Tag Archives: witch trials

Ukategorisert

Spiritualism and the Occult: The History of Ectoplasm and Gooey Ghosts

6 Comments
Advertisements

Ectoplasm was a substance said to be the materialization of spirits in our world. The fascinating ectoplasm gave some insane pictures from seances and plenty of bonkers debunking of fraudulent mediums using it. 

“Ectoplasm is a thick, vapory, slightly luminous substance which exudes from some materializing mediums. Immediately there comes from her body this vaperous substance which surrounds her like a fog. As the ectoplasm increases it becomes more dense. It coalesces, becomes sticky. It can be felt. It can be photographed.”
– Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Ectoplasm is the name given to a type of psychic energy which is said to be the medium by which the spirits interact with the physical world. According to the Spiritism movement, ectoplasm is a translucent, luminous substance that forms around the mouth, eyes, and nose of mediums during a seance. 

Although we today mostly know it to popular media like Ghostbusters like a gooey and sticky substance, it was an actual thing that mediums used in their seances to prove the existence of ghosts. The word “ectoplasm” was coined in 1894 by the French Scientist Charles Richet to explain a third arm that allegedly appeared from a medium named Eusapia Palladino, and derives from the Greek words ἐκτός ektos, “outside” and πλάσμα plasma, “anything formed”.

Ectoplasm: Stanisława Popielska (born c. 1893), known as Stanisława P., was a Polish spiritual medium alleged to have produced ectoplasm and moved objects psychokinetically. In 1913, psychical researcher Albert von Schrenck-Notzing investigated her, taking flashlight photographs during séances, and published a book declaring her ectoplasm genuine. However, his experiments faced criticism for poor controls, and he was accused of falling victim to fraud.

What is Ectoplasm in the Paranormal Realm?

Ectoplasm is a type of spiritual energy that can be seen by clairvoyants and mediums in Spiritualism. Ectoplasm is said to be a type of energy that can be seen and felt by people who have the ability to see or sense it.

It wasn’t a new discovery in 1894, and before it was called ectoplasm it was called soul substance, biogen or a manifestation of the perispirit. It is not to be confused by the actual scientific term ectoplasm.

Real Ectoplasm: Ectoplasm is a defined term in science. It’s used to describe the cytoplasm of the one-celled organism, the amoeba, which moves by extruding portions of itself and flowing into space. Ectoplasm is the outer portion of an amoeba’s cytoplasm, while endoplasm is the inner portion of the cytoplasm. Ectoplasm is a clear gel that helps the “foot” or pseudopodium of an amoeba change direction. Ectoplasm changes according to the acidity or alkalinity of the fluid. The endoplasm is more watery and contains most of the cell’s structures.

Some people see ectoplasm as a type of mist or a kind of energy that surrounds living beings. This mist or energy is said to appear in the form of a white, wispy substance, often light colored and can only be seen in the darkened atmosphere a seance brings. It has been said that ectoplasm can appear in many different ways, including as a solid, liquid, or gas.

What are the Different Purposes of Ectoplasm?

Ectoplasm is a term used to describe a medium’s or spiritist’s substance which is supposedly seen. Ectoplasm is said to be formed by physical mediums when in a trance state. People who have had a spiritist experience may have seen a ghostly image with a white substance. This substance is said to be the medium’s or spiritist’s “ectoplasm” or “spirit substance.” 

Early Seances Before the Ectoplasm Craze: Materialization is a term used by psychical researchers to describe a phenomenon that emerged in séances during the 1870s. It refers to the appearance of spirit presences as objects or bodies, as well as sensations like touches on the cheek or hands, slaps, caresses, or breezes suggesting something is passing by.

This substance is said to have the ability to move, fly, and even change shape. Often said to start out as clear before darkening when the psychic energy becomes stronger. It is also sometimes said to have had a strong odor.

Within Spiritualism and seances, levitation is a common trope said to happen to some. Many say that the levitation of material objects comes from a gradual buildup of ectoplasm under the objects. 

What is the Difference Between Ectoplasm fluids and forms?

