Witches of the Forgotten Tales 被遺忘の威尼斯の巫術

In 16th-century Venice, witchcraft accusations were often linked to social, political, and economic concerns, rather than solely religious beliefs. Trials, while not as common as in other parts of Italy, had a unique public element, often involving public denunciations and testimonies. Venice's state authorities closely monitored these trials, seeking signs of political dissent or social unrest. 

Approximately 1600 trials for "strigaria, maleficio, arte magica and superstizione" (i.e., sorcery, curses, witchcraft, and superstitions) took place in the city throughout the sixteenth century. The Inquisition's court, located in St. Mark's Square, tried the witches, and the tortures and penalties were administered in public, between St. Mark's two columns. Most of the accused were women, often marginalized members of society such as healers, midwives, or individuals suspected of practicing folk magic. The majority of them were actually courtesans or prostitutes who primarily cast love spells.The trials usually revolved around claims that these women were responsible for natural disasters, illnesses, or unexplained deaths within their communities.

The Inquisition Tribunal frequently tortured witches and healers, but they were never executed or burned at stake in Venice, because the Serenissima refused to submit to the Church. In truth, the witches in Venice were urban and commercial, and concerned with treasure-hunting, love patients, and folk medicine, and that the church sought to correct miscreants rather than to elminate a competing belief system.

The world of witchcraft is connected to centuries-old Venetian folklore. According to legend, there is a boat known to be carrying seven witches that sets sail for the Sabbath every night. A curious neighbor once chose to hide inside the boat, but because there were eight persons on board, the boat remained in place when the witches arrived and uttered the magic words "away all seven." The women then started to wonder why the magic word didn't work, not realizing they had a guest. They said "away all eight" since they thought one of them could be pregnant, and the boat sailed away from the coast to Alexandria, Egypt, where the Sabbath was celebrated. When our enigmatic traveler returned, he proved his voyage by bringing back the twig of a date tree he had discovered there.

A witchcraft tradition is also connected to the existence of the well-known "Moors" in the campo of the same name. In reality, it is reported that an elderly woman who had been defrauded of the value of some textiles turned the Moors into stone and called upon Mary Magdalene for help. "There are trial papers - explains Meneghel - with lists of formulas that prove that the witches did not only ask for the intercession of spirits to perform magic, but also that of the saints".

My Italian friends Arnaldo and Daniel pay tribute to the forgotten witches of Venice.

They are veterans at the Venice Carnevale with decades of experience.

Today, we know that many of the witch hunts were the results of political instability, local conflicts, and religious tensions created a fertile ground for witchcraft allegations. Many of the accused were denounced by neighbors or local priests, leading to a rapid spread of panic and fear. Witchcraft accusations were intertwined with issues of class, gender, and power. Accusations of witchcraft were sometimes used to silence women or those in lower social classes. Instead of focusing on causing widespread harm, Venetian witches were actually more concerned with using rituals and objects to address daily life challenges and seek solutions to problems.

And as usual, the portraits are just done on the busy streets of Venice and using natural lighting only...It is not an indoor photo studio, there is no artificial lighting, flash or reflectors...With my costumed friends, we just take our street portraiture to an all new level....