The Dunking of Grace Sherwood

Grace Sherwood, also known as the Witch of Princess Anne County, lived in Virginia in the early 1700's. Not much is known of her, what is known comes from the scattered remnants of court room records and local folklore.

Mrs. Sherwood was a widowed land-holding woman, most likely of mixed African descent, who lived along Bansnett's Creek near the Chesapeake region of Virginia. Her story begins with a trial in which she accused a local man, Luke Hill, of trespass, assault, and battery. She won the trial, and collected damages, but Mr. Hill accused her of witchcraft in retaliation, leading to another trial in which she was the main attraction. Folklore makes it difficult to determine whether there is any validity to his accusations, but spite is obviously what motivated him.

During this whole debacle, the local authorities were apprehensive about even trying her at all and tended to delay and stall the process. She was examined twice for Witch's Marks while the courts argued over jurisdiction and sent her case back and forth. To top it off, an all woman jury could not be found who could preside in her trial, leading to postponement of the final date. She was allowed to undergo trial by ordeal as an option. Her ordeal was to be "Ducked" in water, to determine guilt or innocence. Innocence being determined in this case by the innocent party sinking to the bottom, and God miraculously saving the accused because of their pure and innocent heart. Anything else was deemed a sign of guilt.

The local authorities really wanted no part of this, other than to make it go away. They even went so far as to provide boats for her rescue, and to schedule it on a day where the weather would not make her ill from the exposure to cold. On July 10th, 1706 the day finally came. They took her to the appointed place (now called Witch's Duck, on Chesapeake Bay) and tossed her in. Doing what any sane able bodied American would do, Mrs. Sherwood swam back to shore, sealing her guilt in the court's eyes.

Unlike most trials of this nature, Mrs. Sherwood was not sentenced to death. She ended up spending some time in the local jail, how much we do not know, since the court records end with her sentencing. It is known that her land was legally passed to others many years later, so it is assumed by most historians that she did not serve much time in jail and was soon released. Maybe there was validity to the accusations, as she seemed to get off rather light compared to most victims of the Witch Trials. Archeological records have even turned up "witch's bottles" in the area where she was suspected to live, leading to further speculations. A vivid psuedo-historical folklore has sprung up since her death, and she has become an almost mythical figure in the obscure history of the Chesapeake Region.

Her case also highlights the fact that most trials for witchcraft in the early American Colonies, centered around widowed land-holders, and in most places the legal system had no real desire to pursue it.

The picture above is a piece of artwork by Joshua Shaw, illustrating the place where her "ducking" took place.

Blackmarket Human Organs

With the rise in witchcraft persecutions in Africa comes word of something else just as troubling. A growing black market in human organs has appeared. These organs are harvested, not for their value as transplants, but for their value in traditional "folk" remedies.

Genitals and Heads Removed While Alive

The Mozambique Human Rights League states that the problem is widespread across Southern Africa, with ritual killings and disappearances commonplace. Border-crossers are found with alarming regularity to be carrying bags containing human organs and body parts; genitals and heads being preferred items. It is said many of those who are killed have the organs cut-off while they are still living. An even more alarming trend, is that much of it comes from children. Matshidisho Ntsiuoa, a researcher for Child Welfare in Bloemfontein, South Africa, tells a story of a woman who was given a belt of children's fingers and penises to wear in order to help ease her pregnancy. She paid a very high fee to the Witch Doctor for this "treatment".

The true numbers may never be known, as Africa harbors vast quantities of orphans from the twin plagues of constant warfare, and AIDS. Many of these children end their very short existence far away from the watchful eyes of the local authorities, who in many cases, may actually be complicit in this vile trade.

Law is no Help

The strange thing about this problem is that in many African countries, the possession of body parts alone is not a crime. Unless the law can prove that the person possessing the body parts is also the killer, no law has been broken. Prosecutions are very rare in this most unusual crime.

On a side note, many of the legitimate traditional African folk healers are trying to distance themselves from this growing trend. The core of the problem is the outrageous profits this trade can bring to the charlatans while they prey on the ignorance of others.

You can see some case histories here: Trafficking Body Parts

The Strangeness of Bees...

For thousands of years, man has held a very close relationship with the honeybee. It is the only known insect that can be "tamed" or domesticated by man. Over the years, many strange beliefs and customs have developed due to this close relationship.

