“Witchfinder General” by Saxon
As you may know, persecution of witches – or more specifically women who have been labeled as such – is a real thing. This was even true for a while in Anglo-American society itself, back circa the 17th century. So movies like Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, as fantastical as they may seem, do have sort of a factual basis.
And as far as English historical figures who actually practiced such a profession, according to history it looks like none could outmatch one Matthew Hopkins. As a matter of example, it has been estimated that even though he spent less than 30 years on this Earth, during his career he had a hand in executing over 100 “witches”.
To note, it wasn’t that practicing witchcraft itself was a crime punishable by death. More specifically, in order to bring about an execution associated with this charge, it would have to be proven that the accused practitioner was also “a disciple of Satan”, as Saxon puts it, i.e. a Devil worshipper. So basically, witch hunting became a form of religious persecution. In other words, if someone like Matthew Hopkins could successful accuse another of being anti-Christian, then that was pretty much their ass. So it is with the lyrics of this song, more or less.
“Witchfinder General
The “Witchfinder General” is depicted, most simply explained, as an executioner who preys on those who can’t defend themselves against his charges. And it should be noted that Hopkins’s ways proved so ruthless that some of the formal authorities (which he was not) turned against him. That concept also makes it into the lyrics, i.e. that even those who “send for the Witchfinder General” ultimately “rue” his presence.
In contemporary times, when artists harp back to the era of the witch trials, usually doing so is meant to be symbolic of the types of injustices that can potentially occur, out in the open even, when there is some type of undue hysteria amongst the masses. And since this song doesn’t rely heavily on proper nouns, as in not being intended as a history lesson, then it can be concluded that such is the case here also.
Individuals like the “Witchhunter General” are depicted such that they are actually looking for someone to persecute. Owing to this, they would do whatever they must to get a conviction, so to speak. So it seems as if what’s basically being put forth, conclusively, is that if you’re an associate with such a person – let’s say one who enjoys harming those whom they feel are immoral – then it might be best to go your separate way.
Saxon
Saxon is a group of heavy metalists from England who have been around since the late 1970s. And “Witchfinder General” is a track that can be found on their 16th studio album, “Lionheart”. The song was released on 20 September 2004. The labels behind this effort are SPV and one of its subsidiaries, Steamhammer.
The membership of Saxon has remained somewhat consistent for a band that’s been for almost five decades now. And four of the members who were down during this track’s issuance are still involved to this day. They are:
- Biff Byford (vocalist)
- Paul Quinn (guitarist)
- Nibbs Carter (bassist)
- Doug Scarratt (guitarist)
The fifth member at the time, Jörg Michael, was only down for a year, from 2004 to 2005. Also to note, Byford and Quinn are co-founders of this act.
Credits for “Witchfinder General”
It is the aforementioned Byford, Carter, Michael, Quinn and Scarratt who are credited with writing this song. Its producer was a regular Saxon collaborator at the time in Charlie Bauerfeind.
Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins and His Atrocities Against Innocent Women in the 17th Century
English witch-hunter, Matthew Hopkins began his career in 1644 in East Anglia. He was convinced that there were several witches operating in England. He therefore took it upon himself to try and execute people for dabbling in witchcraft. Between 1644 and 1646, he is believed to have orchestrated the execution of more than 100 alleged witches.
The work of Hopkins and his associates was to prove that the women they captured and accused had covenanted with the devil. His suspicions grew in March 1644 after he allegedly overheard some women discussing meetings they had with the Devil.
Hopkin’s ways of the investigation were inspired by former witch hunter King James. Hopkins tested some of the witches by cutting them with a blunt knife. He would then make his verdict from their ability to bleed or not after the cut. If the accused did not bleed, she was guilty. Sleep deprivation was also one of the techniques Hopkins used to force his captives to confess.
He also deployed the “swimming test” which was a practice of tying suspects to a chair and throwing them into a river. Once the suspects swam and floated they were charged guilty. Lastly, Hopkins and his team would also look out for the devil’s mark, which included things such as the following:
- a birthmark
- an extra nipple or breast
- a mole
Matthew Hopkins faced diverse oppositions which resulted in his disengagement from some practices like the swimming test in 1645. He however, continued to make commercial profits from this practice up until his retirement in 1647.
