00:09As the Roman Empire continued to develop, governments began creating stronger laws against
00:16magic. Between the years 319 and 321, strict laws were passed that punished magical practices
00:25severely. Diviners, people who claimed they could predict the future, were forced to follow
00:32strict rules. One type of diviner was called a Haruspex, someone who tried to read signs
00:39from sacrificed animals. These diviners were forbidden from visiting the homes of ordinary
00:45citizens. The law warned that friendship with such people was dangerous. If a diviner secretly
00:52visited someone's house, the punishment could be death by burning.
01:00Even with these laws, many people still believed in fortune-telling. Astrologers, palm readers
01:06and mediums continued to attract rich and poor customers alike. Then, in the year 367, the
01:15Roman Emperor Valens discovered that some members of his own court had tried to learn who would
01:19become the next emperor. They had attempted to discover the future using magical rituals
01:25similar to table wrapping. Valens reacted with fear and anger. He launched a massive campaign
01:32against magicians, fortune-tellers, astrologers and mystical philosophers. Large numbers of
01:39people were arrested and executed. Many were probably innocent, but panic had already spread
01:45throughout the Eastern Roman world. Across Europe, early legal systems also created laws against
01:53witchcraft. One of the oldest examples was the Salic Law written during the reign of the Frankish
01:59King Clovis I, who died in the year 511. This law punished people who used magic to harm others.
02:10One famous magical tool mentioned in these traditions was the witch's knot, sometimes called the witch's
02:16ladder. It was a cord tied with complicated knots and often decorated with black feathers from birds
02:22such as ravens. People believed these cords could be used to cast powerful spells. In Finland, magicians were
02:31said to sell wind tied into three knots of a rope. Untying the first knot would release a gentle breeze.
02:39Untying the second created a strong wind. Untying the third could unleash a violent storm.
02:48But the witch's ladder could also be used to curse people. A witch might tie knots while whispering terrible
02:54curses then hide the cord somewhere secret. As long as the knots remained tied, the victim was believed to grow
03:01weaker and eventually die. Stories of these objects appeared during many witch trials.
03:09One famous example happened in 1711 on Island Magian Island. A visitor named Mary Dunbar suddenly became
03:18violently ill, suffering strange fits and convulsions. Later, a missing apron was discovered hidden away.
03:26Inside its folds was a string tied with nine tight knots. It had been hidden so carefully that separating the
03:32knots from the cloth was extremely difficult. Another strange discovery happened in 1886 in an old church tower in England.
03:42It had been hidden. Several yards of braided cord were found hidden in a dark corner decorated with black feathers.
03:48At first, no one knew what it was. But when the object was shown to an elderly local woman, she
03:55immediately
03:55recognized it as a witch's ladder. Later, when an illustration of it appeared in a folklore journal, an elderly
04:03Italian woman identified it by another name. The Witch's Garland.
04:11One day.
04:46You
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