the incident does not tell us anything about the veracity of claims to consult the dead on the part of mediums, because the indications [of the woman’s behavior] are that this was an extraordinary event for her, and a frightening one, because she was not in control. [22] Beuken, Willem (1978). "1Samuel 28: The prophet as 'hammer of witches' ". Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. 3 (6): 8–9. doi: 10.1177/030908927800300602. S2CID 170802393. di Fiosa, Jimahl (24 November 2010). A Coin for the Ferryman: The Death and Life of Alex Sanders. p.69.

Long before the Salem witch trials, England’s witch hunts caused a stir among the church and state, causing changes in the law codes to be made over several monarchs and decades. The criminal prosecution of accused stemmed from the connection between church and state within the British government. It was widely believed that the King was divinely appointed to the throne by God, meaning the British government possessed divine power in and of itself. Since there was anti-religiosity and Satanic associations with witchcraft, accused witches during this time period were prosecuted by the government instead of just the Church. England passed its first statute against witchcraft in 1542, during the reign of Henry VIII, declaring witchcraft a crime punishable by death. This statute was then repealed in 1547 with the ascension of Edward VI to the throne. There was not another statute regarding witchcraft passed until 1563 under Elizabeth I, which divided witchcraft into different levels. These levels were made distinct by the amount of harm caused by the use of magical forces, each level begetting different punishments. The most severe crime was murder by the use of magic, which was punishable by death. James I, thought, broadened this statue, expanding corporal punishment to include crimes that involved causing harm to people, property, and animals, or reoffending witches. Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series of novels features a recurring character named Geillis Duncan who is tried and convicted of being a witch. In the television adaptation she is portrayed by Lotte Verbeek. [30] It was alleged that Euphame MacCalzean, Barbara Napier, Agnes Sampson and others had attended an assembly of witches at " Atkynson's Haven" where an image of James VI was given to the devil for the destruction of the king. [19] In The Fellowship of the Ring, he appears unnamed as one of the nine Nazgûl. He is shown briefly as a king of Men in the prologue, and serves as one of the primary antagonists throughout the film alongside the other Ringwraiths. He is the Wraith who stabs Frodo with a Morgul-blade on Weathertop, although this is only revealed in The Return of the King by Gandalf.a b c d "A Talk by Maxine Sanders" part 2, Witchcraft and Wicca Issue 4, p. 4. London: Children of Artemis. Beyond the visual interpretations of the witches, there are some structural differences in the play, further separating them from the other characters. In an analysis conducted by the British Library, author Carol Atherton observed that the witches speak in a different meter than the other characters in the work. While other characters, including Macbeth, speak in iambic meter the witches speak in trochaic meter. What does this mean? It means that while other characters are speaking in alternating unstressed and stressed syllables, the witches are alternating stressed then unstressed syllables (Atherton). By starting their lines with stressed syllables, the witches come off as more aggressive and even foreboding, thus adding to their mysterious and somewhat terrifying image. This analysis also notes that there is a difference in number of syllables averaging in each line, the witches only average around four syllables while most of Shakespeare’s lines contain five syllables (Atherton). Lastly, Atherton notes that the witches speak in more rhymed couplets than other characters, making their dialogue sound more like a spell. These fundamental differences in speech are immediate ways to drive a barrier between the witches and the other characters, not only when people are reading the play but also seeing it performed are they able to notice right away there is a distinct difference in speech pattern between the “human” characters and these mysterious witches.

The prophecy made by Glorfindel at the Battle of Fornost centuries before was fulfilled, as Éowyn was a woman. The Witch-king's death changed the tide of the battle, and ultimately the outcome of the war. The woman of the story is called in Biblical Hebrew אֵשֶׁת בַּעֲלַת־אֹוב בְּעֵין דֹּור ( ʾēšeṯ baʿălaṯ-ʾōḇ bəʿĒyn Dōr), "a woman, possessor of an ’ōḇ at 'Endor' (Ein Dor, a location name meaning a circular well or spring). The word אֹ֖וב ’ōḇ has been suggested by Harry A. Hoffner to refer to a ritual pit for summoning the dead from the netherworld, based on parallels in other Near Eastern and Mediterranean cultures. The word has cognates in other regional languages (cf. Sumerian ab, Akkadian âbu, Hittite a-a-bi, Ugaritic ib) and the medium or witch of Endor's ritual has parallels in Babylonian and Hittite magical texts as well as the Odyssey. [3] [4] Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse. a b Sanders, Maxine (30 April 2019). "Alexandrian Witchcraft: Battling the Scourge of Historical Inaccuracy — Fact by Fact . . ".

7. There was a 17th-century “Witchfinder General”

Naturally, questioning under torture led to a web of even more people being accused as victims desperately named other ‘witches’ to stop the pain.

According to Maxine, Sanders, as a bisexual man, also had a number of relationships with men during his relationship with Maxine. [25] [26] Cramer, Maria (9 March 2022). "Scotland Apologizes for History of Witchcraft Persecution". The New York Times . Retrieved 9 March 2022. Sanders frequently appeared in ritual photos as robed or wearing only a loincloth, while the other witches that surrounded him were skyclad, or naked. His explanation for this was that "Witch law" required that the elder of a coven to be apart from the others and easily identifiable. Keil, Carl Friedrich; Delitzsch, Franz (1956). Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel. Eerdmans. p.262. Games Workshop has released several miniatures of the Witch-king based on his appearances in the movies. He is depicted on foot, as riding a Nazgûl-bird and as riding a horse. He is also included in a mini diorama depicting his last moments in The Return of the King.In 1963, Sanders began to study the works of Abramelin the Mage. It was around this time, Di Fiosa (2004) notes, that Sanders believed that angels told him to seek employment as a porter, book-duster, and odd-job man in the John Rylands Library, Manchester, where he could access an original copy of the Key of Solomon. [22] Not long thereafter, Sanders' employment was terminated for dismantling the late 19th century edition of the Mathers' translation of the Key of Solomon. [23] As well as influence from Goetia, which Sanders incorporated into his version of Wicca, Sanders was greatly influenced by the teachings of Eliphas Levi. a b c d Hutton, Ronald (2001). Triumph of the Moon. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-285449-6. The main argument of the second book is based on the following topics regarding the description of sorcery and witchcraft: The Witch-king of Angmar, or Lord of the Nazgûl, was the leader of the Nazgûl (Ringwraiths) and Sauron's deadliest vassal during the Second and Third Ages of Middle-earth.