It was believed, in order to maximize their output and keep the bees happy and productive, they had to be included as part of the family. Any event, no matter how large or small, must be "told to the bees". Anything traumatic that might disrupt the harmony of the hive, like a birth, or death in the family, required special measures to be taken. A funeral called for the placement of a piece of Funeral Cake and wine in the hive after they were informed of the sad news. This event also called for giving the bees a formal handwritten invitation to the funeral, lest they take offense and decide to stop making honey, or die out completely.

The bees themself, were seen as the epitomy of a harmonious family relationship, and served as role models for mankind. They have been seen by many cultures as being the reincarnated spirits of past ancestors, and the vessels of long dead souls as they travel to re-birth. They have mystical ties to a plethora of ancient deities, one of the oldest being the ancient Egyptian goddess Ma'at, who symbolised universal harmony and justice. She is often portrayed wearing a necklace shaped like a honeybee. The honey was also used in the Egyptian Embalming rituals. In ancient Greece, the meade from their honey was called the "Nectar of the Gods" and used in strange rituals to the god Dionysis. And in Rome, the goddess Mellona was said to be the incarnation of the hive spirit.

Whatever they may be to us, they have become an integral part of our survival. In these days of "gassing the hive" honey production, where the entire hive is killed off at the end of the production cycle, is it any wonder that we have been affected by such niceties as Colony Collapse Disorder and that bee numbers are now dwindling.

Man's relationship with this insect has shown that we both share the same fate. As they go, so do we.

The Uncanny Dragon's Blood Tree

Most of you have probably seen the little packs of incense sold in shops under the name Dragon's Blood. I have always wondered what exactly it was.

This stuff comes from the Dragon's Blood tree, found in the Socotra Archipelago. It is a tree that is surrounded by many myths, that has the unique quality of bleeding red sap. It has been used medicinally for centuries, mostly for respiratory disorders and diarrhea. For a short while, it was also used as a toothpaste, though I imagine it made quite a sight, as it is also a very potent dye.

It is most widely known as being one of the ritualistic plants used for magical purposes, mostly in American Southern Hoodoo, and New Orleans Voodoo. It was used to make Dragon's Blood Ink, a special type of ink used for drawing seals and talisman's. It is also a traditional component of the famous Mojo Hand.

The unique island from which it comes, is classed as a UN World Heritage Site, and the biodiversity found there is largely untouched by man. Lately, an influx of tourists has caused a bit of a decline in this unusual plant, and scientists fear for it's future when climate change really hits, as it is found nowhere else in the world.

The Mysterious Talking Board

We all know about the boards marketed by various gaming companies, claiming to be useful for contacting the spirits. The most famous of which, being the always controversial Ouija board.

Boards for this purpose have been around in one form or another for a very long time, going way back to Ancient Greece. The board as we know it today, was patented by a guy named Fuld, back in the latter 19th century. It was a refinement of several different contraptions used by mediums during the height of the Spiritualist movement, when Seances were all the vogue. He actually ripped it off from another manufacturer, who was too short-sighted to get a patent.

At any rate, these boards have remained popular throughout the years, and they are still commonly available. Whether they work for you or not, they are a part of our pop culture history. Some are veritable works of art.

You can see more about them, including a wonderful gallery of board images, at
The Talking Board Museum.

The Fading Tradition of Bottle Trees

As a child in the South, I can remember many a neighbors' yard adorned with a tree with Blue Bottles instead of leaves. I never thought much of it until much later, after they seem to have disappeared from the American landscape.

The concept of these long forgotten icons of Southern Culture is actually very, very old. It dates back to the days when glass bottles were first invented, back in the early Iron Age. People developed a folk tradition that evil spirits could be trapped in these bottles. It is this tradition that started the whole Genii in a bottle belief as well. It was most prevalent in Africa, but also to a lesser extent in Europe. The European form mostly took shape as the "Witch's Balls" currently found in many gardens (e.g. gazing balls). It was thought the trapped spirit would be contained in the bottle during the night, and would be destroyed by sunlight when the sun came up.

These quaint bottles were a fixture of Southern life in America until about forty years ago. They were very common to find in most regions of the South, the tradition having been brought by the slaves and their descendants. Seen by many to be part of the charm of the South, they are rapidly disappearing as the Old Ways are being overtaken by Ipods, Cell Phones, and our culture of immediate consumer gratification.