Witches, what are they?
By:
Profile and subject:
School and class:
Monitor:
Date:
S.L. Drupsteen
E/M, history
O.S.G. De Meergronden, H5T
Bart ten Dam
15.02.2017
Introduction
1. Witchcraft
Witches, what are they?
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1.1 Short: What exactly is witchcraft?
1.2 What is the origin of witchcraft?
1.3 What was witchcraft like in the Middle Ages?
2. Witch-hunt
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2.1 What is the Hammer of Witches?
2.2 How did the witch-hunt start?
2.3 How were people accused?
2.4 What were the different tests?
2.5 How did the witch-hunt end?
2.6 What happened in Salem?
3. Magic
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3.1 In general: What is magic?
3.2 What are magical rituals?
3.3 What is the history of magic?
3.4 What is the connection between religion and magic?
3.5 What is white magic?
3.6 What is black magic?
3.7 What is animal magic?
4. Modern witchcraft
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4.1 What is Wicca?
4.2 What is the history of Wicca?
4.3 What is the connection between Wicca and Satanism?
4.4 What is Wiccan magic?
4.5 What are the rituals and celebrations of Wiccans?
Conclusion
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Introduction
The topic of my PWS is witchcraft. I chose this topic because I think it is very
interesting. I did not know that much about witchcraft or magic before, but I was
always fascinated. Many people believe witchcraft is something dark and scary,
including me. I wanted to find out if this was really the case. Something that
interested me as well was the witch-hunt. In school we only learned that it was there
in the Middle Ages. I wanted to learn more about this, why it happened and how they
‘tested’ the suspects. The subject I chose is history because witchcraft has been
around since the dawn of time and changed during the course of history.
The question I will be answering is: “Witches, what are they?” I will find
information about witchcraft, magic, the witch-hunt and modern witchcraft and this will
give me a broad picture of witches and witchcraft throughout history.
My PWS is divided into four subtopics mentioned above. These subtopics will
be divided into paragraphs to make it uncluttered.
A mideaval picture of witches
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1. Witchcraft
1.1 Short: What exactly is witchcraft?
The dictionary states that witchcraft is sorcery and magic. This means that witchcraft
is about using magical or supernatural powers. These powers were used to either
help or hurt others. These powers included spells, making potions, but also specific
rituals.
1.2 What is the origin of
witchcraft?
The first evidence of witchcraft
dates back to the Stone Ages. On
petroglyphs you can find weird
human-like figures. These are
medicine men or shamans
performing magical rituals, mostly
for successful hunting but also
Zeus, a Greek god
offering for helpful spirits. On other
petroglyphs, people were depicted
Human-like figures on a petroglyph
performing religious rituals involving
dancing in animal costumes. This belief
in the supernatural was due to many natural phenomena that couldn’t be explained
by science yet, so people turned to the belief in supernatural causes.
The Egyptians, Greeks
and Romans also included
magic in their faith. Instead of
believing in one god, they
worshiped multiple gods. The
people living in this time
needed the help of witches
and wizards when they were
sick or traveling, they would
use spells and rituals in order
to obtain the protection of the
gods. Witches in ancient
Egypt used their knowledge of
witchcraft-rituals to bend the
powers to their will. The
Greeks had an entirely
different form of magic, almost
a religion, called worship. This
was the practice of rituals
Zeus, a Greek god
performed with the intention of
getting the blessing from the gods.
Christianity soon spread across the Roman Empire, changing the daily life
radically. The Dark Ages came around the corner, lasting 600 years. A lot of things
fell apart, like the Roman Empire, and the only thing still standing was the Christian
Church. People still went to witches and wizards for love potions or medicine, but not
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for the protection of gods. In the Middle Ages (500-1500) the church wanted to ban
this superstition called witchcraft. The people who still practiced witchcraft were
called heretic, mostly because their beliefs and religion weren’t the same as
Christianity. This is where the witch-hunt began. People started accusing others,
mostly women, of practicing this craft. There were many ways to prove if someone
was a witch, I will discuss these in chapter 2.3.
1.3 What was witchcraft
like in the Middle Ages?