In the early 1900s, ectoplasm was seen as a physical manifestation of the spirit itself. It is believed that spirits would leave a body and move into ectoplasm, which was seen in the form of a white cloud, slimy and soft tissue or other forms. 

The Edge of the Unknown (1930): Conan Doyle described ectoplasm as “a viscous, gelatinous substance which appeared to differ from every known form of matter in that it could solidify and be used for material purposes” Doyle suggested that ectoplasm often functioned as a more sensitive body part, noting that if it was “seized or pinched […] the medium cried aloud”

There was also teleplasm, referring to ectoplasm acting separate from the medium’s body. Ideoplasm is when the ectoplasm molds itself into another person.  

Where did the Idea of Ectoplasma come from?

But where did this idea come from? You can often draw a line of medium using ectoplasm in their seances after the idea of an ‘ectenic force’ came along. This was an early psychical researcher who tried to seek a physical explanation for psychokinesis and Table Turning. 

Absurd as it seemed, ectoplasm looked like it could change the understanding of science. Dr. Gustave Geley, a French doctor and researcher, saw this paranormal phenomenon as proof of new human abilities and thought it could bring a major shift in scientific thinking.

Mystery of the Female Anatomy and the Sexualisation of Ghosts: On some level, the medium performs a type of striptease for a crowd that likes to watch. A complete examination of the medium had been performed before it commenced. This was the case of Eva Carrière (pictured) as well. How did they believe cloth came out of people’s bodies, especially women’s? A classic trick was it came from their vagina. At that time, female anatomy was an even greater mystery. Even Sigmund Freud, despite his analytical tools, could not penetrate the “dark continent” of female sexuality by 1926. Thus, it is unsurprising that male researchers viewed ectoplasm—a tangible and often gynecological externalization of the spirit world—as a substance promising to revolutionize science.

Throughout the years, notable scientists experimented and researched this phenomenon. Although most of the research was to find out if the medium was a fraud or not. Even though people were starting to leave the ectoplasm thing in the past as a hoax, it had dire consequences for some of the mediums claiming they were real. 

Helen Duncan and Britain’s Last Witch

Although a visually strong thing during seances, not every medium used it. One who did however, was Helen Duncan. Today, she is perhaps best known for her trial in 1944, were she became the last woman convicted and imprisoned under Great Britain’s Witchcraft Act of 1735.

Helen Duncan was born in Scotland in 1898 and in 1926 Duncan claimed to have developed her mediumistic powers. She was around 29 years old at the time. But long before that she had scared her fellow pupils at with her dire prophecies and hysterical behavior. eventually, Duncan claimed to be able to produced fully-formed physical materialization of spirits by emitting them as ectoplasm through her mouth.

Photographs revealing the fraud mediumship of Helen Duncan. Malcolm Gaskill revealed in his book Hellish Nell: Last of Britain’s Witches (Fourth Estate, 2001) that the photographs were taken by the photographer Harvey Metcalfe in 1928 during a séance at Duncan’s house.

Pictures taken of her seances, showed the reality behind her papier-mâché dolls and slimy cloths that something strange was going on, but not the paranormal one. Things really got worse for Duncan after she was investigated by the famed paranormal investigator Harry Price in 1931.   

Cheesecloth of Helen Duncan taken by Harry Price

During the sitting in Edinburgh one of the participants grabbed the supposed spirit and discovered it was made from fabric. The police were called and Duncan was arrested for fraud.

Her 1933 conviction followed a séance in which she allegedly made contact with a dead sailor, before the loss of his ship was public knowledge. This supposed clairvoyance was perceived as a breach of wartime security. Duncan’s trial for fraudulent witchcraft was followed closely by the public, even in London in the midst of the war. Duncan was imprisoned for nine months after being found guilty.

On her release in 1945, Duncan promised to stop conducting séances, but she was arrested during another one in 1956. She died shortly after this, some of her followers spreading rumors about it being because of the ectoplasma. Truth was that she had been in bad health for years. She fought against her verdict until her death.

Keeping her Electoplasma: Although exposed, her electoplasma from a séance in 1939 is preserved at the University Library in Cambridge. Inside was a folded heap of yellowing dressmakers’ lining material, about four yards cut straight from the bolt with no hems. It had been washed and ironed, but creases from being crumpled remained, indicating it had been tightly wadded. Traces of old blood were still visible.

