You'd think it'd be easier to find out how to bury a witch. My girlfriend's fine, don't worry, but the characters in my story... not so much. I managed to find one article about a couple of bodies thrown into a pit 800 years ago, but that's the wrong century, and the writer wasn't sure if they were actually witches. So, in the 16th century, 1591 to be precise, after hanging and possibly burning, how were the bodies disposed of? And because of my specific universe*: Were coffins involved? Facts would be nice, but in lieu of that, I'll settle for plausible. Also, just gonna tag @Sir Reginald Pinkleton *My universe is exactly like the real world, but with an afterlife attached, and the way you were buried determines how you arrive there. Because jokes.
Hey, I found an article for you. https://ancestralfindings.com/site-of-salem-witch-trial-hangings-discovered-why-its-important-to-genealogists/ The tradition has long been that the victims of the witch trials were hanged on the summit of Gallows Hill, and their bodies were buried together in a shallow pit at the site, since, as convicted witches, they would not be allowed burial in consecrated ground in the city cemetery. Interesting, some of the bodies were dug up from Gallows Hill and buried elsewhere by relatives. I found mention of another witch who was buried in the tidewaters offshore. The people covered the grave with a massive stone slab. They were weighing the body down to keep the witch from returning. They were doubly worried because she had killed herself and because of her associations, that made it likely that she would return as a revenant. Suicide was a crime possibly greater than witchcraft, at least in some ways.
Yeah, doesn't seem like there is a lot of information on it or anything universal. Several online articles mention some methods, and the point of burying the witch face down, but the only references seem to be link to other online pages. Even the 'Malleus Maleficarum' doesn't actually seem to show what to do with a witch's body after judgment, at least based on a quick scan.
From the wiki page on the 'Malleus Maleficarum': 'The Malleus suggests torture to effectively obtain confessions and the death penalty as the only certain remedy against the evils of witchcraft. At the time of its publication, heretics were frequently sentenced to be burned alive at the stake[8] and the Malleus encouraged the same treatment of witches. The book had a strong influence on culture for several centuries.[citation needed]'The full article is here, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malleus_Maleficarum This suggests little concern for the remains, after the burning. Though the earlier point of using unconsecrated ground seems to fit. Salt, though expensive, has historically been seen as a purifying agent. So perhaps, a special casket that places the body inside a circle of salt.
I didn't know this yet, but it's definitely something I could have some fun with. I can't speak for any witch issues beyond the North Berwick trails, but in Scotland it seemed to be common to hang or garoting them prior to burning. Because witch hunters are nothing if not humane... It's more the presence of a funerary box that interests me. According to my lore, you arrive at the Underworld's hospitality landing after floating to it (down the river Styx, why not) in the box you were buried in. You might expect the Welcoming Committee being less than enthusiastic about, say, bodies lost at sea, or, indeed, cremations. I managed to just not talk about it in the main book, but for some reason I thought writing about dead witches was a good idea this time.
Good call—I was going to recommend the Malleus. @Bakkerbaard , you might also want to look into actual practices for burying those thought to be vampires in eastern Europe—the realities behind all the myths and movies. I know, not witches, but it gives some ideas of how people dealt with their superstitious dread when it came to burial anyway. Here's a good article: Dealing with the Undead: 5 Supposed Vampire Graves from Around the World Fascinating details. The bodies of many plague victims etc would bloat and blood was forced out of the mouth and nose, giving the impression that the person had gorged on blood like some vile human tick. No wonder they took such precautions!
Hm. I can't use that in this particular situation as I'm not lifting it straight out of mythology and Charon's not included, but that does give me ideas for a whole different story. I can probably twist that into a level of dumbassery that is an exact fit for my stuff. ;o)
