Witches

**__Witches__**




 * By Melinda Horne, Kayla Fehringer, & Shelby Mallory**

1) one that is credited with usually malignant supernatural powers; //especially// : a woman practicing usually black witchcraft with the aid of a devil or familiar : sorceress — compare warlock 2) an ugly old woman **:** hag 3) a charming or alluring girl or woman 4) a practitioner of Wicca
 * Definition of witch by Marriam-Webster:**

The concept of witchcraft has existed since the beginning of humanity. Usually (but not always), the label 'witch' was given to female healers and herbalists. This term did not always have a negative connotation, and in some societies, witches were even revered. However, since the dawn of Chrisianity, witches have faced widespread persecution, transforming from the image of a wise-woman to the helper of the devil. In Greek and Roman cultures, witches were viewed as highly powerful, erratic, and controlling women. Medea, wife of Jason, demonstrates this most clearly when she murders their children after Jason leaves her. Contrarily, African "witch doctors" are healers and spiritual leaders for the tribal community.
 * Basic History:**

When Christianity rolled into popular view, it expressly condemned witchcraft. Exodus 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Leviticus 20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiarspirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them. Although it did not specifically define what witchcraft was, pagan temples and ceremonies were targeted and given this label as the west became mor Christianized. In the mid 1400's, witch hunts spread like wildfire through Europe as people admitted to heinous crimes in the name of Satan, resolting in mass executions. At the same time, Pope Innocent VIII, who is now most known for beginning the failed Crusades and for endorsing the Spanish Inquisition, issued a papal bull called //Summis Desiderantes//, which gave people permission to find and eliminate witches as they saw fit. He also hired two men to investigate the rising witch problem in Germany, and they published the book //Malleus Malificarum// (Hammer of Witches). These detailed the attrocities the witches of Germany had allegedly commited and also listed some ways to identify witches (through noting where they had moles.) This marked a turning point in witch history; previously, witches were believed to be "powerless in the face of God." Now it was the duty of all good Christians to seek out and eliminate witches. Soon the Protestant Reformation cropped up, and places like Germany and France became riddled with witchburnings. " Over the 160 years from 1500 to 1660, Europe saw between 50,000 and 80,000 suspected witches executed. About 80% of those killed were women. Execution rates varied greatly by country, from a high of about 26,000 in Germany to about 10,000 in France, 1,000 in England, and only four in Ireland. The lower death tolls in England and Ireland owe in part to better procedural safeguards in those countries for defendants," Douglas Linder said, briefly going over religious persecutions before the Salem Witch Trials. This phenomenon can be compared to the more modern McCarthyist hunts for Communist Party members in America during the 1950's. This fear and fervor was reflected in contemporary entertainment, such as Shakespeare's Macbeth. A dark Cave. In the middle, a Cauldron boiling. Thunder. //Enter the three witches.// 1 W ITCH. Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd. 2 W ITCH. Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin'd. 3 W ITCH. Harpier cries:—'tis time! 'tis time! 1 W ITCH. Round about the cauldron go; In the poison'd entrails throw.— Toad, that under cold stone, Days and nights has thirty-one; Swelter'd venom sleeping got, Boil thou first i' the charmed pot! A LL. Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble In 1682, England executed its last witch, however, the witch burning frenzy travelled across the Atlantic, where it landed in Salem, Massechusettes in the form of 19 executions.
 * Witchcraft in Christian Context:**

Witches are familiar character in modern society. Countless books and movies have been created with witches in them, both good and bad, and our children dress frequently as witches for Halloween. We visualize the green, warty, sort of evil witch that was portrayed in Macbeth most often, however, we have the concept of a "good witch," like Glinda from The Wizard of Oz. There are some that take the topic of witches more seriously, and don't simply view them as beloved characters from stories. Wicca is a neopaganist religion that emphasizes "witch-like" practices of spells and ceremonies. They are not associated with Satan, however, and do not endorse violence, contrary to Pope Innocent's belief. Overall, witches have been deemed nonexistant in moderntimes (with the exception of a few religions), though they flourish in the imaginations of the creative.
 * Modern Witchcraft:**

1) Macbeth 2) Chronicles of Narnia 3) Harry Potter 4) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 5) The Odessey 6) The Crucible 1) Medea (Greek) 2) Morgan la Fey (King Arthur) 3) Frejya (Norse) 4) Isis (Egyptian) 1) The Wizard of Oz 2) Hocus Pocus 3) Buffy the Vampire Slayer 4) Charmed
 * Witches in popular lit****erature:**
 * Witches in legends/myths:**
 * Witches in film/television:**


 * Common Perception of Witches Images:**