sensethevisions: (Dark Witch : Charmingdesigns)
Phoebe Halliwell ([personal profile] sensethevisions) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2007-05-31 06:52 am

History Of Witchcraft [Week 3 : Thursday, Period 4, Main Campfire]

Phoebe was sitting in a canvas chair by the campfire and there were seats scattered around her in a haphazard circle. She was careful in her movements, but she was smiling. There was a large cup of tea at her side.

"Okay, guys, last week, Chris started talking to you about one of the important events in the history of Witchcraft. The Salem Witch trials changed the history of so many things because, as you learned, very few who were executed were actually witches at all. People were accused of Witchcraft by their neighbours because they had something the others wanted." She smiled again, but it was a bit sad. "The crime of Witchcraft became the end all and be all as a tool of revenge. It made it too dangerous for actual witches to practice their craft or even act like they had understanding of herbs or anything like that. I believe Chris may have also told you the story of our ancestor, Melinda Warren?" She tilted her head. "Melinda Warren was the first in the line of my family that was a witch. Like all of us, she was a good witch who only wanted to help people. However, there was an evil man who wanted her power, and he turned her in to the hunters. Rather than save herself, she allowed herself to be burned at the stake to protect her daughter." She frowned a little. "No one knows what happened to the evil man who caused all of that."

She sighed, fidgetting a little in her chair and biting her lip for a moment.

"Unfortunately, what happened in Salem was not the worst of the witch-hunts and executions. In Europe, something even worse than the Salem Hunts happened. This was called the Burning Times." A handout was given to everyone as Phoebe shifted in her chair again. She took a drink from her cup. "During the Middle Ages, there were really no laws that were ordering the killing of suspected witches. However, in the 15th century, two groups of people were summarily executed. The Cathars during the Albigensian Crusade and the Knights Templar were wiped out by the church and the King of France. The charges were different flavours of Witchcraft. Interesting bit of trivia? It was the attack on the Knights Templar on October 13th of 1307 that caused the belief that Friday the 13th was unlucky and dangerous. However, the Knights Templar and King Phillip were not responsible for those horrible movies of the same name."

She stood up and paced a little.

"For today, I want us to discuss the Middle Ages and what happened to the Templars and the Cathars. Do you think what happened was justified by the Church and was the right of the King? Do you think there could have been other ways to get what they wanted from those two groups of people without killing every last one of them?" She smiled. "There are no right or wrong answers. I'm not grading you on your opinions and your feelings. Next week we'll delve into what happened in Early Modern Europe following those two acts."

Re: Talk to Phoebe

[identity profile] witchy-prue.livejournal.com 2007-05-31 03:57 pm (UTC)(link)
"Think of making it a career?" asked Prue, smiling. Yes, she was hoping that this Phoebe would maybe get her career on track more quickly than her Phoebe had.

Re: Talk to Phoebe

[identity profile] witchy-prue.livejournal.com 2007-05-31 04:29 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm glad you're teaching it. I know that you know what you're talking about." said Prue. "I don't think they could find anyone more qualified than a Halliwell to teach a class on witchcraft."