The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. During this dark period in American history, over 200 people were accused of being witches, and 20 were executed. Many innocent lives were destroyed as a result of the hysteria and paranoia that swept through the small village of Salem. The accused individuals were mostly women, although there were also a few men who faced similar accusations. The witches in the Salem witch trials were identified by the testimony of young girls who claimed to be possessed by evil spirits. These girls would often name specific individuals as the source of their afflictions, leading to their arrest and subsequent trials.

Salem Inspired Dog Names

Salem is an American supernatural horror tv series inspired by the infamous Salem witch trials of the 17 th century. Salem follows the story of Mary Sibley, a powerful witch in the town she controls with witch trials. She causes hysteria among the Puritans, telling them that witches are servants of the devil, all so that she can protect herself. However, her plan is to summon the Devil, but the issue starts when her former lover John Alden returns home from a long war, causing problems for Mary both emotionally and strategically. Salem stars Janet Montgomery as Mary and Shane West as John Alden.

Salem Inspired Dog Names in Pop Culture

Sebastian Von Marburg was the son of Countess Von Marburg and a very powerful cradle witch, which means that he was born with the magical genes, and has an internal source of power. He was a charming young man whose purpose was to serve as a vessel to complete the Grand Rite, however, despite that he grew up rich, among the European aristocrats. He was hundreds of years old, but he was quite infantile, arrogant, and lustful, and he had a sense of superiority that his mother instilled in him. He was also quite handsome, never having issues with the ladies, but he was also pretty smart, being able to survive for as long as he has. However, there is another Sebastian that is even more fascinating than the one from Salem. This Sebastian comes from the anime Kuroshitsuji.

Sebastian is a Phantomhive household pet dog, a large black Borzoi, also known as the Russian wolfhound. Borzoi as a breed is usually quiet and only barks when there is real danger approaching, and Sebastian is pretty much the same. He is always calm, except when he barks at Ciel Phantomhive. He is very agile and fast, and his intelligence levels are incredible. He was fond of “Ciel” – Lord Sirius, over Earl Ciel Phantomhive, which is funny because the two of them are twins. He usually bit Earl Ciel’s ankles, which often scared the boy.

Sebastian was with the Phantomhive twins in their bedroom on December 14, 1885, when they were waiting for Tanaka to come. Tanaka, as well as their parents, were snatched by an unknown attacker, and “Ciel” was grabbed and taken away. Ciel wanted to go after his brother, but Sebastian held him back and knocked him to the ground, licked his face, and guided him in the opposite direction. He rushed to Rachel and Vincent Phantomhive’s room, and Ciel followed, not being able to keep up with the fast dog. He barked when he entered the room, which is significant since he rarely barked. He sensed danger and tried to fight off the attacker, but when Ciel finally got to the room, Sebastian was already dead.

However, Sebastian’s troubles were futile in this case, because both twins were kidnapped and sold to a wealthy buyer, where they were tortured and mistreated. In all that time, Ciel thought of Sebastian who tried to save him. When he summoned his demon butler, he named him Sebastian after the brave dog that tried to protect his family.

Salem Inspired Dog Name Considerations

We all know about the infamous Salem witch trials that happened in the Massachusetts town in 1692 and 1693. Many women and men were accused of witchcraft, which caused hysteria among the Puritan society. The horrific events showed the lack of logical thinking within the community, and many people were executed, so today, while you are looking for a perfect new name for your pup, you can honor the original “witches” and name your doggo after one of them!

The first three women to be accused of witchcraft by a bunch of 12-year-old girls were Sarah Good, the homeless beggar, Sarah Osborne, who didn’t attend church, and Tituba, an enslaved woman from Barbados. Tituba especially was accused of luring the girls with stories from Malleus Maleficarum. Other accused women were Martha Corey, who had an illegitimate mixed-race child, Dorothy Good, Sarah Good’s daughter, and Rebecca Nurse, accused and tried on the base of spectral evidence, which makes no sense. All of these brave women have fantastic names that can become your doggo’s new moniker. Oher notable “witches” were Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Eastey, and distinguished prosecutors were John Hathorne, James Russell, and Isaac Addington.

Salem witches: 400 years after bogus trials, advocates seek justice

The Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project is the latest group pushing the state to atone for its witch trial legacy. Home of the infamous Salem trials, hundreds of individuals were accused, arrested, and executed on witchcraft charges in the 1600s.

