Question for BBP: Museum de Heksenwaag at Oudewater?

[Rath Darkblade]

I just read about this place. It sounds neat. https://heksenwaag.nl/en/

For those who are unfamiliar with this: the Museum de Heksenwaag is a unique museum about the persecution of witches. (I'm not too familiar with Dutch, but I can see "Heksen" is similar to "Hexen", similar to the English word "hex" or curse...)

Anyway, the cool thing about the museum is that it has a set of scales where an accused witch was set. The assumption was that if a woman was a witch, she would have no soul, and therefore her body would be much lighter than it should be (using a height-to-weight ratio). Remind you of anything? Monty Python: We found a witch, may we burn her?

Anyway, here's my question (oops, too late). *blush* I heard stories that when Dutch "witches" were being weighed, someone would put additional weight on the scales "accidentally on purpose", so the woman would be found innocent. Is that true? I also heard that often, the judge " and "didn't notice" when the extra weight was put on. "I didn't see anything. Carry on..."

Thanks!

[BBP]

In Holland (the western section of The Netherlands) the prosecution of witches didn't catch on. As such, the Heksenwaag of Oudewater was a place where witches would be weighed and could get a certificate if they were heavy enough.

I haven't heard about the weight being added, but I guess that wouldn't be necessary at all since none of the women on the scales would be actual witches. Good story though.

[Rath Darkblade]

Hmm ... *thinks* I looked into it, and the Heksenwaag apparently dates back to the 16th century. If I remember, this is (very roughly) about the same time as the Spanish invaded the Netherlands (and also roughly the same time as Martin Luther, the Reformation, the Catholic-vs-Protestant Wars of Religion and so on)?

If this is right, then maybe the whole "witch hunt" thing in the Netherlands might stem from that time. After all, the Spanish Inquisitions (yes, there was more than one) are (in)famous. So, maybe when the Spanish invaded the Netherlands, they brought their inquisition with them -- and that's when the whole thing started. Maybe? *crosses fingers*

Wait, I might be phrasing this badly. Oops! Of course I'm not crossing my fingers for inquisitions or witch-hunts! But I'm hoping my guess might be close.

So, here's my second question (aren't I done yet? Nope... sorry)

If in Holland the prosecution of witches didn't catch on, then ... what happened when someone said "She's a witch!" or "He's a witch!" (Yes, men got accused to be witches/warlocks too). Did they all get taken to the Heksenwaag? That sounds like a lot of trouble.

And yes, I agree: none of the women were actual witches. But if other people believed they were witches, then ... You know the sort of thing: "She passed my fields and mumbled something, now my crops are dying!" or "She gave me a weird look, and now my cow is sick!" etc. It's ridiculous, of course, but some people took it seriously.

[BBP]

The witch hunt is a highly complex subject in the sense that there is one catalyst we can point our fingers at (the book Malleus Maleficarum) ut its reality is complex. In the provinces of Holland (the west of The Netherlands, with the big cities). The bulk of them in the south east (present-day Limburg).

In my province of Brabant there were two main instances of witch hunt, in Lierop in Asten. I visited the Asten castle ruins where the torture happened - all at the hand of one nasty guy who was mainly using accusations of witchcraft to enrich himself.

[Rath Darkblade]

The witch hunt is a highly complex subject in the sense that there is one catalyst we can point our fingers at (the book Malleus Maleficarum) ut its reality is complex. In the provinces of Holland (the west of The Netherlands, with the big cities). The bulk of them in the south east (present-day Limburg).

In my province of Brabant there were two main instances of witch hunt, in Lierop in Asten. I visited the Asten castle ruins where the torture happened - all at the hand of one nasty guy who was mainly using accusations of witchcraft to enrich himself.

Hmm ... I tried looking up that incident, but couldn't find it. But it sounds very similar to the appalling Hexenbischof, Johann von Dornheim of Bamberg. It seems that the the cruelest tortures happened in parts of today's Germany. I only read about the Bamberg witch trials, but they are horrifying. Thank goodness such things belong in the past, at least in Europe.

I've also heard of women in later centuries who declared themselves to be witches because their neighbours wouldn't stop harassing or slandering them. So, by being tried as witches (and being proved innocent), the harassment would stop. At least, Hendrinka Hofhuis did this, and everyone agreed she was innocent, and the harassment stopped. I'm sure -- at least, I hope -- that everyone said sorry, and tried to make it up to her. At least, that's one story with a good ending.