Magic and Folklore

In the Elizabethan age

By: Erik and Gabe

Introduction- Superstitions
During the Elizabethan period, the people
believed in many superstitions.
some of the superstitions they believed in
were sneezing, eclipse of the 7th son, of the
seventh son, peacock feathers, shoes, spilling
salt and pepper, knock on wood, ladders, and
black cats
Many of these are still associated with our era

Superstitions
Sneezing- believed the devil could enter your body
when you opened your mouth, saying god bless you
was to ward off the devil
An eclipse was seen as an omen of evil
A black cat crossing your path
The seventh son of the seventh son was believed to
hold supernatural powers
Touching wood was a guard against bad luck
Putting shoes on the table was very bad luck- inviting
an imminent death

Superstitions- Witches
Elizabethan people were extremely
superstitious about witches
They believed:
Witches could fly
A witch was often portrayed as an old
woman or hag
Witches lived alone, specifically in the
forest in small houses
Witches had pets like cats, frogs, pigs,
ravens, goats, and wolves

Witches
people in the Elizabethan era blamed all
unexplainable events on witches such as:
The bubonic plague
Unexplained deaths or illness
Bad harvests or crop failures
Death of animals
Unexplained fires

Punishment of Witches- England

In 1562, Queen Elizabeth passed a new law
and harsher law for the punishment of
witches.
Witches convicted of murder- Hanging
Witches convicted of a lesser crimePilloried

Punishment of witches- Spain, France

Spain and France had much harsher
punishments for people accused of witchcraft
Here is where the witches were burned on the
stake.
This was not allowed in England

Folklore
They believed in
Fairies
Witches
ghosts
demons
Festivals were frowned upon by the
Church, as remnants of pagan ritual.

Works Cited
Daily Life in Shakespeares London. Amanda Mabillard, 18 May 2014. Web. 7 May 2015.
<http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/londonlife.html>.

Elizabethan Superstitions. Linda Alchin, 12 May 2012. Web. 4 May 2015.

<http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-superstitions.htm>.

Elizabethan Witchcraft And Witches. Linda Alchin, 16 May 2012. Web. 6 May 2015.
<http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-witchcraft-and-witches.htm>.

Greenblatt, Miriam. Elizabeth I and Tudor England. New York: Benchmark, 2002. Print.

works cited continued

Internet Shakespeare Editions. U of Victoria, 4 Jan. 2011. Web. 4 May 2015.

<http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/ideas/the%20supernatural/folklore.html>.
Its About Time. Barbara Wells Sarudy, 7 May 2015. Web. 7 May 2015.
<http://bjws.blogspot.ca/2014_10_28_archive.html>.
My Shepard and John Family. N.p., 2015. Web. 7 May 2015.
<http://jengoddess.blogspot.ca/2013_10_01_archive.html>.
Nigel. SELFS TALK: Thursday 11th December: What Is Christmas? Selfs. N.p., 20 Nov. 2014. Web. 7 May 2015.
<http://www.selfs.org.uk/>.
Potions Potions Potions. N.p., Oct. 2009. Web. 7 May 2015. <http://aranamuerta.com/2009/10/12/potions-potionspotions/>.
The Salem Journal. Allen J David R, 2012. Web. 7 May 2015. <http://people.ucls.uchicago.edu/~snekros/Salem
%20Journal/International/SamF.html>.
Witch Trials in the Early Modern Day Period. N.p., 26 Apr. 2015. Web. 7 May 2015.