The truth about Wicca

Witchcraft history

Witchcraft history is a difficult subject, mainly because there are so many periods of time where it was too dangerous to admit to being a witch. Records were lost or destroyed, and traditions were erased as generations had to hide their practices.

To look farther back, to the very , you'll find a mix of elements from around the world. If you are specifically thinking of early Wiccan witchcraft, then that particular brand of witchcraft began in the 1950s with Gerald Gardner.

Once you look past the beginnings of witchcraft, the periods of stand out because of the growing troubles faced by witches (and anyone simply accused of being a witch). It was during the medieval period that the church began to speak out against witchcraft, and that Satanic elements began to enter the picture. Horrible were developed, adding even more fear into the mix.

After the medieval era, next came , when the trials really ramped up and reached their peak. It was at the end of this period when the infamous took place in the United States.

More article are coming in this section on witchcraft history, including some material on the current state of as well as .

When it comes to medieval witchcraft, it refers to the time period also known as the Middle Ages. And it spans a sizable chunk of history, roughly between the 5th and 15th centuries. Since that means a period of around 1,000 years, there is no way to really describe what medieval witchcraft was like. There was just too much going on.

This time period was before the famous witchcraft frenzy that took over Europe and North America. That nonsense was roughly between the 1500s and 1700s. This is where the took place as well.

But most people tend to lump the witchcraft hysteria period into the Middle Ages anyway. In a sense they are connected, because it was the growing influence of the church during the Middle Ages that finally exploded into the persecution and murder of thousands of people in the name of "witchcraft".

Before witchcraft become demonized (literally), it was a relatively common practice, and most villages had a wise woman who would dole out herbal remedies and cast spells for their neighbors. Unfortunately, much of the practices from this time have been lost due to the decades of hunting for witches and the obvious fear that went along with it.

All of the negative aspects that were attached to the practice of witchcraft began to develop during the medieval period. Associations with Satan and that witches caused disease and destruction in their villages started to become common ideas even though there were never any facts to back them up. And of course, the idea that they flew around on brooms in the night while causing their hellish mischief.

So really, the concept of witchcraft in the Middle Ages is a difficult one. Much accurate information was lost and many new fictional tales were created in its place. Many of those misconceptions persist today.

The Salem witchcraft trials are only one example of the hysteria that took over many parts of North America as well as Europe. During the 1500 to 1700s, tens of thousands of people were put to death on such charges. Exact records are hard to come by considering the time period and the widespread nature of the events.

The trials in Salem weren't just a singular event. There were a number of separate accusations, arrests and trials during 1692 that make up this time in history. The particular incident that started the entire mess is the best known, involving several young girls who began to point fingers.

It started with Betty Parris and Abigail Williams (age 9 and 11), who were close relatives of the local reverend. They began to have "fits" that included making strange sounds, throwing things and crawling around on the floor. Other girls began to have the same behaviors. It didn't take long for the church officials to start thinking witchcraft. The first people to be accused were Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and a slave woman named Tituba. Not surprisingly, these women had no powerful connections in town (Sarah Good was actually a homeless beggar), so they were easy targets.