Witch Sabrina ;D Tia Dalma/Calypso I used to love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. I remember I was so happy when I saw the Voodoo Priestess Tia Dalma come through lol.
Tia Dalma was originally the sea goddess Calypso. She took on a lover by the name of Davey Jones. Calypso decided that she would put Davey to work, and gave him the position of captain of the Flying Dutchman. His job was to guide the spirits that were lost at sea into the underworld. Ten years later Davey came back only to find her gone. It was not in her nature to stay put in one place. Davey got salty and wanted revenge. He got with the Pirate Brethren and taught them how to bind Calypso into human form. Davey knew that in binding her, the seas would become tame, thus she would become tame. Or so he thought. Calypso, although contained, still possessed powers and became known as Tia Dalma, an Obeah priestess. During this time, Tia Dalma came up with a plan to free herself from her confining human form, and to get revenge on the men who had wronged her. She used her magick and her wits to execute her plans to get all of the men together, which would break the curse. She succeeded, and when she became free, she grew six feet high and told her enemies , “To your graves wrongdoers, I bend your path, to the depths of the sea". She transformed herself into a bunch of small crabs and wandered away into the sea back to her freedom. Her wrath incited a terrible storm, thus leading to the deaths of her enemies, including Davey. That scene was bad ass too lol! Tia Dalma was a true Black feminist witch. She didn’t have time to sit around and wait for Davey’s ass to finish his assignment. She was of the wild sea. When she was betrayed, she plotted and witched her way out of bondage and she came for all the heads of her enemies! I love it! She had a really great story line, and I’m glad it was central to two of the movies! Yay for Black witch visibility! -Sabrina
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by: Wildwitch evermeanbish #blackwitchesmatter
Three enslaved women were among the approximately 155 people accused of witchcraft in the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692. Two of the enslaved women were identified in the court records as Black; the third, the legendary Tituba, was classified as Indian. The race of Tituba has been disputed for 150 years. Since 1692, Tituba’s ethnicity has evolved from Indian to half-African and half-Indian, into a fully enslaved African woman. The two women accused of witchcraft, who, unlike Tituba, were actually Black were both female servants in Puritan households: Candy and Mary Black. Candy, originally from Barbados resided in Salem Town with her enslaveress, Margaret Hawkes. When questioned, Candy revealed to the courts that it was her whyte enslaveress, Margaret, who had made her a witch and taught her the craft. After being asked if her enslaveress made her into a witch, Candy replied,“Yes, in this country [Margaret] give Candy witch.” Candy then went on to detail how Margaret made her into a witch by bringing up the “devil’s book,” and had her made her mark in it. In her description, Candy stated “[She] bring book and pen and ink, make Candy write in it,” further drawing a comparison between her enslaveress and the devil. When asked if she was a witch, Candy replied, “Candy no witch in her country. Candy ‘s mother no witch. Candy no witch, Barbados.” The curious magistrates asked Candy to produce the poppets that she claimed she used to torment people. Accompanied by a court-appointed deputy she was escorted home and returned with rags of cloth, a piece of cheese, some grass, and a handkerchief tied with several knots. Deciding to experiment with Candy’s tools of trade, the magistrates burned one of the rags and allegedly, a burn appeared on the hand of one of the “afflicted girls.” Two more choked as if drowning when another rag was placed under water. Two indictments were handed down against Candy and she was jailed. Later, she was found not guilty and released. Mary Black’s enslaver was Nathaniel Putnam of Salem Village. Mary was accused of witchcraft on April 21, 1692. Putnam was a respected leader and member in Salem village whose younger nephews and cousins were avid witchcraft accusers. Her examination was requested by the Reverend Samuel Parris. At her examination, held on April 22nd, she was accused by several of the “afflicted girls.” Though she was pressed to admit that she was a witch, she steadfastly refused, stating “I hurt no body. Who doth? I do not know.” She was indicted and imprisoned, but not tried. She was cleared by proclamation on January 11, 1693. Her enslaver Nathaniel Putnam paid her jail fees and took her back into his house. Source Kentakepage by: Witch Evermean Bish Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau #blackwitchesmatter
Marie Catherine Laveau (September 10, 1794 – June 15, 1881) was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of Voodoo renowned in New Orleans. Angela Bassett portrayed her in AHS Coven. Marie was a devout Catholic and attended Mass daily. Marie began as a hairdresser and later became a nurse during the Yellow Fever epidemics. She was skilled in the practice of medicine and knew the healing qualities of indigenous herbs. Concerned about the soul too, she would sit with the condemned in their last moments sometimes serving them their last meal. She was the first commercial Voodoo Queen and she specialized in romance and finance. She was an astute business woman. Marie was all-knowing and all-powerful. West African slaves were christened Catholic and were orally taught the faith. In Catholicism, the slaves found parallels in their own belief systems and in conjunction with their own religious practices involving naturalism, spiritualism and herbalism, voodoo practitioners would create amulets that had the power to heal or cause harm and perform rituals involving drums, prayer and dances designed to bring about a desired effect. Marie Laveau was one such voodoo practitioner. - Strange History It is believed that you can come to Marie's tomb and ask for something. She accepts money, cigars, white rum and candy as offerings. Appeals must be made 3 times with full concentration. In voodoo it is believed that when a Voodoo Queen dies her spirit re-enters the river of life and moves to the next realm, adjacent to this one. Her spirit will always be here, close at hand, in New Orleans. To this day, people still visit her tomb with the hope that she will grant their wishes." |