What Really Was Ectoplasma?

Although a popular fad at the time, now many paranormal researchers, mediums and other ghost interested people take much notice and talk about ectoplasma anymore. The substance has also been proven many times to be nothing more than a fraud. 

Because ectoplasm was believed susceptible to destruction by light, the possibility that ectoplasm might appear became a reason for making sure that Victorian séances took place in near darkness. Poor lighting conditions also became an opportunity for fraud, particularly as faux ectoplasm was easy to make with a mixture of soap, gelatin and egg white, or perhaps merely well-placed muslin.
– John Ryan Haule

Most often it was some sort of textile products like cloths, gauze with potato starch. Sometimes it was paper, sometimes it was egg white or butter muslin. The mediums used a method of swallowing and spewing out the cloth during the seance. 

Male Mediums: Although an overwhelming number of female mediums topping the list with ectoplasm, men also dabbled. Einer Nielsen (1894–1965) was a Danish physical medium and spiritualist and claimed to use ectoplasm.

This was the case with Eva Carrière who was a medium known for making fake ectoplasm from chewing paper and cutting out faces from magazines and newspapers. Danish medium Einer Nielsen was investigated by a committee from the Kristiania University in Norway in 1922 and it was also caught hiding ectoplasm in his rectum. Nielsen continued to work as a medium until his death but was never considered credible again by people outside his small circle of influence.

Famous Medium, Mina Crandon produced a small ectoplasmic hand from her stomach which waved about in the darkness. Her career ended, however, when biologists examined the hand and found it to be made of a piece of carved animal liver

The Future of Ectoplasm

Is the use of ectoplasm really dead, or has it merely evolved into a form that is less recognized today? In the past, ectoplasm was often associated with spiritualism and paranormal phenomena, particularly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when mediums would claim to produce this mysterious substance as a manifestation of spiritual energy. As we delve deeper into the realms of science and technology, one might wonder whether ectoplasm has become an obsolete concept, overshadowed by modern understandings of the universe.

There are however cases of paranormal investigation where people insist on seeing different residues, often explained as a slimy and gooey substance.

More like this

Newest Posts

References:

Ectoplasm | Spiritualism, Mediums & Seances | Britannica

Bawdy Technologies and the Birth of Ectoplasm | Genders 1998-2013 | University of Colorado Boulder

Ectoplasm and the Last British Woman Tried for Witchcraft – JSTOR Daily

https://www.eframserashriar.com/post/a-brief-history-of-ectoplasm

https://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/12/warner.php

Ghost Bluster: Arthur Conan Doyle and his wacky ectoplasm – The Bowery Boys: New York City History 

Ukategorisert

The Haunting Legacy of the Salem Witch Trials: Gallows Hill and Old Burying Point

Leave a comment
Advertisements

Most people know about the Salem witch trials and the horror of the hunt. No wonder that haunted rumors about the place have formed in the aftermath of the trials and death. 

Along the northeastern shores of Massachusetts, the town of Salem is forever etched into the annals of American history as the site of one of the most infamous chapters of colonial-era terror: the Salem Witch Trials. This dark period in 1692 saw hysteria grip the Puritan settlement, leading to the tragic execution of innocent men and women accused of witchcraft. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from USA

Today, Salem is most known for this tragic ordeal. Places like The Haunted House of The Seven Gables in Salem is perhaps the most famous building in the town which inspired Nathaniel Hawthorn to write his novel. But the ghostly echoes of those who died are said to linger elsewhere in town, particularly at Gallows Hill and Old Burying Point, where the spirits of the accused are said to still roam.

Salem Witch Trials: The witch trials were a product of mass hysteria. But also the following interest, representation and stories about the trial has been somewhat fanciful. Representation of the Salem witch trials, lithograph from 1892.

The Historical Tapestry of Salem

Founded in 1626, Salem was initially a thriving Puritan settlement, built on religious conviction and a stringent moral code. Its early prosperity stemmed from a bustling port and a community tightly knit by shared beliefs. However, the seeds of paranoia and superstition were sown deeply within its society, setting the stage for one of the most notorious episodes in American history.

