Show Notes S2-Ep1 Uncanny Exorcism

TFD | S02E01 | Demonic Possessions

     Demonic possession is no new concept. Rumors of alleged possession cases have been whispered in hushed tones, echoing through the halls of history, spanning the depths of time, and woven throughout religious cultures all around the world. Although the word “exorcism” may stir up a very particular mental picture for you today, ripe with vivid imagery imprinted on your mind from popular movies such as The Exorcist or The Conjuring film franchise, tales of exorcisms can be found all throughout human history. In the 1850’s, thirty-thousand cuneiform tablets and fragments were excavated from the site of Assyrian King Ashurbanipal’s royal library in Ninevah. Among the legal and historical texts, many of the tablets described medical and magical practices, including that of the exorcism.

Today we’re going to be discussing Demonic Possession and Exorcisms, and THAT is Freaky Deaky.

 Welcome back to The Freaky Deaky! Season 2 is in full effect, and we’re kicking it off with a bang! 

Sources:

Sources for today’s episode include the books Real Demonic Possessions & Exorcisms by Zachary Knowles (Great book), I Conjur Thee Thou Old Serpent by Joseph P. Laycock, and of course the usual suspects in WikiPedia & Reddit. 

Now that we’ve got all the boring stuff out of the way, let’s dive in. 

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Story #1: Terror in Colonial America

Source: Zachary Knowles “Real Demonic Possessions and Exorcisms”

Priscilla Johnson was a teenage girl living in 1670s colonial America. A lean, intense, outgoing blonde sixteen-year old, she was working for the household of the local pastor to bring in some extra income for her family. However, it would seem the devil was waiting for her right outside the minister’s home. 

Her nightmare began with odd behavior observed by the pastor’s family not long after Priscilla started working for them. They claimed she exhibited sudden changes in facial expressions, speaking to someone that simply wasn’t there, and unreasonable hysterical laughter, which often became so violent she fell to the floor.

This behavior went on for a few weeks until a sudden escalation one night at her home. Priscilla began screaming out in terrible pain, grabbing different parts of her body in terror. Her family didn’t think much of her behavior, even when she grabbed at her throat choking, perhaps feeling it was a bid for attention. Though it was all too real to Priscilla.

Soon Priscilla began experiencing seizures in which her body twisted and she was only able to say the words money, misery, and sin. Oddly enough, she was fully aware during the seizures, even able to repeat what others said in her presence. However, she still remained uncontrollable over her body as she thrashed around on the floor. Her long, blonde hair whipped through the air as her limbs twisted into unimaginable, painful contortions. This finally concerned her parents enough to contact the pastor. They all agreed this seemed to go beyond merely vying for attention.

Another abnormal fact of the seizures is they didn’t seem to weaken her at all. She was stronger and more energetic after the seizure than she was before, which is quite the opposite of a purely physical seizure. Her strength became so omnipotent; it took almost six full-grown men to pin her down on the floor so she wouldn’t hurt herself, especially near the open fireplace, a seemingly favorite target for whatever was controlling her body.

Besides having the ability to hear those around her, she could later identify people in the room though her eyes were clamped shut, even if the people were silent. The seizures would intensify when the pastor came into the room, though with her eyes closed she had no way of knowing he had entered. 

The seizures were not the worst part of Priscilla’s experience. As her possession progressed, other strange symptoms manifested. In between seizures, she would leap around the house making animal sounds ranging from a barking dog to a bleating sheep. Additionally, she was overcome with murderous urges. It began with her parents, but then included her neighbors and the pastor’s children she attended. Disturbingly, it was the youngest child that was the focus of most of her obsessions. These homicidal cravings were so strong it took all the will power she had remaining not to act on them. This, according to Priscilla, was one of the most frightening aspects of her experience.

When her symptoms worsened, she was taken to live at the pastor’s home under the care of his family. One night after arriving, Priscilla awoke with the horrifying, homicidal impulse raging through her, as if her very blood was on fire. She couldn’t get the idea out of her mind.

Weakened from months of fighting these battles, she gave in. With access to a billhook (sickle-like device), she silently crept out of bed and headed down the long hall to the pastor’s bedroom. Convinced he was asleep, she was prepared to kill him; however, he was walking along the hall when he encountered a very strange acting Priscilla. She discreetly tucked the billhook out of sight beneath the folds of her gown and made an excuse for why she was in the hall. Frightened, yet relieved, she headed back to her room. Fortunately, the murderous urge had receded. It would be several weeks before the pastor found out how close he came to being murdered. 

