Today’s quote comes from the legendary film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. A farcical film based on Arthurian legend, Holy Grail is a series of vignettes featuring the likes of King Arthur and his knights as they search for the Holy Grail. In the scene that the quote appears, a woman is accused of being a witch by a group of burn-happy villagers who just want to see an innocent woman destroyed.
Yet, the point of today’s quote is to address the often times quizzical logic of medieval (and later) folk who were on violent witch hunts to help address their own superstitions and hatred. Such logic was often flawed, featuring the same follow through as Morgan le Fay’s logic in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court who keeps people imprisoned that she merely inherited and also grasps with “Extenuating circumstances,” which perplexes the protagonist Hank Morgan in so many ways.
Olden logic
To examine the logic of medieval and puritanical folk from yesteryear we have to look at case studies, which can point us in the right direction, even if they are a bit dramatized or removed from the historical context of the age.
For example, as stated by one source, the “swimming test” forced accused witches to take off all their clothes, down to their underwear, and then they were forced to jump into the water (or be thrown) to see if they sank or floated.
As History states, “Since witches were believed to have spurned the sacrament of baptism, it was thought that the water would reject their bodies…” This particular practice existed in the Medieval era but was then banned until the 17th century where it made a resurgence (Andrews).
Additionally there was a prayer test and a touch test, both of which sought guilt through either recital or physical transgression. If you couldn’t read The Lord’s Prayer, you were in league with the devil, and if you could calm a person in a fit by touch–you were likewise linked to deviltry.
Furthermore, witch’s marks were used against those accused. The belief in such marks were extremely popular in 1645, and investigators would search for “moles, birthmarks or scars,” which were “created by Satan branding” through “scratching or even licking…” (Sheldon). Most sources point out that people in medieval society and colonial times were loaded with blemishes due to vitamin deficiencies and disease.
There are a variety of other examples of witch tests, from pricking to reciting prayers over the accused to public shaming. However, as you can tell from this brief explanation, logic in these circumstances was often questionable regardless of its thoroughness (consider the Malleus Maleficarum). Thus, Morgan le Fay’s strange illogical rationalization in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is somewhat actually logical (though inherently) considering the reality of our own history.
Works Cited
Andrews, Evan. “7 Bizarre Witch Trial Tests.” History. July 18, 2023. Web. https://www.history.com/news/7-bizarre-witch-trial-tests
Sheldon, Natasha. “Witch Tests: 10 Historical Tests for Proving Someone was a Witch.” History Collection. July 13, 2018. Web. https://historycollection.com/10-top-historical-tests-proving-someone-witch/