Christianity spread
throughout the Roman
Empire in the Middle Ages.
After the fall of the Roman
Empire and other
catastrophes like the
plague and famine, the
Christian Church became
a strong pillar in society so
the role of witches and
wizards became less
important. But who were
these witches and
wizards? They were
medicine men and
shamans, men and
women. They were often
seen as very wise people.
In the Middle Ages
the witch-hunt started,
caused by the Christian
church. They banned
witchcraft and a brutal
murder spree started.
A painting from the Middle Ages, picturing a magical ritual
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2. Witch-hunt
2.1 What is the Hammer of
Witches?
The Hammer of Witches is the title
of a book published in 1486 by
Heinrich Kramer and Jacob
Sprenger. The book is originally
called Mallevs Maleficarvm, which
is the Latin name for Hammer of
Witches. It was the first book about
witchcraft, or as these two German
monks called it: Demonology. The
book described what witches were,
what they did and how to recognize
them. It was also described how to
make a witch confess and how to
punish them. The writers believed
that if all witches were either killed
or banished, it would put an end to
all deadly diseases and wars.
There is a list in the book of
everything that witches could do,
according to the monks. Here are a
few examples: witches make
people infertile, they kidnapped
children and gave them to the
The cover from the book 'Hammer of Witches'
Devil, and they could hurt people
and animals without even touching them, and so on. It is clear that these two monks
disliked women, as they wrote: "Without women, the world would be in less danger.
The most dangerous thing is that, nowadays, most of the women are witches."
Inquisitors in later eras did not believe everything that was stated in this
horrible book, but they did hang on to the idea that only women practiced witchcraft.
They also held on to the gruesome methods to test and kill witches, for example by
using the cauldron.
2.2 How did the witch-hunt start?
In the early Middle Ages, poverty and famine were major problems. There were
different epidemics, like leprosy and the plaque. People didn’t know what to think
about it, because they had little to no medical knowledge those days. Subsequently
there was a need for a scapegoat: the Devil, who was believed to be the cause of
people’s suffering.
As told in the previous chapter, after the fall of the Roman Empire the
Christian church was thriving. Even though Christianity became the main religion,
many pagan traditions continued to be practiced by the people. The Christian church
did not have much knowledge of magic and its rituals, so they ruled that all of these
traditions were the work of the devil. As a consequence the Christian church forbade
the practice of magic; and ruled that anyone who practiced these pagan traditions,
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magic and other forms of witchcraft was to be declared a heretic. They started a
witch-hunt, which lasted from the 15th Century until well into the 18th Century.
Hundreds of thousands of people who were suspected of practicing magic were tried,
sentenced and killed, mostly due to false accusations and false proof.
2.3 How were people being accused?
It is a big misunderstanding that the most brutal witch-hunt took place in the Middle
Ages. It actually took place during the Renaissance. There are two periods where
most of the witch-hunts were held: 1520 - 1560 and 1580 - 1650. In the Middle Ages
the inquisitors were devout members of the church, whereas during the Renaissance
any man could be appointed as a professional witch-hunter. These inquisitors
received substantial fees by the proceeds of the suspect's possessions. This easy
way of earning good money caused the inquisitors to as far as accusing even the
innocent people. When someone was accused of being heretic, an inquiry would
follow. There were many different tests to see if someone was a witch. After these
tests were completed, if the suspect happened to survive the tortures, she would then
be sentenced to death by using one of the brutal ways of execution listed in the next
paragraph.
Heksenwaag in Oudewater
2.4 What were the different tests?
First of all you had the infamous
Heksenwaag, which was an
enormous weighing scale made for
women. When a woman was
accused of being a witch, she was
forced to undress and step on the
scale. If this woman weighed less
than 50 kilograms it was a proven
fact she was a witch, because a
witch could not be too heavy in
order to fly her broomstick. If she
was heavier than 50 kilos she
would be declared innocent. The
woman would then be able to buy
a Certificate stating she was not a
witch and also be freed from any
future prosecution. The most
famous Heksenwaag is in
Oudewater, The Netherlands.
