Salem Witches' Institute

Salem Witches' Institute
School information
Location	New England, United States

"The Salem Witches' Institute."

— The sign at the Quidditch World Cup.

The Salem Witches' Institute (alternatively known as the Salem Institute of Magic) is a magical institute, located in Salem, Massachusetts, United States of America. Some of the institute's members attended the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, and were gossiping happily in between two tents bearing their school's name. It's believed to be only for witches, though, in the salem witch trials, even men were called witches.

Behind the scenes

• The banner which displays the school's name is described in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as a "spangled banner", possibly the American Flag, which is "spangled" with stars and referred to in the American National Anthem as "the star-spangled banner".
• Salem Witches' Institute is possibly the wizarding Harry Potter version of Salem State University, or the Massachussetts Institute of Technology.
• Alternatively, it is possibly a nod to the real life Salem High School, which has a witch as its logo and mascot, and whose athletic teams are known as the Witches.

Etymology

The name is derived from Salem, Massachusetts, where the Salem witch trials took place in 1692. Nineteen innocent people were falsely convicted of the felony of witchcraft and executed, all of them by hanging. One man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death in an attempt to torture a confession out of him. And supposedly he cursed the whole village of Salem just before his death, giving some evidence that he actually was a witch.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)