These murderous urges were not just limited to others, however. Many times Priscilla struggled with suicidal thoughts and impulses, going as far as to perch on the edge of a well preparing to jump in until something distracted her and the urge disappeared. She also fantasized about hanging herself, but never succeeded in fully putting those fantasies into action. Satanic Visits and Pacts Priscilla finally revealed Satan had appeared to her multiple times while she was working and later living under the pastor’s roof. It all started when she ventured into the pastor’s cellar to retrieve some supplies. There, she saw two strange figures, but frightened, ran upstairs.

She had someone else go down to the cellar with her, but they saw no one. This person did say, however, he noticed Priscilla talking with someone, though they were alone. Priscilla claimed her mistake was greeting the one she later believed to be Satan with the words, “What cheer, old man?” Apparently, a seemingly innocent greeting gave the evil being access to her mind and later her body.

According to her, Satan appeared to her multiple times. In his hand he always held a book filled with the contracts he made with individuals, signed in blood, and he wanted her to make a pact with him, also. Priscilla said he pointed out her discontent in life—living in a small town, being from a relatively poor family, having to work for the pastor, never having any hope of seeing the world—and he promised her some very tempting things such as a chance to see the world, access to great wealth, fashionable clothes, and never having to work again.

Priscilla said she never made a league with the devil, but later statements seem to contradict that claim. She did admit he would often appear when she was the most discontented with her life—depressed, weary of her work, and longing for excitement. She also admitted she would listen to him, rather than fleeing from him, for he always seemed sympathetic of her plight.

Priscilla’s claims would alternate between those of terror at the sight of the Devil to confessing of purposely staying late at work to go home after dark, thus having a better chance of encountering the Devil. He would appear to her in the shadows of darkness on her way home alone, walking, talking, and sympathizing with her in order to tempt her. She later confessed she had traveled with him on at least two occasions: she on horseback and he in the form of a large, menacing black dog that followed close behind.

The Devil wasn’t the only being she saw; later on she stated that, to her horror, she had witnessed more demonic creatures than she had ever witnessed humans. These creatures were somewhat human in form, but loathsome, deformed, and mutated to the point they were horrifying to gaze upon. Not all of these demons merely appeared, either; some of them would bite her, strangle her, speak to her, and throw her down on the floor. Apparently, at least one of these creatures was visible to another young lady, too. 

Many Christians in the community prayed and counseled Priscilla, including her pastor, but they all had the same question in mind: was Priscilla truly possessed?

A local physician was called to evaluate her and his initial opinion, based on the limited medical knowledge of the time, was her possession was due to stomach problems and bad blood. He went so far to say the bad blood caused dangerous fumes to collect in her brain, which was the source of all her problems.

He prescribed her a curative, which likely seems to have been some type of tranquilizer. The seizures grew less frequent and less intense and Priscilla was sent back home to her parents. Her problems were not over, however.

Over time, her behavior became odd all over again and she began to alternate between being glad she was free of the demons and being sad she no longer had visits from them. Soon the seizures began again in force, exhibiting the same impossible contortions with the same awareness of her surroundings. This time, however, Priscilla couldn’t speak at all: her tongue was arched up to the roof of her mouth. Her tongue would remain in that position for hours at a time, with even the strongest of men unable to dislodge it from this position. As her condition worsened, they called for the pastor again.

From that point, she began what can only be described as a descent into torment and madness. The seizures began to last for hours at a time and her behavior in between became more erratic and senseless. She had to be watched closely because of multiple suicide attempts, yet those watching her had to be careful because of her violent attacks upon them. When she did succeed in harming someone, she would laugh with devilish delight.

The pastor and Priscilla’s family, it seems, had begun to doubt she was truly possessed. Priscilla would confess to something one day, then recant the next, and then confess something similar a few days later. They began to suspect this was all an attempt to gain attention, like her family believed at the very beginning. However, their minds would be changed.

One fateful Sunday, Priscilla’s seizures started afresh, but suddenly her tongue was drawn so far out of her mouth it seemed physically impossible. Her body, very bloated and fleshy, began to bend and twist as if she were a circus contortionist. Then a new voice came forth from her lips. It was a deep, guttural, aggressive, masculine voice that mocked them for attending church that Sunday morning and called the pastor a loathsome liar.