Read more: Check out all ghost stories related to witches and witch trials

By the late 17th century, tensions in Salem were running high. A combination of religious fanaticism, political instability, and a harsh frontier environment led to an atmosphere ripe for fear and suspicion. In this climate, the Salem Witch Trials erupted—a stark reminder of the dangers of mass hysteria and the consequences of unchecked fear.

The Witch Trials: A Tragic Descent into Madness

The Salem Witch Trials began in the spring of 1692 when a group of young girls in the town claimed to be possessed by the devil, accusing several local women of witchcraft. What followed was a frenzy of accusations, leading to the arrest of more than 200 people. By the time the hysteria subsided in 1693, 19 men and women had been executed by hanging, one man had been pressed to death, and several others had died in jail.

The Young Girls: The witch hunt started with Betty Parris (9), Abigail Williams (11), Ann Putnam Jr. (12), and Elizabeth Hubbard (17). The accusations centered around the concept of “affliction”, and the women accused of having caused physical and mental harm to the girls through witchcraft.

The Salem Witch Trials were fueled by a combination of fear, religious extremism, and the desire for social control. The accused were often those who stood out in the community—women who defied traditional roles, outcasts, or those who held properties that others coveted. The panic and cruelty that characterized this period left an indelible mark on Salem’s history, one that continues to resonate today.

Gallows Hill: The Site of Execution

“This was the field where superstition won her darkest triumph […] the high place where our fathers set up their shame, to the mournful gaze of generations far remote. The dust of martyrs was beneath our feet. We stood on Gallows Hill.”
– Nathaniel Hawthorne, Alice Doane’s Appeal, 1835

Gallows Hill at the intersection of Manswell Parkway and Witch Hill Road was the site where the accused were believed to have been executed for centuries, according to local lore hanged from locust trees. They believed this was the spot much because historian Charles Wentworth Upham said so in 1867, although there were murmurs about that the place was not the correct one. According to legends, the ancestors of those involved in the Salem Witch Trials went to Gallows Hill and revealed the location for the dead to those who came after them. The writer Nathanial Hawtorn was one of them, being the many times great-grandson of Judge John Hathorn, the man responsible for sentencing the victims to the gallows for witchcraft. But how much of this local lore was actually true?

Salem, from the lookout on Witches’ Hill

Nevertheless the Gallows Hill and the area around has long been shrouded in mystery and legend. Screaming is said to come from the wooded area that surrounds the hill. The specter of a lady in white is said to appear in the night. 

According to the locals, they say that this place is a common spot for suicides as well. Paranormal researchers have long thought this fuels the other. The sadness of the area draws souls to it, and creates this haunted aura of the place. In October in 1992, there were almost 200 people from nearby churches gathered to “cleanse” the dark energy from the hill. Did they manage it?

Proctors Ledge: The Actual Location for the Executions

However, in 2016, it was proved that the exact place was Proctors Ledge, named after the victims John Proctor and his wife who died in the Salem Witch Trials. Proctor doubted the accusation of the girls and even proclaimed that any Devil in Salem was within the accusers – not the accused.

This exact place is a ledge on a small hill between Proctor Street and Pope Street in Salem, overlooking a Walgreens in a residential area. It got a memorial placed there in 2017. 

They were also said to have been hanged, not by locust trees, but on traditional gallows. 

Execution of Reverend George Burroughs: On August 19, 1692, Martha Carrier, George Jacobs Sr., George Burroughs, John Willard, and John Proctor were executed. Elizabeth Proctor was given a temporary stay of execution because she was pregnant.

The ghost tours and visitors have now started to accept the fact that this was the place and now direct their haunted focus on Proctor’s Ledge, which now starts to have the same haunted legends about the woman in white appearing to visitors, the disembodied voices and orbs floating around them. One thing about Proctor’s Ledge is that many believe that it also acted as a temporary burial ground for the victims before they were discreetly moved for a proper burial by their family members. So even if their bodies are no longer there, could their spirits be?