Another famous test was
tying a rope weighed down by a
heavy rock around the suspect's
neck and throw her in the water. If
she didn’t drown she had to be a
witch. Most women drowned
because they couldn’t swim. These
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poor dead women were then declared innocent.
Women would also be tortured until they admitted they were a witch. If a
woman happened to survive these tortures and admitted to being a witch, a trial
would follow. If the judge was being lenient, she would be banished from town, but in
the worst case she would be sentenced to death. The most famous way of execution
was to have the witch burn at the stake. This is often used in books and movies. This
was an extremely painful death. Another way of execution was being tied to a plank
and being forced to drink water until the stomach was full. Then the plank was tilted
until the person would hang upside down. The full stomach would press onto the
heart and lungs causing the victim to suffocate. Those who didn’t die instantly would
receive a beating in their stomach until death followed.
The cauldron was also a widely used form of execution. An iron pan would be
placed on the person's stomach and filled with mice and rats. They would then heat
the pan, making the mice and rats panic, they would try to escape by eating their way
out through the person's stomach, causing a horrible way of dying.
2.5 How did the witch-hunt end?
In 1597 the last witch was sentenced to death in the Netherlands. After that
prosecutions were still being held, but with milder punishments such as banishment.
In the 17th and 18th century the number of prosecutions were reduced, caused by the
enlightenment and the decrease in power of the Christian church. People started
letting go of the idea that the Christian church had all the answers. They wanted to
obtain knowledge of natural occurrences, death and diseases by using science and
investigation. Faith and the church became less important.
2.6 What happened in
Salem?
Salem was a small
village in Massachusetts,
USA. In 1692 an
outbreak of witch trials
started in this small
village, all caused by a
group of young girls.
These girls led a
monotonous life of work
and pray and weren’t
allowed to go to school.
It is led to believe that is
was out of boredom that
Painting of the Salem witchtrials
this group of girls started
to take an interest in witchcraft and magic. The girls thought it would be fun to fake
symptoms of weird diseases and randomly accuse villagers in Salem of using
witchcraft to make them sick. Soon other girls claimed to have these symptoms as
well and panic started to spread throughout the entire village, which brought on even
more (false) accusations. In a matter of days Salem was taken over by witch trials
and fear. What started as a prank ended with 141 trials and twenty executions. This
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was the most extreme case of the witch-hunt because all of these trials took place in
less than a year. It was not until 1957 that the government admitted that what
happened in Salem was wrong.
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3. Magic
3.1 In general: What is magic?
During the stone ages people didn’t understand much about the forces of nature
such as hurricanes. Back then these occurrences were explained by the supernatural
and it was thought that witches and wizards tried to control these supernatural forces.
An example of magic is performing the rain dance in order to make it rain. Magic is
the use of rituals, symbols, actions, gestures and language with the aim of controlling
supernatural forces and another word for the craft or ability of witches. It can be
practiced alone but also in a coven, a group of 13 witches. The craft of witches can
be positive, trying to help others, or negative, trying to hurt others. There are two
types of magic: black magic and white magic. The goal of black magic is to hurt
people and animals. White magic is the good kind of magic, used to help and heal
people and animals. Most witches and wizards practiced white magic, which is the
reason they were not feared for a long time, they were actually respected for their
wisdom. The witches and wizards helped deal with sickness, helped crops grow and
were generally very knowledgeable.
3.2 What are magical rituals?
The goal of magical rituals is to gather
power as described above. Most rituals
consist of reciting specific words or
sounds and is only effective if every step
is done correctly. They are mostly written
down in old books, some even date back
to the stone ages.
Emilé
Durkheim, a sociologist from the 19th
century, stresses the importance of
rituals for collective effervescence.
People in the 19th century were not as
cohesive as nowadays and generally on
their own a lot of the time. Durkheim
invented the concept of collective
Emilé Durkheim
effervescence, CE for short. It means
that groups can have the same thought
at the same time and bond that way. Rituals have always been a big part of the lives
of many people, even before the witch-hunt it was a way to bond (CE) and a way to
explain and control natural occurrences.
3.3 What is the history of magic?
Magic is very old, even in the time of Ancient Egypt magic was practiced. The
Egyptians believed in Heka, which was more of a religion than a practice. They
believed that with Heka they could obtain magic and influence the gods to gain
protection, healing and transformation.
