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> Sounds more like vampire-fiction like historical realities. People were "burned at the stake" for heretical ideas and challenging church dogma, not for looki

> Sounds more like vampire-fiction like historical realities. People were "burned at the stake" for heretical ideas and challenging church dogma, not for looking suspiciously young. And the examples we have of living persons being defied was generally because they acquired enormous power (roman emperors, pharaohs and so on) not because of looking particularly young for their age. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_executed_for_witchcraft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_executed_for_wi... Quite a number were burned for (obviously alleged) witchcraft. (grep page for 'burn') That's where I derived that first bullet.

goto11 6y ago
The actual charge was "maleficium", using magic to harm people. Things like poisoning also counted, although we wouldn't consider that magic today. The important point was the intention to cause harm. Of course that was hard to prove or disprove, but we have examples of alleged witches accepting payment for harming/killing other people using whichcraft - like a contract killer. So at least the intention to cause harm was there in some cases. There are numerous accounts of people having (alleged) supernatural abilities who was not persecuted, e.g ascetics surviving without eating for years and such. These were generally held in high regard, and could end up as saints. Of course people could be accused for maleficium on really flimsy evidence so it could also hypothetically happen to the hypothetical slow-aging person just like it could happen to anybody else.
- eganist 6y ago
  > There are numerous accounts of people having (alleged) supernatural abilities who was not persecuted, e.g ascetics surviving without eating for years and such. These were generally held in high regard, and could end up as saints. > Of course people could be accused for maleficium on really flimsy evidence so it could also hypothetically happen to the hypothetical slow-aging person just like it could happen to anybody else. Yep, hence points 1 and 3. Thanks!
  - goto11 6y ago
    Well you only become a saint after you are dead and if miracles at your grave. So the risk of being saintified and then burned at the stake is not high. My point was just that unusual aging patterns would not put you at any particular risk of being burned at the stake.

goto11 6y ago

The actual charge was "maleficium", using magic to harm people. Things like poisoning also counted, although we wouldn't consider that magic today. The important point was the intention to cause harm. Of course that was hard to prove or disprove, but we have examples of alleged witches accepting payment for harming/killing other people using whichcraft - like a contract killer. So at least the intention to cause harm was there in some cases. There are numerous accounts of people having (alleged) supernatural abilities who was not persecuted, e.g ascetics surviving without eating for years and such. These were generally held in high regard, and could end up as saints. Of course people could be accused for maleficium on really flimsy evidence so it could also hypothetically happen to the hypothetical slow-aging person just like it could happen to anybody else.

eganist 6y ago
> There are numerous accounts of people having (alleged) supernatural abilities who was not persecuted, e.g ascetics surviving without eating for years and such. These were generally held in high regard, and could end up as saints. > Of course people could be accused for maleficium on really flimsy evidence so it could also hypothetically happen to the hypothetical slow-aging person just like it could happen to anybody else. Yep, hence points 1 and 3. Thanks!
- goto11 6y ago
  Well you only become a saint after you are dead and if miracles at your grave. So the risk of being saintified and then burned at the stake is not high. My point was just that unusual aging patterns would not put you at any particular risk of being burned at the stake.