Proctors Ledge: Much more discreet than other memorial places, the actual location of the Salem Witch Trials was most likely here at Proctors Ledge. Wally Gobetz/Flickr

Old Burying Point: The Resting Place of the Accused

The Old Burying Point Cemetery, also known as Charter Street Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in the United States, dating back to 1683. Buried there are even passengers from the Mayflower. It is also the final resting place for many of Salem’s notable figures, including some of the judges involved in the Salem Witch Trials. 

The graveyard is said to have the spirits from the accused from the witch trials as well. But is this true? Is this the final resting place for the victims of the witch hunt? The short answer is, we simply don’t know for sure. While none of the accused witches were officially buried here and many were interred in unmarked graves or simply discarded according to lore. 

Now, is this part true? The same answer applies. After the hanging, there was a lot happening. Some say that the victims’ families discreetly took the hanged victims and moved them away to give them the proper Christian burial they were denied. Did they manage to sneak them into this graveyard as their final resting place? No matter what the truth is, the cemetery is still steeped in spectral lore.

Legend has it that the spirits of the accused roam the cemetery, seeking justice and acknowledgment for the wrongs done to them. Visitors to Old Burying Point often speak of ghostly apparitions, strange lights, and the sensation of an otherworldly presence. The cemetery, with its weathered tombstones and ancient trees, exudes an atmosphere of haunting beauty and melancholy.

At the graveyard, the same story of a ghost of a woman in white is said to haunt as well. A specter of one of the accused and murdered woman haunting her grave? Attracted to the final resting place to the people who sentenced her to death? 

The Ghost of the Judge Condemning the Salem Witches

Another one said to haunt this place is the ghost of Judge John Hathorne. He was asked to lead the trials and was harsh when questioning them all, convinced they were witches and in league with the devil. Among the locals he was known as the “hanging judge”, because of his tendency to send the accused to the gallows and abuse his power for his own gain. 

At the Salem Witch Trials he accused seven months pregnant Sarah Proctor of being a witch, sending her to jail where her baby died a few days after being born. He sentenced her to death, leaving her 4 year old daughter an orphan. Before she died, local lore say that she cursed the Reverend Nicholas Noyes presiding over her execution. “You are a liar. I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take away my life, God will give you blood to drink,”

Examination of a Witch: Painted in 1853 by T. H. Matteson, inspired by the Salem witch trials

Although falsely accused, one can almost wonder if the words uttered by Sarah Good ringed true for many of the ones in charge of her trial, as many of them are said to have died horrible deaths, like the Reverend who died of a hemorrhage that brought blood to his mouth. And the case with Judge Hathorn, who is said to have lingered in the world as a ghost.

His ghost is said to haunt the Old Burying Point Cemetery as well as the Witch House close by, made with the intention to keep witches and other paranormal creatures at bay. It used to belong to his friend, Jonathan Corwin. One can wonder how a ghost could step into a house like that, proving that the measures made to keep them out didn’t really work. 

Honoring the Accused: A Shift in Perspective

In modern times, Salem has transformed its legacy from one of persecution to one of remembrance and education. The city now honors the memory of the accused witches, emphasizing their innocence and the tragedy of their unjust treatment. Each October, during the annual Salem Haunted Happenings festival, thousands flock to the city to remember the victims and reflect on the lessons of the past.

The Salem Witch Trials Memorial, located near Old Burying Point, serves as a poignant tribute to the 20 individuals who lost their lives. The memorial features 20 stone benches, each inscribed with the name of an accused person and the method of their execution, symbolizing the enduring need to remember and honor their stories.

The Enduring Haunt of Salem and the Witch Trials

The haunting legends of Gallows Hill and Old Burying Point serve as stark reminders of the horrors of the Salem Witch Trials. The echoes of the past are palpable in these hallowed grounds, where the spirits of the accused are said to linger, a testament to the enduring impact of fear, injustice, and human suffering. Today, Salem stands not only as a historical site but also as a beacon of reflection, ensuring that the lessons of the past continue to resonate with future generations.

