a lot of Names, interrupted with a lot of Traitors, Lily's Crush, McG/Hooch
justcarol67
justcarol67 at yahoo.com
Mon Jul 3 03:28:15 UTC 2006
No: HPFGUIDX 154782
Neri wrote:
> I don't see any reason to suppose that the people hanged in the
Salem trials were (in the Potterverse) true witches and wizards. There
are many spells that would enable a witch or a wizard escape from a
muggle jail – no reason for them to stay around for the hanging – even
if we don't consider that the wizarding community would probably come
to their aid. As a whole I doubt JKR is even familiar with the
particulars of the Salem trials. From her point of view we have Newt
Scamander, Bathilda Bagshot and Prof. Binns all agreeing that
> persecutions by muggles weren't a danger for true wizards.
<snip>
>OTOH the purebloods and DEs never mention the witch-hunt as
justification for their deeds and indeed AFAIK never even suggest that
muggles might be a threat to wizards in any way.
><snip>
>
Carol responds:
In which case, why was the Statute of Secrecy passed in 1692? I, for
one, doubt that the date is a coincidence. Not everyone is familiar
with medieval witch hunts of whatever variety, but the Salem witch
trials are very well known. And those witches and wizards *were*
British. It seems to me a perfect justification--or excuse--to
separate the Muggle and Wizarding worlds, and to keep the existence of
the WW a secret.
What Binns, Bagshot, et al. were agreeing is that witch *burning* did
not hurt witches. They said nothing about hanging and the other
methods used in Salem. We've seen that witches and wizards can suffer
bruises, broken bones, and drowning like anyone else; it seems likely
that they would die from hanging as well if they didn't have their
wands; and using their wands would have proven them guilty.
I'm not suggesting that the DEs used the Salem witch trials as
justification for Muggle baiting. I'm saying that it may well have
prompted the Statute of Secrecy in the same year.
And FWIW, the Salem Institute has its own tent at the QWC, indicating
that JKR is indeed familiar at least with the trials themselves and
their results if not with the details, and making a definite
connection between Salem and witches.
Carol, convinced that the date is no coincidence and thinking that JKR
may not be aware of the vast numbers of people who actually died in
the European persecutions
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