Across cultures

• A social construct
• History and practice of witchcraft in many small cultures
• The meaning associated with the European practice in the middle ages

• Associated with evil force bringing misfortune to members in a community
• The power of a witch is called supernatural
• Immoral, antisocial and called evil
• Witchcraft reflects human culture

• Mangu, a physical substance associated with the body is inherited ( passed down from father to son, or mother to daughter)
• Mangu is not innately evil
• All sorts of misfortune are attributed to witchcraft not clearly explainable by any other factor
• It is a social, cultural and emotional issue and the remedy lies in the ritual of divination.

• Is an act of initiation
• Who becomes a witch? Generally people mistreated in their role and position become witches – outside the norm
• Is associated with immoral and antisocial behavior such as greed, vengeance and envy
• An explanation for the issues beyond human control.

• To do with the evil spirit known as devil.
• In Greek as Diabolos, Hebrew it is called Satan, the adversary.
• Witches are the individuals who made a pact with the devil
• Sorcery also hostile to God.
• Sorcery, witchcraft as magic calling upon the servants of Satan.
• Magic, witchcraft as heresy – crimes against God.

• As pagan, the work of the devil
• Heresy
• Revival of Roman law: fast conviction based on accusation
• Inquisition: Investigation by the Bishops
• The papal Bull Ad Extirpanda 1252, extorting the witches
• Both Catholics and Protestants engaged in conviction and execution of witches

• The use of Printing Press
• The book Malleus Maleficarum also known as
• Hammer Against Witches published by
Catholic Church in 1487
• Defined who is a witch (mainly women) and their actions
• Period of war, Reformation, Religious conflict

• Witch hunt in UK in 1600s was social rather than religious, more hanging than burning
• Salem trial in 1692 In USA
• Women as victims: midwives, single destitute women
• Cause of social stress, upheaval, political, economic tension and rapid change in the society.

• Christianity as the legitimate religion: power, control and authority of the church
• Way to deal with social conflict
• Women as witches: Malleus says women are weaker and vulnerable and evil
• 17 th century, women as base, body/mind divide
• More single women because of migration
• Midwives as accused vs. doctors

• The power of the evil eye like witches lies in the body of the individual.
• Widely practiced in India, Near East, Europe and Mexico
• A charm or a formula is used to ward off the evil eye
• To avoid is not to show off one’s good fortune.
• The concept is associated with envy, jealousy

• Mc Carthy era in the 1950s
• Arthur Miller’s The Crucible , used the Salem
Trial as an allegory for Mac Carthysm.
• Child sex abuse crisis in 1980s
• Harry Potter book series
• The rise of neo pagan religions like Wicca

• Robert Graves: The White Goddess
(1948)Margaret Murry: The Witch-Cult in
Western Europe (1921) God of the Witches
(1933)
Gerald Gardner( 1884 – 1964) Coined the term
Wicca and popularized contemporary
Paganism
Doreen Valiente (1922 – 1999) promoted and
Gardner as his close associate
Raymond Buckland( 1934 -) brought Gardnerian tradition to the USA

Margot Adler: Drawing Down the Moon
Starhawk: The spiral Dance