People in costume gather for a witches’ walk in Pownal, Vermont, on Sept. 16, 2023, to a newly installed marker recognizing Widow Krieger – the survivor of the state’s only recorded witch trial.

October 31, 2023 | Boston

In 1648, Margaret Jones, a midwife, became the first person in Massachusetts – the second in New England – to be executed for witchcraft, decades before the infamous Salem witch trials.

Nearly four centuries later, the state and region are still working to come to grips with the scope of its witch trial legacy.

The latest effort comes from a group dedicated to clearing the names of all those accused, arrested, or indicted for witchcraft in Massachusetts, whether or not the accusations ended in hanging.

The Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project, made up of history buffs and descendants, is hoping to persuade the state to take a fuller reckoning of its early history, according to Josh Hutchinson, the group’s leader.

Hundreds of individuals were accused of witchcraft in what would become the Commonwealth of Massachusetts between 1638 and 1693. Most escaped execution.

While much attention has focused on clearing the names of those put to death in Salem, most of those caught up in witch trials throughout the 1600s have largely been ignored, including five women hanged for witchcraft in Boston between 1648 and 1688.

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“It’s important that we correct the injustices of the past,” said Mr. Hutchinson, who noted he counts both accusers and victims among his ancestors. “We’d like an apology for all of the accused, or indicted, or arrested.”

For now, the group has been collecting signatures for a petition but hopes to take their case to the Statehouse.

Among those accused of witchcraft in Boston was Ann Hibbins, sister-in-law to Massachusetts Gov. Richard Bellingham, who was executed in 1656. A character based on Ms. Hibbins would later appear in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter,” published in 1850.

Another accused Boston witch, known as Goodwife Ann Glover or Goody Glover, was hanged in the city in 1688. A plaque dedicated to her is located on the front of a Catholic church in the city’s North End neighborhood, describing her as “the first Catholic martyr in Massachusetts.” It’s one of the few physical reminders of the city’s witch trial history.

The witch justice group helped successfully spearhead a similar effort in Connecticut, home of the first person executed for witchcraft in the American colonies in 1647 – Alse Young. The last witchcraft trial in Connecticut happened in 1697 and ended with the charges being dismissed.

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Connecticut state senators in May voted by 34-1 to absolve 12 women and men convicted of witchcraft – 11 of whom were executed – more than 370 years ago and apologize for the “miscarriage of justice” that occurred over a dark 15-year-period of the state’s colonial history.

The resolution, which lists the nine women and two men who were executed and the one woman who was convicted and given a reprieve, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 121-30. Because it’s a resolution, it doesn’t require the governor’s signature.

For many, the distant events in Boston, Salem, and beyond are both fascinating and personal. That includes David Allen Lambert, chief genealogist for the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

Mr. Lambert counts his 10th great-grandmother – Mary Perkins Bradbury – among the accused who was supposed to be hanged in 1692 in Salem but escaped execution.

“We can’t change history but maybe we can send the accused an apology,” he said. “It kind of closes the chapter in a way.”

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Massachusetts has already made efforts to come to terms with its history of witch trials – proceedings that allowed “spectral evidence” in which victims could testify that the accused harmed them in a dream or vision.

That effort began almost immediately when Samuel Sewall, a judge in the 1692-1693 Salem witch trials, issued a public confession in a Boston church five years later, taking “the blame and shame of” the trials and asking for forgiveness.

In 1711, colonial leaders passed a bill clearing the names of some convicted in Salem.

In 1957, the state Legislature issued a kind of apology for Ann Pudeator and others who “were indicted, tried, found guilty, sentenced to death, and executed” in 1692 for witchcraft. The resolution declared the Salem trials “shocking, and the result of a wave of popular hysterical fear of the Devil in the community.”

In 2001, acting Gov. Jane Swift signed a bill exonerating five women executed during the witch trials in Salem.

In 2017, Salem unveiled a memorial for the victims. The ceremony came 325 years to the day when Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin, Rebecca Nurse, and Sarah Wildes were hanged at a site in Salem known as Proctor’s Ledge. Nineteen were hanged during the Salem witch trials while a 20th victim was pressed to death.

