Throughout history, we know that many innocent people have been accused and burned as witches. Whether rich or poor, young or old, man or woman, it’s clear that the accusation knows no bounds. This was shown through just one of the victims known as Merga Bien

Merga Bien was a rich German woman who was found guilty of witchcraft. Known to be one of the most famous witches of Fulda, she had been married three times, with her first two husbands naming her their heiress. Because of the envy other people felt, they used these circumstances to have authorities arrest her. While her husband protested against her arrest, saying she was pregnant, Merga had later confessed to killing both her second husband and his children. Under the pain of torture, she was also forced to confess that she did it so she could attend the sabbath, and that she had sexual intercourse with the Devil himself.That, of course, had sealed her fate, and marked her trial as one of the most significant out of the witch trials.

Naturally, her execution came under scrutiny by many modern historians. After all, a witch hunter by the name of Balthasar von Dernbach had begun a mission to cleanse the area of any witches and to unite Germany by any means necessary. He was convinced in his cause, and as such, many other women practically fell prey to his interrogations and torture methods. What’s more, because of the political and religious turmoil ravaging Europe during the time, Merga Bien simply was one of the more unfortunate souls within history’s domineering way. However, what caused her trial to be so particularly famous was the fact that she was a rich woman with a husband who cared for her. Despite the fact that she lived in Germany, one of the most well-known witch hunting areas, she was actually famous for arguing with her husband’s employers. Because women weren’t supposed to speak out against men, out of fear that they may be accused as a witch, it might’ve been the reason that led to her downfall.

After all, during the time of the European Witch Trials, women were expected to be subservient to men. Back then, the natural order was considered to be that men were supposed to lead, and women were to follow. However, there were exceptions, such as midwives, healers, and even old folk women, who benefited the village from their knowledge. When the European Witch Trials began, many of these women were taken and executed, simply because they were shown to be more independent than their counterparts. Old, impoverished women were just as likely to be taken as well. But what managed to finally bring the witch hunts to a massacre was when the rich and elite were involved. Women like Merga Bien were forced to contend with others, simply because of the pure magnitude of their fortune, alongside the paranoia that their rulers were witches. This manifested into a variety of accusations, such as attending the witch’s sabbath, selling their souls to the Devil, and killing children.

The human imagination was a terrifying thing, especially during those trying times. Such times inspired works like Into the Darkest Fire by Juliana Haygert, and The Secret Witch by Jeff Severcool. While trials like Merga Bien's are now taken with a pinch of salt, it didn’t stop people from burning her alive, along with others. Despite the scrutiny we put trials like hers under, it doesn’t replace the fact that many lives were lost, alongside a culture that is slowly, but surely, recovering.