The study highlights how the witch-hunt phenomenon crossed ethnic and religious boundaries. It investigates the roles Jews and Muslim Tatars played in Lithuanian witch hunts and analyses how their cultural traits and societal positions influenced their involvement. According to the sources, their participation in witch hunts followed four main patterns: (1) as accusers or victims of bewitchment, (2) as instigators of bewitchment, (3) as accused witches on trial, and (4) as exposed accomplices to witches. Christian society generally did not associate non-Christian minorities with witchcraft, as this label was typically reserved for internal enemies within the community. However, certain political events and social pressures could trigger legal accusations and violence against these minorities. Their cultural and legal autonomy did not prevent the influence of bewitchment fears but typically obstructed the adoption of the Western concept of witchcraft. Non-Christian victims of bewitchment often resorted to counter-magic rather than judicial processes, given concerns over discrimination and the inefficiency of the courts. Their relative autonomy, tolerance for benevolent magic, and protective state policies largely kept them outside the scope of the Early Modern witch hunt.

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Borderless Fear: Lithuanian Jews and Tatars in the Witch Trials

  • Vital Byl

摘要

The study highlights how the witch-hunt phenomenon crossed ethnic and religious boundaries. It investigates the roles Jews and Muslim Tatars played in Lithuanian witch hunts and analyses how their cultural traits and societal positions influenced their involvement. According to the sources, their participation in witch hunts followed four main patterns: (1) as accusers or victims of bewitchment, (2) as instigators of bewitchment, (3) as accused witches on trial, and (4) as exposed accomplices to witches. Christian society generally did not associate non-Christian minorities with witchcraft, as this label was typically reserved for internal enemies within the community. However, certain political events and social pressures could trigger legal accusations and violence against these minorities. Their cultural and legal autonomy did not prevent the influence of bewitchment fears but typically obstructed the adoption of the Western concept of witchcraft. Non-Christian victims of bewitchment often resorted to counter-magic rather than judicial processes, given concerns over discrimination and the inefficiency of the courts. Their relative autonomy, tolerance for benevolent magic, and protective state policies largely kept them outside the scope of the Early Modern witch hunt.