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In 2022, lawmakers exonerated Elizabeth Johnson Jr., clearing her name 329 years after she was convicted of witchcraft in 1693 and sentenced to death at the height of the Salem witch trials. Johnson is believed to be the last accused Salem witch to have her conviction set aside.

Other states have worked to confront similar histories.

In Pownal, Vermont, a town that borders Massachusetts and New York, a dedication ceremony was held last month for a historical marker recognizing the survivor of Vermont’s only recorded witch trial. Widow Krieger was said to have escaped drowning in the Hoosic River when tried as a witch in 1785, according to the Legends and Lore marker.

Accusers believed witches floated but Krieger sank and was saved, the marker states.

The Sept. 16 dedication ceremony included a witches’ walk, in which people dressed as witches walked across a bridge to the marker site along the Hoosic River.

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“I am sure Widow Krieger would have been quite happy to join our witches’ walk today in defiance of those who feel they have the right to accuse someone they feel looks different, acts different, or has a personality that they might find odd, of being a witch,” said Joyce Held, a member of the Pownal Historical Society, which worked with the Bennington Museum to get the marker.

This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP reporter Lisa Rathke in Marshfield, Vermont, contributed.

These girls would often name specific individuals as the source of their afflictions, leading to their arrest and subsequent trials. Some of the infamous names associated with the Salem witch trials include Tituba, Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, Bridget Bishop, Elizabeth Proctor, and Rebecca Nurse, among many others. Tituba was an enslaved woman from Barbados who was accused of being the first witch and played a prominent role in the trials.

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Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne were both poor and eccentric women who fell victim to the accusations. Bridget Bishop was the first person to be executed as a result of the trials. Elizabeth Proctor was the wife of John Proctor, a respected farmer in Salem, and she was accused of witchcraft after her husband began questioning the legitimacy of the trials. Finally, Rebecca Nurse, a pious and respected member of the community, was wrongly accused and hanged despite protests from her family and friends. The names of the accused witches in the Salem Witch Trials have become synonymous with injustice and the dangers of mass hysteria. The trials serve as a reminder of the importance of due process and the need for skepticism when faced with extraordinary claims. They also serve as a cautionary tale about the power of fear and how it can lead to the persecution of innocent individuals..

Reviews for "The Witches' Legacy: How the Names of the Salem Witch Trials Witches Still Haunt Us Today"

1. John - 2 stars - The Salem witch trials are a fascinating part of American history, but the witches' names were a letdown. They were predictable and lacked creativity. It seemed like the accused were given generic names like Mary, Sarah, or Abigail. I was hoping for more unique and mysterious names that would add to the intrigue surrounding the trials. Overall, I felt disappointed by the lack of imagination in the witches' names.

2. Emily - 3 stars - While I understand that historical accuracy is important, the Salem witch trials witches' names were a bit underwhelming. The names felt too ordinary and mundane for these supposed witches. I expected names that would give a sense of the supernatural and add an element of fear or mystery to the story. Instead, we had names like Elizabeth or Ann, which are quite common for that time period. I believe the names could have been chosen more thoughtfully to enhance the atmosphere and create a stronger connection to the dark events that unfolded during that time.

3. Sarah - 2 stars - The naming of the witches during the Salem witch trials felt uninspired. It would have been more engaging if the accused individuals were given names that reflected their supposed dark powers or mysterious nature. The names we got were plain and unremarkable, making it harder to fully immerse oneself in the history and the belief in witchcraft at that time. I would have preferred more evocative and meaningful names that captured the essence of the characters and the fear they instilled in the community.

4. Michael - 1 star - The choice of names for the witches during the Salem witch trials was completely lacking in originality and imagination. The names felt like a selection from a generic list, without any connection to the time period or the events at hand. It was disappointing to see such a missed opportunity to create characters with names that could have added depth and intrigue to the story. The witches' names could have been a powerful tool in driving the narrative forward, but instead, they were forgettable and uninteresting.

5. Jessica - 2 stars - I was not impressed with the names given to the witches during the Salem witch trials. They lacked creativity and made the characters feel one-dimensional. The names were too ordinary and failed to ignite curiosity or fear. I expected names that would evoke a sense of the supernatural or capture the essence of witchcraft. Instead, we were given names that could have belonged to any woman of that time period. The witches' names could have been an opportunity to delve deeper into the occult and the unknown, but they fell short of my expectations.

The Lost Voices: Remembering the Witches' Names from the Salem Witch Trials