In Mesopotamia magic was also practiced and believed in. Archaeologists
have found clay tablets showing magical rituals.
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In Ancient Greece magic was extremely
important in everyday life. It was part of their
religion and medicine practice. This was the
beginning of magic practice for centuries, but
also the foundation of Christianity. Lead tablets
which were found buried in the ground depict
sceneries of magical spells and rituals. Some of
these rituals could only be performed with a
large group of people, communal rituals, but
others could only be practiced alone. The use of
communal rituals declined after the Greek
classical period, but the rituals that could be
performed alone were still being practiced by
witches and wizards.
During the Middle Ages magic was still
broadly practiced. In many cases only for
improving physical health, but this stopped
happening in public when the witch-hunt began.
The Christian Church could not explain magic
and thus decided to ban it, because they were
Two woman performing a
scared of the powers of witches. The people who
magical
ritual. A picture from the
still practiced magic, had to do this in total
Middle Ages
secrecy. One of the most famous people that still
practiced magic in the Middle Ages was Saint Hildegard of Bingen. Her healing
abilities were so good, people traveled from far to get blessed by her.
In the Renaissance a rise in the knowledge of science took place which
caused a fall in the practice of magic. Magic had always been used as a way to
explain and control natural occurrences, but since there was more knowledge about
these occurrences, the practice of magic became less important. People still
practiced magic, but it was harder to do so due to the brutal witch-hunt that took
place at that time.
In the Baroque period the witch trials ended but belief in witchcraft and
sorcery still existed on a small scale. All over the world governments banned witch
trials, but people were still scared to believe in and perform magic rituals.
In the Romantic period magic was seen from a more scientific point of view.
Baron Carl Reichenbach for example tried to bridge the gap between magic and
science. European colonialism put the Western world in contact with countries like
India and Egypt, lighting the fire beneath old and exotic believes.
Nowadays magic is legal in almost every country. In our country white magic
is legal while black magic is illegal.
3.4 What is the connection between religion and magic?
In the Greek and Roman era, religion was intertwined with magic. As the
monotheistic religion Christianity took her form, they started to separate. Religion
started being a social structure and serve to unify a community, while magic became
an individual act. Magic was mostly practiced in secret, this was mainly caused by
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the witch-hunt. The main focus of religion was believing in spiritual beings and
supernatural occurrences, such as those from the bible. This was very different from
how magic practitioners viewed things, witches and wizards wanted to gather those
supernatural powers and control them. However big the differences between religion
and magic, they do have some aspects in common. Religion knows magical rituals
and spiritual believes, like praying for someone’s health and witches and wizards
called out to gods in some of their rituals. The Christian church wanted nothing to do
with magic or witchcraft, that can be concluded from the witch-hunt in the Middle
Ages and the Renaissance which is explained in my earlier paragraphs.
3.5 What is white magic?
White magic, also referred to as light magic, is meant to help or heal others by using
supernatural powers or forces. White magic can also be referred to as natural magic,
because of its ties to the traditional pagan nature worship.
White magic dates back to the Stone Ages where shamans and medicine
men tried to heal others and prayed to the gods for a successful hunt. During the
Middle Ages practitioners of this type of magic were called white witches, they would
rid people of their illnesses and diseases. Many people in the Middle Ages were
plagued with illness so the white witches were very sought after and some people
even traveled great distances to be blessed.
3.6 What is black magic?
Black magic, also referred to as
dark magic, is the polar opposite of
white magic. Its sole purpose is to
harm others.
Black magic has been
around since the dawn of time and
it is one of the main reasons that
the mistrust of the Christian church
came about, the church was afraid
of what black witches could do and
thus banned all kinds of magic. The
A voodoo doll
church incorrectly linked black
magic to the concept of Satanism. Satanism is the act of worshiping the devil, but not
intentionally wanting to hurt others directly, while black magic is used to hurt people
directly.
One of the most famous rituals of black witches is voodoo, where a small doll
(preferably hand-made) is used to inflict harm upon others. The small doll is
supposed to represent a person of your choosing, needles will be pierced into the
doll. The person that the doll takes after will experience pain in the places the doll
was pierced.
