16th Century Wicca Witchcraft

Witchcraft The history of Witchcraft is difficult to trace because it remained a hidden practice for most of its early history. Several of the scholars I researched argued that Witchcraft never existed and was just the product of creative imaginations. However, noted religious scholar, Mircea Eliade, argues that evidence suggests that Witchcraft was a very ancient practice. Standard dictionary definitions define “Witches” as people who practice magick.

Throughout history, people’s reactions to witchcraft have started mass panic, hysteria, disturbing witch trials, and countless executions and hangings. Witchcraft was once and still can be a very controversial topic, as it challenges other’s religions and beliefs and is against Christianity. Back when the Church was the main source of authority and guidance, reactions to witchcraft were particularly strong and heated, as there are even bible quotes ordering the instant death of any witch or wizard. Concern was commonplace, especially considering the Salem Witchcraft Trials, since children were the main people afflicted. However, as time passed and humanitarianism ideas spread,

Witchcraft was defined for the masses by the publication of the Malleus Maleficarium also known simply as the Handbook. Written by two Dominican friars in 1486 it’s purpose was to be used as a handbook to identify, capture, torture, and execute suspected witches. Opinions stated as facts and written in the Malleus Maleficarium, “handbook”, were based their faith, church doctrine, and the Bible. No doubt a religious masterpiece in it’s time this handbook is a neatly woven together a group of beliefs, experiences, wisdom of ancient writers, religious ideas, and God inspired writings that justify it’s purpose. Written by and used by Catholics this handbook proved useful for Protestants as well. Based on biblical interpretation and ideas the handbook provided Protestant Church leaders biblical authority to prosecute witchcraft as well. Translated into today’s vernacular phrases such as, “everybody knows that women are feeble minded” or “everybody knows that women are more superstitious than men” and “all women have slippery tongues” are included in the handbook and presented to the reader as foregone conclusions. Specific

The notion of witchcraft has been around long before the witch trials in Early Modern Europe. Different cultures have different images and stereotypes on what a witch is and what “magical” abilities he or she may possess. Many people however, did not look at these “magical” men and women as bad until the Holy Roman Empire began to look negatively on those people who were different, and opposed the norm set by the elites. Driven by fear, those living under the control of the Holy Roman Empire would began to blame other people for diabolical actions, or malicious activities. Women and some men, were tortured and tested in cruel ways in attempt of finding evidence or gaining a confession that the accused was a witch. Laws about how which were persecuted

The rise of witchcraft affected the culture and minds of the commoners by the way it provided a scapegoat for mysterious things that took place, and the jobs that it created. Witchcraft took the minds and trust of the people of Europe by storm, raising suspicion among family and friends in the townsfolk. One explanation for “belief in witchcraft in pre-industrial societies, including

Rise in learned magic during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries increased the concern of witchcraft. Learned magic was appealing because “people sensed that here was a new way which might allow man to gain a full mastery over nature.” Further, this new power over nature was accomplished with the “control of the spirits and forces that fill the universe.” The notion that one could learn to control nature and the spirits challenged the need for God. If humans can control nature and forces in the world, is there a need for God? This notion also threatened the need for the Church. Humans would not need the Church if they could control nature and spirits themselves. The newly learned magic resulted in new punishments during the early seventeenth century and the association of witches with learned magic. This blended the distinction between and condemnation of magic and

The term witchcraft is defines as the practice of magic intended to influence nature. It is believed that only people associated with the devil can perform such acts. The Salem Witch Trials was much more than just America’s history, it’s also part of the history of women. The story of witchcraft is first and foremost the story of women. Especially in its western life, Karlsen (1989) noted that “witchcraft challenges us with ideas about women, with fears about women, with the place of women in society and with women themselves”. Witchcraft also confronts us too with violence against women. Even through some men were executed as witches during the witch hunts, the numbers were far less then women. Witches were generally thought to be

Over the years, Witchcraft has been known as a hysteria all over the world. The hysteria started in Europe but later on moved to the United States. For my paper, I will conduct research over this Witchcraft hysteria in Early Modern Europe. Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe was seen as an overwhelming situation during the 16th to the 18th century for many people. As for my paper, I will discuss many topics like the history, the trials, who we accused, why they were accused, and what it was like for many people during this time.

