Witches and Witchcraft

The belief in witches – people with supernatural powers – is ancient and universal. No one knows whether witches do actually have special powers, but from the earliest times, people in all cultures have believed that some men and women can use rituals, spells, and other magical means to influence events for good or evil. Definitions of witchcraft vary, but it is always associated with magic. Uniquely, however, in Europe from the 15^th to the 18^th centuries, witchcraft was associated with devil worship, and was punishable by death.

Magic 

Magic, or sorcery , is the attempt to use supernatural  or natural forces to influence events. Belief in magic has a long history – evidence of magic spells has been found in prehistoric cave paintings - and it continues today in many cultures, either as a superstition or as a religion. In some cultures, magic is considered to be sacred and is practiced by especially skilled people.

Witch trials

 

Persecution of supposed witches reached its height between 1580 and 1660, when trials occurred throughout Western Europe. As hysteria mounted, thousands were brought before Church and civil courts. Anyone old, alone, or eccentric could be accused, including elderly women, village midwives, and herbalists. Their persecution was fueled by gossip and rumors, which were used as evidence in court.

 

Familiars

Identifying witches was difficult, because they looked exactly the same as any member of society. However, medieval people believed that true witches could fly – usually on a broomstick – and were accompanied by a “familiar”, such as a cat, which was really a demon in disguise.

Torture

Suspected witches were savagely tortured in order to make them confess and also to name accomplices. Methods of torture included whipping, branding with red hot irons, stretching on the rack, thumbscrew, and the gouging out of eyes. Most people confessed to almost anything just to stop the torture.

Healing

Witchcraft has always been linked with natural religions and healing. The word “witch” comes from the Anglo-Saxon, wicca, meaning wise one, and, in medieval Europe, many so-called witches were actually village wise women, skilled in herbal cures. Today, in many Latin American and African societies, witch doctors and shamans still use herbs and rituals for healing.

Witch burning

Witch burning

Proving witchcraft was a difficult matter, and various tests were devised. One of these was throwing a bound person into water. If she was guilty, she floated; if innocent, she sank. Death was the usual penalty for witchcraft, particularly burning at the stake, on the grounds that this punishment mirrored the fires of hell. Many thousands were put to death this way, including Joan of Arc, the French heroine who was accused of being a witch by the English and burned at the stake in 1431.

European witch hunts

 

In early medieval Europe, belief in witches was a natural part of everyday life. However from the 12^th century, the Christian church redefined witchcraft as heresy, or treason against God. Witches were described as evil devil- worshipers, and the Church set up massive witch hunts in which anyone suspected of witchcraft was rounded up, tried, and often executed. The witch hunts lasted some 300 years, and at least 300,000 innocent people, mostly women, were put to death. Historians have put forward various reasons for the witch hunts. These included a general persecution of women, and the rise of medical science.