In the early modern British Isles common belief held that the devil would gift a witch a familiar, such as a black cat, with all manner of magical powers. Photograph by CBS, Getty Images.

It was 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Witches were on trial — but so were the town’s dogs.

A familiar, in case you weren’t familiar (sorry), in Western demonology, is: “a witch’s attendant, given to her by the devil or inherited from another witch.The familiar was a low-ranking ...

Dogs appeared several times during testimonies, typically because an accused witch was believed to have had a dog who would do her bidding, or because the devil appeared in the form of a dog.

“The devil, for all I know,” Tituba rejoined before she began describing him, to a hushed room. ... diabolical books and witches’ meetings, flights and familiars were everywhere.

More than 375 years later, amateur historians, researchers and descendants of the accused witches and their accusers hope Connecticut lawmakers will offer clemency.

If you grew up in the 90′s and loved Sabrina the Teenage Witch, there’s no doubt that in your mind, Salem was an icon. Salem Saberhagen was a warlock trapped in the body of a cat and ...

If you grew up in the 90′s and loved Sabrina the Teenage Witch, there’s no doubt that in your mind, Salem was an icon.Salem Saberhagen was a warlock trapped in the body of a cat and throughout the ...