The family immediately called for the pastor out of fear. When the pastor arrived, he was seriously taken aback. Nothing in Priscilla’s behavior up to that time pointed so clearly to demonic possession. The pastor would later admit he was frightened, having never dealt with demon possession up close and personal and he could no longer deny the demonic overtones of what was happening.

Subsequently, the evil voice coming from Priscilla began to name those present and then list every secret, sinful act he or she had committed in the past, even those Priscilla had no way of knowing. This frightened many present, needless to say, and pointed once again toward demonic powers.

When confronted as to whom he was, the spirit answered, “I am a pretty boy and this is my pretty girl.” This chilled Priscilla’s parents to their very core—this evil thing was claiming their young daughter as its own property!

Those present began to pray for Priscilla’s deliverance. She would become quiet during those times, but the instant they stopped praying that same demonic voice would begin to speak. The battle continued for several more days until everyone involved was worn out.

Over time, the seizures became less severe, but she never regained the ability to speak. The evil spirit eventually quit speaking through her and it only took one person to keep an eye on her for her own safety. Sadly, Priscilla never fully recovered.

(Source: Knowles, Zachery. True Ghost Stories: Real Demonic Possessions and Exorcisms (pp. 17-25). True Ghost Stories. Kindle Edition.)

Story #2: The Possession of Elizabeth Knapp

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possession_of_Elizabeth_Knapp

The possession case of Elizabeth Knapp is unique and strange in the aspect that it was documented and approached from a thoughtful, and scientific aspect. Knapp was the servant at the household of Samuel Willard, a prominent Reverend in the church of Groton. This became an issue because Willard was known for his sermons about damnation and obedience to God. One Sermon in particular states that the youth of the town should have been very careful because, "although God is ready to receive them, the Devil is ready to endeavor them". 

When Knapp, a member of his own household, began to show signs of a demonic possession, Willard took a careful and scientific approach to the situation, which was rare for 17th century Puritan New England. He called in a medical doctor on several occasions and tried to find a cure for her symptoms. After they could provide no explanation for her fits he declared that it was a case of possession. Throughout the entire process, as noted in his journal, Knapp seemed to have the most violent fits when he was present. Willard carefully and meticulously documented Knapp daily from the night she first showed signs, Monday October 30, 1671 until January 12, 1672.

Willard states that Knapp, at first, began to complain of pains throughout her body. She would grab certain body parts, such as her leg, breast, and neck and yell out, particularly about strangulation. She would go through emotional fits, sometimes laughing to the point of hysterics, weeping, or screaming out. Hallucinations then followed. On several occasions she claimed to see 'two persons' walking around her. Also she stated to have seen a man floating around her bed.

Knapp also broke out into fits, particularly at night time, and convulse on the ground. Then she tried to throw herself into the fire. Willard notes that on the first Sabbath day after the symptoms appeared the young girl became violent, leaping, and contorting her body to the point where it took three to four people to hold her down. As she was throwing these fits, she would yell out the words: "money, money, sin and misery, misery!"

Willard then documented that on the night of November 2, 1671 Knapp made a confession of meeting with the devil, a characteristic of most possession cases. She stated that for three years the devil met with her promising her money, youth, ease from labor, and the ability to see the world. She then claimed that he had presented her with a book of blood covenants which were signed by other women as well. She also said the Devil had tried to get her to kill herself and others, Willard and his family included, but she could not do what he asked.

She continued with fits and apparitions of the Devil and various other spirits until the night of November 28, in which she had a fit lasting for 48 hours. Afterwards she was in a catatonic state until the night of December 8, in which she made the confession that after being assaulted by the devil various times, she made the pact with him, and allowed him into her bed. Willard's Journal continued on to state that she, throughout the month of December goes in and out of violent fits, one much worse than the next, she talks in a strange, deep voice, and made animal sounds. It is also this during these few weeks that Willard states the Devil, "talked through her body", calling him a rogue minister.

Willards entries do not begin again until January 10, 1672 where he writes that he met with Knapp again. She confessed to him that the Devil had control of her body and that he was much more powerful than she was. She stated that he also took hold of her speech and she had no control of the things that she was saying. The next night she went into a fit of hysterical crying and weeping in which she called for Willard's presence. The fits "held her till late in the night...as long as [Willard] tarried, which was more than an hour. I left her in them. And thus she continues speechless to this instant January 15." After this night Willard ends his documentation of the possession case stating that he will leave it to those who are "more learned, aged, and judicious" than he was.

