Bever, Edward.  “Witchcraft Fears and Psychosocial Factors in Disease.”  The Journal of Interdisciplinary History 30.4 (2000): 573-90.  21, October 2003 <http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org/html/webscript.html:%3Asessionid=sp03sw11‑62175‑dmauymz1‑s4uwy6:sessionid=sp03sw11‑62175‑dmauymz1‑s4uwy6:>.

The men and women educated in healing, also known as kloge folk (cunning folk), that lived in the era of the witchcraft trials in Denmark, while living prosperous lives due to their abilities, walked a fine line between the doctors and witches of the time.  Their skills were welcome in the communities, but if a small quarrel or disagreement arose, the cunning folk were very likely to be accused of witchcraft and therefore faced dire circumstances.  In his article, Tangherlini focuses on the economic assets that cunning folk brought to a community, along with the dilemmas thata cunning a shrewd person could expect to face after being accused of witchcraft.  

Bever, Edward. “Witchcraft, FemaleAggression, and Power in the Early Modern Community.”  Journal of Social History 35.4 (2002): 955-88.  21, October 2003 <http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org/html/webscript.html:%3Asessionid=sp03sw11‑62175‑dmauymz1‑s4uwy6:sessionid=sp03sw11‑62175‑dmauymz1‑s4uwy6:>.

Women, throughout history, have commonly been considered more likely to be witches than men.  Due to their submissive roles in early modern society, women resorted to a means of behavior that effectively allowed them to face conflicts, and these types of behavior were often viewed as witch-like by other members of society.  Historical, biological, psychological, and gender approaches are all employed to efficiently portray the function and conduct of women in the medieval community.  

This article effectively describes one explanation as to how certain behaviors came to be viewed as witchcraft.  It is a useful source that thoroughly explains the topic, and the author is very convincing in his arguments.  The biological and psychological parts of the article, however, cause for problems in comprehension due to excessive wordiness, and at times it seems more like a medical journal than a historical article.  

McGinnis, Scott. “‘Substiltie’ Exposed: Pastoral Perspectives on Witch Belief in the Thought of George Gifford.” The Sixteenth Century Journal 33.3 (2002): 665-86.  24, October 2003 <http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org/html/webscript.html:%3Asessionid=sp03sw11‑62175‑dmauymz1‑s4uwy6:sessionid=sp03sw11‑62175‑dmauymz1‑s4uwy6:>.  

George Gifford, a puritan minister living in Essex during the sixteenth century, opposed witch-hunts and other common views of witchcraft held by citizens of his era.  Through his sermons, Gifford preached his views to his congregation and expressed his opinions as to the role that the devil played in the acts and accusations concerning witchcraft.  Like Gifford, other prominent men of the time also held strong beliefs on the topic, and used their roles in the community to make their beliefs known.  

McGinnis re-employs the biblical approach used by Gifford in his sermons to clearly defend the position that Gifford’s views on the subject of witchcraft differed from the conventional stance that many community members held at the time.  The sections concerning the roles that the devil and God have in witchcraft prove especially helpful in further understanding this topic.  This article clearly states and compares the opinions of many different men of the time period, and no major problems in comprehension appear.

Tangherlini, Timothy R.  “‘How do you know she’s a witch?’: Witches, Cunning Folk, and Competition in Denmark .” Western Folklore 59.3-4 (2000): 279-303. 21, October 2003 <http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org/html/webscript.html:%3Asessionid=sp03sw11‑62175‑dmauymz1‑s4uwy6:sessionid=sp03sw11‑62175‑dmauymz1‑s4uwy6:>.  

The men and women educated in healing, also known as kloge folk (cunning folk), that lived in the era of the witchcraft trials in Denmark, while living prosperous lives due to their abilities, walked a fine line between the doctors and witches of the time.  Their skills were welcome in the communities, but if a small quarrel or disagreement arose, the cunning folk were very likely to be accused of witchcraft and therefore faced dire circumstances.  In his article, Tangherlini focuses on the economic assets that cunning folk brought to a community, along with the dilemmas that a shrewd person could expect to face after being accused of witchcraft.  

While repetition in the article did make reading tedious, the author clearly defines his position and illustrates his points.  Many examples were also used to defend his views on the subject.  Overall, the article is well written and easy to follow, and it clearly adds to the readers knowledge on the subject of witchcraft.