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3.7 What is animal magic?
Animal magic is not an actual form of magic,
rather it is used in both black and white magic.
Animals could be used as sacrifice and pieces
or parts of dead animals could be used in
specific rituals, such as a goat’s heart. Animal
magic is more common in black magic but was
sometimes also used in white magic.
An ancient picture of animal sacrifice
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4. Modern witchcraft
Side note: Wicca is the same as modern witchcraft.
4.1 What is Wicca?
Wicca is a nature religion. The people who
believe in this are called Wiccans. Most
Wiccans are duo theistic. They believe in two
Gods, The Goddess of the moon, earth and
sea, also known as Mother Nature and the
God of the woods, the hunt and the animal
realm, mostly referred to as the Horned God.
Wiccans perform most of their rituals during
full moon and annual celebrations, called
A Wiccan altar
Sabbaths. They can, of course, be performed
at any other time.
There are other forms of Wicca beliefs. First of all there are pantheistic
witches. They believe that the universe is a manifestation of God and it mirrors all his
good and sacred qualities. Secondly there are polytheistic witches. They believe (like
the Greek and Romans) that there are many Goddesses serving and protecting our
world. Monotheistic witches worship the Goddess as the One and only.
4.2 What is the history of modern witchcraft?
The founder of modern witchcraft is the Brit Gerald Gardner, who started the first
coven in 1939. At this time it was illegal in Great-Britain to practice any form of
witchcraft, forcing people to practice their religion in secrecy.
Gardner created a new religion he called Wicca. He believed that the ability to
practice magic was given to you by the God and the Goddess. Gardner was
influenced by the many forms of witchcraft practice while he was creating Wicca.
Elements from the old nature religions and elements from other cultures can be found
in Wicca. Witchcraft used to be a tradition that was passed down by generations,
whereas Wicca is a religion which states that anyone who is willing can become a
Wiccan.
There was a lot of attention for new religions in the sixties, which caused
modern witchcraft to spread around the world.
4.3 What is the connection between Wicca and Satanism?
Wiccan and Satanic pentagram
Satanism is a religion
based on the character
Satan. All Satanists
believe in Satan
although they may
have different views of
who and what Satan is
and what his role is.
There are the two
types of satanic
religions. Theistic
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Satanism is about Satan being the exact opposite of the Christian God. Satan stands
for freedom of thought and human’s creative potential. Theistic Satanists strongly
believe in their own personal development. Most of them do not condone animal
sacrifice or any ritual that involves hurting people. Secondly there are atheistic
Satanists who also believe that personal development is important. However, they do
not believe that Satan literally exists. They do not worship him but believe that Satan
stands for a philosophy and that Satan is a metaphor for pride, freedom and
individualism.
There are some similarities between Wicca and Satanism .They both use the
encircled five pointed star called the Pentagram. Performing magical rituals is
extremely important in Wicca as well as the satanic religion. Both Satanists and
Wiccans define themselves as witches, which may cause some confusion. One of the
gods of Wicca is called the Horned God, which many people consider to be the Devil
who goes by the name Satan, whereas in fact the Horned God is good and not evil.
Despite some similarities there are also quite a few differences between Wicca
and Satanism. Wicca is a religion based on the laws of nature and cohesion.
Satanism is about individualism and freedom. Wiccans deny the existence of Satan
whereas all Satanists believe and worship Satan.
4.4 What is Wiccan magic?
Wicca knows many different types of
magic, vastly differing from the original
witchcraft. However the way they
performed the magic rituals and the
reason for performing magic are the
same. First of all there is Wiccan white
magic, this is different than the white
magic discussed in chapter two.
Wiccan white magic consists of three
different forms, namely nature magic
(using the elements of nature),
astrology magic (working with the
powers of the moon and planets) and
visualization magic (magic by means of
imagination). Another form of Wiccan
magic is gray magic, this is a very
different type of magic based on
sexuality such as candle magic (magic
A Wiccan ritual. In the background the two
using candles) and trance magic (magic
gods of Wicca
using dance and drugs). Then there is
black magic, which is the same as the original magic.