More like this

Newest Posts

References:

Gallows Hill in Salem, Mass – History of Massachusetts Blog 

The Ghosts of Proctor’s Ledge in Salem Massachusetts 

The Ghosts of Gallows Hill in Salem Massachusetts 

Ukategorisert

The Witches of the Drowning Pool on Mackinac Island

Leave a comment
Advertisements

At the height of the witch hunts, seven Mackinac Island women were taken to trial for witchcraft. During the trial by water, all of them drowned and are now haunting the water that took their life. But how much of this elaborate ghost story is really true? And what lurks in the Drowning Pool said to be haunted by them?

In the glistening waters of Lake Huron between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, Mackinac Island is a serene retreat known for its picturesque beauty, historic charm, and an eerie reputation for the supernatural. In fact, Mackinac Island was called the most haunted town in America in 2021, with many stories having been covered over the years. And with only a full time population of around 583 people, the ghosts perhaps even outnumber the living. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from the USA

With no cars allowed and transportation limited to bicycles and horse-drawn carriages, the island offers a unique step back in time. Some come to enjoy the quiet seaside and enjoy the famous fudge. The island has become a perfect summer destination for Americans, but after the tourists leave in the fall, the fog from the Straits comes rolling in, and the leaves turn color, the ghost of the island remains to haunt it. 

The Drowning Pool: Said to be haunted by witches, what is the truth beneath the tales of the haunted lagoon?

A Brief History of Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island’s history stretches back thousands of years, with indigenous peoples such as the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Huron considering it a sacred place long before European settlers arrived. The island’s name itself, derived from the Ojibwe word “Michilimackinac,” means “big turtle,” referring to the island’s shape when viewed from above.

Read more: Check out all ghost stories from Mackinac Island

The French established a fur trading post here in the 17th century, and the island later became a strategic military outpost during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. In the late 19th century, it became more of a summer colony and a tourist destination that it still is. 

The Drowning Pool

One of the most macabre stories comes from the island’s Drowning Pool, a small, seemingly innocuous body of water near the shore between Mission Point and downtown Mackinac with an ominous sounding name. Stories keep coming back about this water, told among people before finally reaching online, sometimes going viral on storytimes. 

There is plenty of lore around this little lagoon. Natives were known to have used this place for rites and rituals in the 18th century, a young native girl died there after her love for a British soldier went unrequited. According to legend she is still lingering by the pool, looking for her long lost love. Perhaps most telling is the legend that during the 1700s or early 1800s, seven women accused of witchcraft were drowned here. 

A lot of these legends would be hard to prove, but surely a huge witch trial like this would have been talked about more. Just how much of the legends are true, and is this little pool of water really haunted?

The Legend of the Seven Witches in the Drowning Pool

Back then, Fort Mackinac was a huge deal and there were a lot of brothels popping up around them. Seven of these women were said to entice the soldiers at the fort, the fur traders, as well as other’s husbands and luring them back to their house. 

One of the big tests they used on accused witches back then was the trial by water, or witch swimming test. They tied them up and threw them into the water to see if they floated or not. According to the saying, the water would repel any witches and make them float, as an direct intervention of God to show they were guilty. There are also those tying the connection water has with Jesus and his baptism and rejecting the witches from the water. If the accused sank, they were innocent. In both cases it could be a sure way to die. 

Indicium Aquae: Although not as often used as popular media will have you to believe, there were actual cases were the Trial by Water or indicium aquae’, was used to find witches. James I of England, stated in his writing in the Daemonologie (1597) “that God hath appointed … that the water shall refuse to receive them in her bosome, that have shaken off them the sacred Water of Baptisme, and wilfully refused the benefite thereof.” Here from: The ‘swimming’ of Mary Sutton (1615). The last time a suspected wizard being ‘swum’ by a mob, was in The Headingham witchcraft Case on March 15th 1864,

In this story, all women got rocks tied around their ankles and thrown into the lagoon. All seven women sank and drowned, proving their innocence, but taking their life. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories about witches

Ever since then, the Drowning Pool has been cursed by the lingering souls of the witches. Some say that they see their pale faces in the water under moonlight, or strange lights dancing over the water surface. In addition to the haunting of the Drowning Pool itself, the apparition and chilling feeling is also said to happen along or nearby Dennis O. Cawthorne Shoreline Trail.