The history of witchcraft during seventeenth century New England is inherently a history of direct confrontations within communities where relationships become tainted with suspicion, revenge and anger. The documents in Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth Century New England have retold the events and stories of Puritan New England to give the modern reader an understanding of the repressive social institutions of religion and family structure which were controlling factors that lay behind the particular cases discussed in the book. However, in order to really interpret the structure of witchcraft, it is important to consider that social tensions (most likely a dispute or argument) combined with personal or familial bad luck, were the root of

Present day, when people hear the word witchcraft, they often think of Harry Potter or other works of fiction. In Elizabethan England, society was extremely superstitious, many people strongly believed in witchcraft. They felt witches were responsible for their misfortune. Innocent people were persecuted because of others beliefs. This is evident because of the similarities between the witches and the importance of religion and beliefs in the 16th century.

The idea of witchcraft existed long before the 16th century, but only after the 16th century, the perception of witchcraft changed into an opposing view. Before the 16th century, people usually accepted women making their own medicines and administering it to cure disease or illness, but when the middle ages began and when millions of people fell into the hands of the plague (Black Death), witches started receiving negative suspicion for the activities. Citizens began accusing people with related features to a witch, good or bad, of treachery and acting upon the will of Satan. This, they connected to the Black Death as their doing.

There are many assortments of beliefs on who was more likely to be accused of witchcraft in the 16th century. I personally believe that women, particularly widows, and the poor were the first and most likely to be accused of witchcraft in their communities rather than the rich or people with authority. In these male dominated societies in the 16th century women were not very respected. Arthur Miller's The Crucible and The European Witch Hunts wrongly accused many people from the outskirts of society of witchcraft, causing fear of many people's lives.

The development of Wicca in the modern times is associated with a gentleman named Gerald Gardner (1884-1964). He was a British civil servant and amateur archaeologist, who spent most of his working years in Southern Asia. Upon his return to England, he authored the book Witchcraft Today, which outlined many of the rituals and doctrines of the religion that is now called Wicca. Although Gardner claimed his book was inspired from Celtic traditions, it is actually a combination of Western faith, Asian magic, god and goddess worship, and Masonic rituals (Melton). The religion Gardner outlined in his book is a nature-oriented faith where a low emphasis on magic predominates. While there is a tendency to see Wicca and Witchcraft as one and the same and some Wiccans may identify themselves as witches, it is a personal choice and many modern Wiccans do not see themselves as witches. Witchcraft describes a magically-oriented practice but lacks the spiritual foundation that Wicca as a religion embodies. Today=s modern Wiccan religion is not the religion that Christians tried to

Continuity of the Witch's Craft lay within its ability to shift its shape accordingly to any given time, culture or belief within society spanning back thousands of years. Being an adversarial magical art, both practice and bless, classical witchcraft is seeded in our ancestral memory and boils to the surface during times of oppression and suffering. Historically, witchcraft has shown itself to be the counter-current of any given society mainly being picked up and practiced by common folk as a means of retribution against an aggressor, oppressor, or offender. In the modern age, there has been a white-washing of the magical practices of witches that arose during the 50's & 60's which regards witchcraft and its magical feats more beneficent and less malevolent. This was spearheaded by the late Gerald B. Gardner to smooth public relations in a time when British witchcraft laws were being repealed and the modern counter-currents were making headway in music, cinema, literature, social justice, and art.

The Everyday Humanities series presents, “Medieval Women and the Story of the European Witch,” featuring Christine Nuefield, PhD. Her talk will explore medieval-era hysteria about witchcraft. Nuefield will also explore why women represented a disproportionate of the convicted and summarily executed.