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earned a good living from unmasking witches, travelling from town to town to perform their services. Hollow wooden handles and retractable points have been saved from these finders, which would give the appearance of an accused witch's flesh being penetrated to the hilt without mark, blood, or pain.
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and bodkins – daggerlike instruments for drawing ribbons through hems or punching holes in cloth.
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This article is about the 17th-century practice of 'pricking' witches. For other uses of the word, see
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During the height of the witch trials of the 16th and 17th centuries, common belief held that a
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Other specially designed needles have been found with a sharp end and a blunt end. Through
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that would not feel pain or bleed when pricked. The mark alone was not enough to
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The Witch Hunts: A History of the Witch
Persecutions in Europe and North America
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could be discovered through the process of pricking their skin with
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Godly Zeal and
Furious Rage: the Witch in Early Modern Europe
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This practice derived from the belief that all witches and
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The pricking of a witch forms significant plot points in
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364:"The Professional Pricker and His Test for Witchcraft"
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Heresy, Magic, and
Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe
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247:(London: Pearson, 3rd edn., 2006),
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