Fun Fact of the Week #367

In "To Switch a Witch" from The Scooby-Doo Show, "The Mark of Mormal" on The Ghost of Milissa Wilcox's grave is not just a made-up symbol as the casual viewer might think. It is a real-life occult symbol known as the Leviathan Cross. The symbol had just been dubbed "The Cross of Satan" in the 1960s by a number Christian theologians, due to its use by Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan. LaVey was responsible for giving this symbol its reputation of evil, as it had previously been simply known as the alchemical symbol for sulfur, which is considered one of the three symbols of nature. Sulfur is considered by those who practice Wicca to give off a "strong, fierce energy."

Prior to LaVey's use of the symbol for Satanism, the double cross at the top was meant to symbolize protection and balance between persons, whilst the infinity sign was intended to symbolize the eternal universe, as well as how nature is infinite. LaVey changed the meaning of the symbol in the 1960s in order to mock this idea of eternal balance, claiming that there was "only evil" in the world. 

In relation to her grave, her date of death also does not align with the real-life Salem Witch Trials. The final burning of an accused "witch" occurred in 1727 in Britain, which is 51 years before Milissa's date of death in 1778.