Tumblr Thread: Crazy Reason People Believe In Witches

Man, this Tumblr thread shines light on the fascinating, potential reason that so many people were possessed by the notion that witches are real. If you currently believe they are, no judgment. That being said, this thread points out there was some intense fungus poisoning going on that could've contributed toward nasty convulsions and hallucinations. What a trip. 


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    People - WITCH JAIL THIS HOUSE GONTAINS THE FRAME AND TIMBER8 OF THE JAIL WHERE THOSE AGGUSED OF WITGHORAFT WERE IMPRISONED IN 1692 1ERGENTENAE
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    Text - vintagegal Girls pose by a jail that recalls the witch trials of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Photo taken in 1945. theybuildbuildings I recently learned that the water in Salem was contaminated with the fungus from which LSD is derived and a legitimate theory for the whole thing is that everyone in the town was tripping balls
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    Text - megan15 This might be the greatest thing ive ever seen on the internet myjamflavouredmindtardis We did a whole massive thing on this in history. I believe the fungus in question is called Ergot and it's terrifying. It makes your muscles spasm so when they had seizures that was the reason, not because they were possessed. One woman had to be strapped to her bed, she was seizing so bad. And, like 'theybuildbuildings' said, it had the same effects as LSD; as soon as you touch it, let alone c
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    Text - system. The worst thing is, you practically always had a bad trip. Many complained about bugs crawling under their skin or monsters emerging from the shadows to scratch and bite at them until they were screaming. It was a horrendous thing and the worst part is, Ergot is still around. It grows on crops and, if your wheat isn't properly treated, it can be eaten and you'll most likely experience the same as the women of Salem. applecocaine god i love history
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    Text - obytheby This is hella cool and almost correct... The effects on the people of Salem were probably from consuming bread with the fungus in it, not from contaminated water. Rye is way more commonly affected than wheat. In fact, the members of the clergy were able to afford nicer bread made from wheat and thus didn't suffer from the poisoning as often. You don't go on a spasm-y trip just by touching it. You have to consume it for weeks, which results in chronic poisoning. (If you stop eatin
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    Text - possessions" took refuge in churches and stopped eating low-grade rye bread they were sometimes miraculously healed.) More interesting facts: Ergot poisoning can result in convulsions & hallucinations, or it can cause gangrene, depending on which group of active alkaloids are present. (Horrifying, either way.) It killed a lot of people in Europe in the Middle Ages. In Europe, often there was a strong correlation between wet summers (which provide ideal conditions for ergot) and reports of
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    Text - And I just learned right now that one author dude translated the word “Beowulf" as “barley- wolf" which could indicate a connection to ergot. The LSD-like effects could be a valid explanation for stories of Old Norse warriors going into the a sort of trancelike battle rage. (this is exactly the kind of stuff my herbology medicinal plants class is about, it's so cool. we had a lecture on ergot last week.)
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    House - Witch House 1642
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