Four theories about the Cause of the Salem Witch
Trials – Early 1690s
1. Mass hysteria caused by an over zealous religious faith all fueled by superstition, panic, and rumor. Tituba, A West Indian indentured servant recently imported to a household in Salem, had been telling stories and folklore about demons and spells to several young girls who, in turn, spread the stories through the neighborhood. Such stories of witches and demons and spells to ward them off or attract them had always been in circulation, but under the influence of an “authority” like Tituba, they took root in the minds of some very impressionable adolescent girls and spread.
2. Rye mold
which contain the chemical basis for LSD.
Mold on rye bread and mushrooms containing a hallucinogenic chemicals have
been blamed for many historical incidents from the Spanish Inquisition to a
form of Medieval mania called Dancing Mania.
3. Economic jealousy
of fringe groups in the small culture who felt disenfranchised and relatively
deprived and who intended to get revenge on the landholders and wealthy
citizens.
4. A Spiritual realm invisible to the eye which is inhabited by demons and angels and who interact with humans either to cause grief and havoc or protect and give good counsel. This, of course, is the traditional theory subscribed to by religious folks world-wide.