What is the Truth Behind the Witch Trials?

But what is really true? The witch hunt was already pretty much over by the 1700s and such a big case like this would probably have garnered more sources than an abridged and vague story copy and pasted around the internet. 

In regards to the brothel side to the story, there is not much evidence or documentation that there ever existed brothels on Mackinac Island, at least any official ones. Was there prostitution? Almost certainly. Were there seven women luring men back to their home for witchcraft? More unlikely. 

But could the brothel mention just have been added as an afterthought to spruce the story up, or perhaps even the allegations? After all, not every retelling has this part with it. 

Was the pond even there back then? In fact, some say the pool of water didn’t’ exist then, but is of a more modern origin. Formed in the 90s and perhaps even the 2000 when the people behind tourism and development on the island have molded the land into their liking. Like knocking down several buildings to make a golf course and bistros to cater to the tourist. This created deep ponds formed from the resort areas to the rocky shoreline of Lake Huron. 

The Haunting of the Drowning Pool

Although there were no witches drowned there, could it be something else? What really is behind the stories of the sightings of the spirits lurking just below the surface of the Drowning Pool, only leaving us with the splashing sound of the deep murky water. 

More like this

Newest Posts

References:

Shedding Light on the Spirited Stories from Mackinac Island’s Mission Point – Promote Michigan

https://www.thehorrordome.com/blogs/news/from-soldiers-to-spectral-maidens-the-haunted-chronicles-of-mackinac-island?srsltid=AfmBOootX-dmsVR6t_j1cCuR-t8coTIMxuDL1sEWlV2GRa-TcS7iN3X3

Mackinac Island’s Witch Killing Drowning Pool, Is It Real?

At the Water’s Edge: The Witches Drowing Pool — Travelers Moon

Sink or Swim: The Swimming Test in English Witchcraft 

Swimming a Witch: Evidence in 17th-century English Witchcraft Trials | In Custodia Legis

Ukategorisert

The Witch Caves of Zugarramurdi

1 Comment
Advertisements

During one of the biggest witch trials in Spain, there was one place that was thought to be more filled with witchcraft than others. In the so-called Witch Caves of Zugarramurdi in the Basque country, it was said that witches gathered for sabbaths and akellares.

The witch hunt hit Europe hard, and Spain was no different. The Inquisition in Spain was brutal and perhaps one of the darkest chapters in the history of the country. The church and its helpers took everyone that the catholic deemed inappropriate, witches, heretics alike. 

In Navarre, north in the country close to the French border, the forest of the Pyrenees grew thick and legends, strange rites and rumors of witches were especially strong there. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

Especially in the deep darkness of the caves of Zugarramurdi the haunted legends from the past echoes throughout the walls of the cave. You can find them just 400 meters from the village through the woods. 

The Witch Caves of Zugarramurdi: These caves in Zugarramurdi in northern, Spain were long thought to be a popular place for witches to meet and conduct witchcraft and demonic sabbaths.

Inside of the 120 meters long cave that towers over 10 meters is the stream called Oblabidea that runs through it. The stream was also known as Infernuko Erreka, or the stream of hell and was a perfect place for the witches to hold their sabbats. 

The Magical and Mysterious Basque Country

Already in the 1100s, the Basque country was described as barbaric and mysterious from southern Spain’s perspective. The place was also a misty and heavily wooded terrain with few people that spoke a foreign and as they describe it, harsh sounding language. 

Belief in witches were actually quite low compared to the rest of Europe at that time, and the educated Spaniards saw witchcraft as a protestant superstition as well as something only the “uneducated” northerners believed in. Still, being accused as a witch was a very deadly thing as the people of Zugarramurdi would soon find out. 

The Tribunal of the Spanish Inquisition in Logrono received intel that there were witches and wizards in Zugarramurdi and became involved in one of the most brutal and biggest witch hunts in Spanish history with over 7000 investigated for witchcraft. 

In 1610 take came to Zugarramurdi that means the hill of elm trees to investigate the suspicions. The people of Zugarramurdi had long traditions of making creams and herbal medicine that were unknown to the rest of the country. There were also more women as the men were at sea for months on whaling boats, something that the authorities saw as unfortunate and suspicious with villagers filled with women going on about their days with the men away. 

