Ugly History: Witch Hunts - Brian A. Pavlac

Prevodilac: Stefan Vesić Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

In the German town of Nördlingen in 1593,

U nemačkom gradu Nordlingenu, 1593. godine,

an innkeeper named Maria Höll found herself accused of witchcraft.

gostioničarka Marija Hol optužena je za veštičarenje.

She was arrested for questioning, and denied the charges.

Uhapšena je i odvedena na ispitivanje, ali je porekla optužbe.

She continued to insist she wasn’t a witch through 62 rounds of torture

Tvrdila je da nije veštica i nakon što je bila mučena u 62 različite prilike,

before her accusers finally released her.

dok je tužioci nisu konačno oslobodili.

Rebekka Lemp, accused a few years earlier in the same town, faced a worse fate.

Rebeka Lemp, optužena par godina ranije u istom gradu, imala je goru sudbinu.

She wrote to her husband from jail

Iz zatvora je pisala svom mužu

worrying that she would confess under torture,

da se brine da će zbog mučenja priznati,

even though she was innocent.

iako je bila nevina.

After giving a false confession,

Nakon što je dala lažno priznanje,

she was burned at the stake in front of her family.

bila je spaljena na lomači pred svojom porodicom.

Höll and Lemp were both victims of the witch hunts

Hol i Lemp su bile žrtve lova na veštice

that occurred in Europe and the American colonies

koji se odvijao u Evropi i američkim kolonijama

from the late 15th century until the early 18th century.

od kraja 15. do početka 18. veka.

These witch hunts were not a unified initiative by a single authority,

Lov na veštice nije bio zajednička inicijativa jednog autoriteta,

but rather a phenomenon that occurred sporadically

već pojava koja se dešavala sporadično

and followed a similar pattern each time.

i svaki put pratila sličan šablon.

The term “witch” has taken on many meanings,

Termin „veštica“ poprimio je mnoga značenja,

but in these hunts, a witch was someone who allegedly gained magical powers

ali u lovu na veštice je to bila osoba koja je navodno stekla magične moći

by obeying Satan rather than God.

služeći đavolu, umesto bogu.

This definition of witchcraft spread through churches in Western Europe

Ovakva definicija veštičarenja raširila se po crkvama Zapadne Evrope

starting at the end of the 15th century.

počevši od kraja 15. veka.

It really gained traction after the pope gave a friar and professor of theology

Lov na veštice uzeo je maha kada je papa dao monahu i profesoru teologije

named Heinrich Kraemer

Hajnrihu Krejmeru

permission to conduct inquisitions in search of witches in 1485.

dozvolu da sprovodi inkvizicije u potrazi za vešticama 1485. godine.

His first, in the town of Innsbruck,

Njegova prva inkvizicija u gradu Inzbruku

didn’t gain much traction with the local authorities,

nije pridobila simpatije tamošnje vlasti,

who disapproved of his harsh questioning of respectable citizens

koja se nije slagala sa njegovim grubim ispitivanjem uglednih građana

and shut down his trials.

i okončala njegova suđenja.

Undeterred, he wrote a book called the "Malleus Maleficarum," or "Hammer of Witches."

Neuzdrman, napisao je knjigu pod nazivom „Malleus maleficarum“ - „Veštičji čekić“.

The text argued for the existence of witches

U knjizi je zagovarao postojanje veštica

and suggested ruthless tactics for hunting and prosecuting them.

i predložio nemilosrdne taktike za njihov lov i suđenje.

He singled out women as easier targets for the devil’s influence,

Izdvojio je žene kao lakše mete za đavola,

though men could also be witches.

iako su i muškarci mogli postati vešci.

Kraemer’s book spurred others to write their own books

Krejmerova knjiga podstakla je druge da napišu svoje knjige

and give sermons on the dangers of witchcraft.

i besede o opasnostima veštičarenja.

According to these texts,

Sudeći po ovim knjigama,

witches practiced rituals including kissing the Devil’s anus

veštice su izvodile rituale kao što su ljubljenje đavoljevog anusa

and poisoning or bewitching targets the devil singled out for harm.

i trovanje ili opčinjavanje ljudi koje je đavo odredio da im se naškodi.

Though there was no evidence to support any of these claims,

Premda nije bilo dokaza koji bi podržali te tvrdnje,

belief in witches became widespread.

verovanje u veštice se raširilo.

