Escaping Salem

by

Richard Godbeer

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Familiar Term Analysis

In the Middle Ages and early modern period, familiars were believed to be demonic supernatural entities that assisted witches in performing magic. They would often appear as animal figures.

Familiar Quotes in Escaping Salem

The Escaping Salem quotes below are all either spoken by Familiar or refer to Familiar. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Women, Witchcraft, and the Subversion of Gender Norms Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2 Quotes

"Goody Miller, hold up your arm higher that the black dog may suck you better. Now I'm sure you are a witch for you've got a long teat under your arm." Both David and Abraham had heard that witches fed demonic spirits in the form of animals—just as mothers fed their infant children, except that witches used a third nipple hidden somewhere on their bodies and nourished the familiars with blood, not milk.

Related Characters: Katherine (Kate) Branch (speaker), Richard Godbeer, David Selleck, Ebenezer Bishop, and Abraham Finch
Related Symbols: The Devil’s Mark
Page Number: 37
Explanation and Analysis:
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Escaping Salem PDF

Familiar Term Timeline in Escaping Salem

The timeline below shows where the term Familiar appears in Escaping Salem. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
Women, Witchcraft, and the Subversion of Gender Norms Theme Icon
Fear, Law, and Control Theme Icon
Practical Threats vs. Spiritual Betrayals Theme Icon
...her arm (witches were believed to have an extra breast from which they fed animal familiars, or possessed pets, their own blood). (full context)