There were also the strange things that the number of stillborns were abnormally higher than the rest of Spain. This has turned out to be because the Basques have a very high percentage of Rhesus Negative blood. Although we today have a scientific explanation on it, they used to think they were cursed. 

The Witch Trials of Zugarramurdi

It all started when a 20-year old girl came back to the town after living many years in France. For some reason she started to tell everyone that she had been one of those participating in Akelarres, or the witch sabbaths. 

Then she started to involve more people and claimed that a woman named Maria de Jureteguis had been involved as well. This is when things escalated and more and more of the locals started to accuse each other for witchcraft. 

Over 300 became involved in the investigation, almost the whole village. The witch hunters rounded up over 40 women and men that the neighbors had accused and brought them back to Logorno to await trial. 

Many of them repented and were let go in the end, but some of them were tortured for months and five died in prison. There were 7 that were burned at the stake. 

When the trial had ended all of them were dragged through the streets with no hair and big wax candles in their hands. A lot of them were wearing a tunic called sanbenitos to show people that they had sinned. Some had a rope around their necks to show they were about to be flogged. The remains of those that died were carried to the pyre and four women and two men were burned as they kept denying they were witches. 

Their names were Domingo de Subildegui, María de Echachute, Graciana Xarra, Maria Baztan de Borda, Maria de Arburu and Petri de Joangorena. Not all of them were from Zugarramurdi town, but were all condemned for participating in the witch sabbath there. 

It was the notorious Inquisitor Valle-Alvardo who came to town and rounded up everyone they thought looked and seemed out of sorts as a last effort to root out evil from Navarre in what became known as the Basque Witch Trials. 

A madness and witch fever because of what happened were getting out of hand and thousands upon thousands were accused of witchcraft all across the country. A man went back to Zugarramurdi and spent 18 months talking with them. It turned out that most of the accusations were false, but alas, for many it was already too late. 

Akelarre – the Spanish Witch Sabbath

Akelarre literally means the pasture of the he-goat in Basque, and according to the tribunal it was where the witches met up with Satan. Today the word is synonymous with Witch Sabbath in Spain. 

The Akelarre and the witch sabbath lore seems to have been the pagan remains of the rituals from before christianity. This type of female worship in groups has been done since the classical Greece times when worshiping Dionysus, perhaps even before. 

Witch Sabbaths: The painting Akelarre  from 1798, by Francisco Goya.

People over Europe were accused of these types of gatherings, but if there was actually anyone doing it is highly uncertain, even though pagan remains of the past have lasted for a much longer time in remote places than the church would have liked it to. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories about: Witches

Some of the things the accused witches of Zugarramurdi werre thought to do was demonic possession, vampirism, celebrating black masses and causing storms, as well as cursing the fields and animals among other things. 

The Witches in the Caves

Why was it that there were so many accused of witchcraft right here in this quaint little village? Some of it had to do with the rumors of the caves nearby where people claimed to have seen big bonfires and pagan festivities by the locals, the witches. 

According to legend, the rest of the witches of Zugarramurdi went into hiding in some caves outside of the town after their time on trial. To get away from the town that wanted them dead and gone.  Perhaps it was to practice their rites and witchcraft in peace, far from the deadly hands of the inquisition?

The story goes that you can still hear the echoes of their magical chanting and dancing around the fires. 

Inside of it they have a throne room, where the devil himself would join the witches during the sabbath. 

The Witch Caves of Zugarramurdi Today

Today it is still an important place for the modern-day witches in Spain and they honor the reputation and the magical place of Zugarramurdi and the caves people once thought were a place for devil worship. 
The town of Zugarramurdi also established the witch museum to remember the town’s dark past and holds yearly fests in the famous cave. 

More like this

Newest Posts

References:

The Witches of Zugarramurdi – the scene was set!

Basque Fact of the Week: Zugarramurdi, the Town of Witches

Haunted Spain, stories for an All Hallows Eve – CaramelTrail

Ten paranormal places that you can actually visit in Spain