Witchcraft

Prior to the age of religious reformation and the Late Middle Ages, witchcraft did not hold such a negative connotation. In fact, it was divided into two – white magic and black magic. White magic was used by healers, wise men and women, as well as others who fit this category. Black magic, on the other hand, were practiced by those who sought to harm others, thus used their abilities for evil. It was this kind of magic that got a person labelled as a witch rather than the titles used for the…

The Nations of Witchcraft Throughout the changing times of history, treatment of women has been shown in spiteful events. An example of this is how the witchcraft craze affected the many women of the 17th century. Witchcraft is the practice of magic, specifically black magic and the use of spells or the invocation of spirits as well as being commonly linked to devil-worship. Superstition was running rampant in the 17th century as it was all around and shrouded daily life. Witch trials occurred…

History of Witchcraft in Europe Growing up as a little kid, Halloween was one of the best holidays because of the free candy. Everyone dressed up as a witch at least once in their lives on Halloween. Hearing the word “witch”, the first thing that might come to mind is the movie ‘Hocus Pocus’ or ‘Halloween Town’. Little did they know, witches or witchcraft exists and they are not all black pointy hats and broom sticks. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Europe, witch hunts…

Witches are viewed in modern eyes as a typical halloween costume with little significance. In reality, though, most witches in American history have not been anywhere close to that! Most were common folk falsely accused of witchcraft. The influence of historical witchcraft is found in literature, movies, and shaping decades of American history. The origin of the term ‘witch’ was “... adopted by the early Christian church as a way to label and condemn the practitioners of the ancient pagan…

Kieckhefer and Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger produced pieces of literature depicting how the premodern witch was perceived during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. During the time period, there was a large emphasis on the church and since witchcraft went against the ideals of the church the premodern witch was considered an “evil” doer of magic. Modern authors such as Ronald Hutton and Meagan Bolds have formed pieces of literature giving definitions of a witch in the twenty-first…

Throughout history the concept of the unknow has been contemplated with people wondering why certain events occurred over time. While they sought for answers the notion of witches and witchcraft was brought to light and as a result many individuals were accused and blamed for other people’s misfortune. Thus, causing an era of speculation, accusations, fear, and tension. With all of this in mind, one cannot help pondering whether or not those witches were indeed witches. Or on the other hand,…

dramatic and devastating events of history? Well it ever so happened to be that in the year of 1692 that is exactly what happened. Sadly, twenty people lost their lives because other people were convinced that they were practicing witchcraft. In 1692 the Salem witchcraft trials began when a few deceitful girls accused faultless people for practicing the craft of the devil, leading them to be put in prison or executed and only to protect their dear religion, Puritan. In the month of February…

as one. As the story begins a valley is described that is quiet, has animals, and people. This valley being called the Sleepy Hallows and the boys of this valley being called the sleepy hallow boys. The valley has witchcraft within it as previous events by an Indian chief. The witchcraft in valley influences the people as the text states “the place still continues under the sway of some witching power, that holds a spell over the minds of the good people, causing them to walk in a continual…

which translates to “witch” and “hexen” which means “to practice witchcraft.” The first instance of hex being used as a noun meaning “magic spell” was recorded in 1909. In the Pennsylvania Dutch community, hex signs are commonly seen painted on barns and homes as both decoration and as a symbol for protection. However, this is debated and there seems to be some crossover in the Powwow traditioins and the Pennsylvania Dutch. In the witchcraft community, a hex is a spell or ritual typically…

England. What could this fear be of exactly? Economic issues, plagues and diseases, and of course, witches. This led to a chain of massacres, torture, and inhumane behavior throughout New England and Colonial America. Despite the idea of witchcraft showing up as early as the 14th century, an abundance of witch hunts had been going on as long as 300 years in France, Italy, England,, And Germany. This was starting to get a bit out of hand at this point. To make things worse, the Bible was…