Witches, Witchcraft, and Witch Hunts

To those who grew up in Abbeville, Alabama, the legend of Huggin' Molly is a common story told by parents who wanted their children home before dark. The old legend, which no one is exactly sure on its origins, states that a "phantom-like women" would appear in front of children, but only during the night. It continues by explaining that she would squeeze them so tightly (a fitting name of Huggin' Molly) while simultaneously screaming in their ears. To anyone, this sounds like an unpleasant time. Although, she is never have said to harm the children, but rather just be as obnoxious as humanly possible.  During the early 1960s, many Abbeville residents came forward with different accounts of Huggin' Molly sittings. Although, these sittings were likely a combination of shadows and one's own imagination, that have gotten passed down from each generation. No one in the town seems fully confident on the identity of this individual, and it is also still unclear why

If you've ever seen the Blair Witch Project , you are probably familiar with Moll Dyer. Arguably one of my favorite movies, the Blair Witch Project depicts the story a women who was driven out of her town by local townsfolk in the midst of a winter night. The movie shows how she know haunts those in the woods she died in, and it is said her soul still resides in the cabin in the middle of the woods.  Moll Dyer was accused of witchcraft in the 17th Century, yet, no evidence has ever been found of her existence. The stories and folktales of her do not all agree, and it is hard to pinpoint exactly who she was. The most popular story believed her to be an Irish noblewomen who attempted to escape a mysterious past by residing in a small cottage outside of Seymortown. Her isolated way of living drew attention to the locals, who later described her as a witch. When any misfortune happened to the town, Moll Dyer was to blame.  In the winter of 1697, the season wreaked havoc on the town and

Ursula Southeil, otherwise known as Mother Shipton, became popular in 1641, eighty years after her death, when her publication of soothsays and prophecies was brought into light. Of her most notable prophecies, which was published in 1684, stated that she was notoriously ugly. The women who gave birth to her spoke of a smell of sulfur and a large booming sound of thunder as the new child entered the world. In any circumstance, this is usually not a good sign. The text goes on to explain that the baby was born misshapen and large, with some believing that her father, who was not in the picture, was the devil himself. At the age of only two years old, her mother abandoned her. From an early age, Mother Shipton displayed psychic abilities, writing prophecies in the many different forms, largely poems. The legend she embodied was passed on through oral traditions, and is perhaps not entirely true. Although, many of her visions came true during her lifetime, such as the Great Fire of London