Willard concluded his entries with a final four points in which he gave his final opinions about the validity of the possession case. In the first point he stated that Knapp's distemper in no way can be counterfeit on the grounds that it was physically impossible to fake such actions. The second point refers to whether or not her temper was natural or diabolical, in which he stated, because of the length of her convulsions and the strength of her fits, he believed them to be diabolical. In the third point he concluded that even though many were skeptical of the fact that the devil talked through the girl, he was convinced. He stated on several occasions she spoke with her mouth closed, her throat would swell up like a balloon, and the voices that he heard were not her own.

However, in the fourth point he said he has strong doubts about Knapp making a pact with the Devil. This is because she is so contradictory about the facts, and what happened in her supposed meetings with the Devil. Willard went on to give several powerful sermons in the village of Salem during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, as well as discredited evidence of conviction for several women during the trials, stating that the trials should be held in a "fair and legal way". After Willard stopped entries into his journal it has been a historical mystery what happened to Knapp. However her case has been cited and used as examples by various historians

Story #3: Reddit Submission

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/sxg4r/iama_request_someone_that_has_personally

The following comment was submitted to an AMA request post on Reddit by user "Sorkijan". The original post was requesting stories from people that had personally witnessed an exorcism, and asked the following questions: What year did it happen? Who all was present? Was it documented within the church? What happened to the person being exorcised? Did you see anything paranormal or supernatural occur? So, Sorkijan's response is broken up by these 5 questions.

The Possession Case

A little backstory, my father was and has been a preacher and evangelist since he was about 20 (or even younger really). He's now 52. We were at on a mission trip to Ulanosk, Russia when this happened. It was a huge campmeeting (if you want to call it that). Let me first off just answer your questions directly 1 by 1.

What year did it happen?

1993, it was a huge auditorium in Ulanosk. Keep in mind this was only a few years after the Lenin tower was pulled down and the USSR was absolved. This being the birthplace of Lenin, there were either very radical, extremist and militant groups, or communist/Lenin sympathizers.

In fact one day while my father was holding a doll that he had bought (as a souvenir) we were walking to Lenin's Memorial and he had about 20 soldiers hold him at gunpoint. I guess they had received a lot of terrorist threats and were being very cautious that there wasn't anything inside the doll.

Who all was present?

There were a lot of Russian teenagers, and young adults. I think somewhere around 10,000. The place was just huge. Along with that, there were 2 other couples, along with one gentleman (all from America) that had been in Russia for some time. They were kind of like the tour guides, so to speak.

Was it documented within the church?

In lieu of what I've already mentioned, there really wasn't a church per se to document it in. So, definitely not in writing. A lot of people were talking about it for quite a few months, even when we arrived back in the states.

What happened to the person being exorcised

She started shaking convulsively, and fell backwards. I don't think she got up until about 2:00 AM that morning.

Did you see anything paranormal or supernatural occur?

Please keep in mind with all my responses that I am not saying there is a God or there isn't, so take what you want from this. I was merely observing. It was terrifying as shit though.

So my father is praying for this lady. There is an interpreter, with him not being fluent in Russian. She is shaking and crying the whole time with her arms just lying down at her sides. All of a sudden when things start to seem to get "intense" her eyes roll in the back of her head and she starts speaking some language that all the fluent Russian speaking people in the area swore they had not heard before, and honestly it didn't sound like Russian at all. She then paused after about 10 seconds of that, looked my Father straight in the eyes and I swear to everything that is holy, said to him in the most perfect American accent (in English of course), in a man's voice nonetheless, "This is my domain! You are not allowed here! You will suffer the lake of fire for your heresy!".

Of course this was a woman, probably mid to late 30's. It scared the hell out of this 8 year old.

Like I said, this is not an advocacy for religion, or against it. I've been in church my whole life up until I was about 20, at which point I've thought it's good to have faith, but after growing up in it, I'm pretty much sick of church politics and how it operates. I'm not here for a religious debate. I am a proponent of science and all things logical, I just have my faith, faith in its very definition, isn't supposed to make sense. I also realize how hypocritical that sounds, but why hate on someone else for wanting to live their life, their way?