A witch hunt often began with a misfortune:

Lov na veštice često je počinjao zbog neke nesreće:

a failed harvest, a sick cow, or a stillborn child.

loše žetve, bolesne krave ili mrtvorođenčeta.

Community members blamed witchcraft, and accused each other of being witches.

Ljudi su to pripisali veštičarenju i optužili jedni druge da su veštice.

Many of the accused were people on the fringes of society:

Mnogi od optuženih su bili ljudi na ivicama društva:

the elderly, the poor, or social outcasts,

stari, siromašni ili izgnani ljudi,

but any member of the community could be targeted,

ali bilo ko je mogao biti optužen,

even occasionally children.

ponekad, čak i deca.

While religious authorities encouraged witch hunts,

Dok su religijski čelnici podstrekivali lov na veštice,

local secular governments usually carried out the detainment

lokalne vlasti su uglavnom bile te koje su izvršavale hapšenja

and punishment of accused witches.

i kažnjavale optužene za veštičarenje.

Those suspected of witchcraft were questioned and often tortured—

Osobe optužene za veštičarenje bile su ispitivane i često mučene,

and under torture, thousands of innocent people confessed to witchcraft

a usled mučenja, hiljade nevinih ljudi priznalo je da se bavi veštičarenjem

and implicated others in turn.

i ujedno umešalo i druge.

Because these witch hunts occurred sporadically over centuries and continents

Zbog toga što se lov na veštice dešavao sporadično,

tokom različitih vekova i kontinenata,

the specifics varied considerably.

svaki lov se znatno razlikovao od prethodnih.

Punishments for convicted witches ranged from small fines to burning at the stake.

Kazne za osuđene veštice varirale su od malih novčanih kazni do spaljivanja.

The hunt in which Höll and Lemp were accused dragged on for nine years,

Lov u kome su Hol i Lemp bile optužene trajao je devet godina,

while others lasted just months.

dok su ostali trajali samo par meseci.

They could have anywhere from a few to a few hundred victims.

U lovu je moglo biti samo nekoliko žrtava do nekoliko stotina žrtava.

The motivations of the witch hunters probably varied as well,

I motivacija lovaca na veštice verovatno je varirala,

but it seems likely that many weren’t consciously looking for scapegoats—

ali moguće je da mnogi nisu svesno tražili žrtvene jarce,

instead, they sincerely believed in witchcraft,

već su zaista verovali u veštičarenje

and thought they were doing good by rooting it out in their communities.

i mislili da čine dobro iskorenjujući ga u svojim zajednicama.

Institutions of power enabled real harm to be done on the basis of these beliefs.

Na osnovu tih uverenja, vlast je omogućila nanošenje velike štete i bola.

But there were dissenters all along–

Od samog početka je bilo i disidenata.

jurists, scholars, and physicians countered books

Pravnici, akademici i lekari borili su se protiv knjiga

like Kraemer’s "Hammer of Witches"

poput Krejmerovog „Veštičjeg čekića“

with texts objecting to the cruelty of the hunts,

pišući tekstove protiv svireposti lova,

the use of forced confessions, and the lack of evidence of witchcraft.

iznuđivanja priznanja i o nedostatku dokaza o veštičarenju.

From the late 17th through the mid-18th century,

Od kraja 17. do sredine 18. veka,

their arguments gained force with the rise of stronger central governments

njihovo protivljenje urodilo je plodom u vidu stvaranja jačih centralnih vlasti

and legal norms like due process.

i zakonskih normi poput sudskog procesa.

Witch hunting slowly declined until it disappeared altogether.

Lov na veštice postao je sve ređi, dok i skroz nije prestao da postoji.

Both the onset and demise of these atrocities came gradually,

I početak i propast ove grozote došli su postepeno,

out of seemingly ordinary circumstances.

iz naizgled običnih okolnosti.

The potential for similar situations,

Mogućnost nastanka sličnih situacija,

in which authorities use their powers to mobilize society against a false threat,

gde bi vlast iskoristila svoju moć da okrene društvo protiv lažne pretnje,

still exists today—

postoji i dan danas,

but so does the capacity of reasoned dissent to combat those false beliefs.

ali isto tako postoji i mogućnost

da se razumom stane na put tim lažnim uverenjima.