Kyla's Witchy Blog

  For my final blog post, I found it fitting to connect witchcraft and magic to one of the most important, relevant aspects of my life– The Bachelor. This cheesy, trashy melodrama holds a dear place in my reality TV-loving heart. My parents have tuned in to ABC every Monday night to watch the show since its 2002 inception. Growing up, I heard “Will you accept this rose” in the background noise of my living room more times than I can count. While I used to criticize this stupid show, I have grown to love the mindless escape it provides from my busy life every Monday night. As I was watching this most recent season, I could not believe it when I saw a Voodoo doll during episode 1– just a week after we discussed Voodoo in class!  Kelsey, a contestant on the show and New Orleans native, stepped out of the limo with a Voodoo doll lookalike of the bachelor, Joey. After introducing herself to Joey, she explained how his lookalike doll was meant to bring him good luck and protection ...

As I was exploring the Salem Witch Trials on Google, I came across the following information: “The last of the Salem witch trials was held in May of 1693. In total, between 144 and 185 people were accused of witchcraft. All the accused were pardoned by the end of 1693. Fifty-four confessed. Fourteen women and five men were executed, along with two dogs.” Wait, what?? SAY IT ISN’T SO!  Unfortunately, it is so. After cross-checking this information with numerous sources, it is true that two furry friends were accused of witchcraft and killed during the trials. As a dog lover who has a bigger heart for animals than for humans, I was devastated to learn that two defenseless canines fell victim to the Salem craze. What could they have possibly done to deserve this? Out of sadness and curiosity, I did some research on the role of dogs in the Salem Witch Trials as well as their significance in the broader world of magic. Here is what I found.  Dogs played a surprisingly large role in...