker they may have more wrinkles.

Skin Tags

Small flaps of tissue that hang off the skin. They aren’t dangerous. They are found most commonly on women, especially with weight gain, or in elderly people.

Dandruff

Not a distinguishing mark, per say, but I might as well add it. It’s harmless but mildly embarrassing and sometimes itchy, so if your character has dandruff their scalp may itch. Dandruff has nothing to do with hair and everything to do with your scalp- it’s white flakes of dry skin. Also, it can apparently get worse with stress and cold, dry winters.

Other Distinguishing Marks

Tattoos

It’s really a series of puncture woulds that carry dye. The dye is in the scar tissue (hence, permanent, even as we loose layer after layer of skin). Also, tattoos may be swollen with some crusting on the surface at first. It may ooze small amounts of blood for 24 hours, and also may ooze clear, yellow, or blood-tinged fluid for several days. Ew.

Piercings

You can pierce many parts of your body. Obviously, the most common is the earlobe. Cartilage piercings take longer to heal than earlobe piercings. Other popular sites are the mouth and tongue, the nose, eyebrows, navel, and genital area. Piercing sites can also swell or ooze some fluid at first. Think about your character’s allergies as well- many people are allergic to different types of metal.

Stuff to think about

I compiled this for my roleplay months ago, and I thought I would share it. I added a brief description next to every shop you help you because some names aren’t obvious.

Dervish & Banges - a helpful shop and sells and repairs some magical instruments.

Dogweed and Deathcap - a Herbology shop.

Dominic Maestro’s - a music shop.

Gladrags Wizardwear - a clothing shop that also sells very lurid socks, including ones that scream when they get too smelly.

Hairdressing salon - across the street from Honeydukes.

Hogsmeade Post Office - the owl post office.

Hogsmeade Station - the railway station.

Honeydukes - a sweet shop that has the entrance to a secret passageway into Hogwarts in its cellar.

Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop - “the haunt of happy couples”, according to Harry Potter. Usually couples go there on dates.

Ollivanders Wand Shop - local branch of the wand shop.

Potage’s Cauldron Shop - local branch of the cauldron shop.

Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop - a shop for all types of quills.

The Shrieking Shack - an infamous and the most frightening building in Britain. The villagers thought it was haunted, but they didn’t know it was actually the werewolf Remus Lupin making the scary noises (it was where he went to transform).

Spintwitches - a shop that sells sporting goods.

The Hog’s Head - a dingy pub owned by Dumbledore’s brother, Aberforth Dumbledore, which hosted a secret passage into Hogwarts created by the Room of Requirement.

The Magic Neep - a greengrocer’s.

The Three Broomsticks Inn - a pub owned by Madam Rosmerta.

Tomes and Scrolls - a bookshop (est. 1768).

Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment - local branch of the magical devices shop.

Wizarding Wireless Network Headquarters - main headquarters of the popular radio station.

nicole’s top 100 musical theater tracks → #59 do you hear the people sing? (les miserables music from the original motion picture soundtrack 2012)

get to know me: [4/5] Favorite Female Characters » Blair Waldorf