“Probably no component of popular religious belief has been the subject of more historical research than that of witchcraft and magic. Aside from the intrinsic interest many take in the subject, the study of witchcraft also allows a privileged look into the worldview of the past. Judicial records (which constitute much of the contemporary sources available to the historian) offer evidence of the hopes, fears, attitudes, and opinions of ordinary men and women…”

Mollenauer, Lynn Wood. "History of Daily Life: Popular Culture, Religion, Science, and Education" Daily Life Online. Greenwood Publishing Group. <http://dailylife.greenwood.com/dle.aspx?k=3&x=GR3233&bc=DBDL1311&p=GR3233-751>.