Magical rituals are performed in a group of witches or in a coven, however
some rituals can also be performed alone. Wiccans aren’t the only ones performing
magical rituals. Many other cultures and religions also practice the use of magic
including the Christian Church. There’s a passage in the bible where Jesus turns
water into wine and multiplies bread.
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4.5 What are the rituals and
celebrations of Wiccans?
The religion Wicca consists of
many different rituals and
celebrations. Wicca knows eight
big and festive celebrations
throughout the year. Wiccans
handle a different year calendar
than we do. Their year starts on
October 31 with Samhain; this
is also on the same day as
halloween. Samhain is a kind of
halloween celebration.On
December 21 they celebrate
Yule, which is a Christmas-like
celebration and this is also
around the time of the winter
solstice (shortest day of the
year). Imbolc, the return of the
Wiccan celebrations
light (daylight grows longer), is
celebrated on February second. Around March 21 the spring equinox (beginning of
spring) is celebrated, called Ostara. Not long after Ostara comes the Beltane fest, on
the night to the first of May. The next celebrations take place during and around the
longest day of the year, June 21, where they celebrate the summer solstice or Litha.
On the first of August Lughnasadh is celebrated, also known as the harvest festival.
Their last celebration of the year is the fall equinox or Mabon (days are getting
shorter), which takes place around September 21.
The Wicca religion knows many rituals. First of all they have a spring ritual
which they perform around the spring equinox. These rituals have to be performed
with a coven. You sit in a circle around an altar and each write down a wish on a
piece of paper. This piece of paper is then thrown into the fire that’s lit on top of the
altar. After that you have to close your eyes, recite a magic riddle and pray your wish
will come true. After these steps have been completed the ritual will end by tossing
special flowers into the flames.
The second ritual is the summer ritual which happens around summer solstice.
Everyone who participated in the last spring ritual has to bring some kind of offer to
the god and goddess. These offers are thrown into the flames and a special dance is
performed. The flames are then put out by using water mixed with flowers and
everyone recites a short prayer at the end.
The third ritual is the fall ritual which is performed around fall equinox. All
participants get the opportunity to thank their gods for this wonderful year and make
new wishes for the witch year yet to come. To complete the ritual the witches all
dance and sing around the altar whilst holding hands. The ritual is ended in the same
way as the summer ritual.
The last ritual is the winter ritual, celebrated around winter solstice. Everyone
sits down around the altar whilst holding hands. A prayer is said
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by the leader after which the oldest witch leaves the circle. These prayers are
repeated until only the leader and the youngest of the group are left behind. They
both sing and dance around the altar, saying goodbye to the old leader and
celebrating that a new one has been chosen.
Besides these main rituals the Wiccans have a multitude of other rituals for
numerous occasions, such as giving birth or helping a dying person to pass over in
peace.
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Conclusion
Witchcraft has been around for thousands of years and it has changed a lot
throughout the course of history. It started in the stone ages and slowly evolved into
a more medicinal role in the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages witches and wizards
were doctors and healers, but all changed when Christianity arose.
In the Middle Ages a book called the Hammer of Witches was written and
published by two German monks. This book describes a multitude of "known facts"
about witches. Hammer of Witches would go into detail about the atrocities a witch
could commit, furthermore the book gives you information on how to test if a person
is a witch and if so, how to kill them. After the release of the book the witch-hunt
started and innocent women were accused of being a witch. After being accused, the
woman would be tested and possibly killed. The most brutal witch-hunt took place in
the Renaissance in an American village called Salem.
Magic is the craft or ability of a witch or wizard they would use in order to gain
and control supernatural powers. This is done via rituals. Magic knows two currents:
black and white magic. Black magic is used to hurt people and animals, whereas
white magic's aim is to help them.
Wicca, however, is a religion that practices magic. They mainly worship two
gods called the (horned) God and Mother Nature a.k.a. the Goddess. Wicca was
founded by Gerard Gardner around 1939. They practice three different types of
magic. Wiccan white magic is not the same as the original magic. Wiccan white
magic can be sorted into three categories: nature, astrology and visualization magic.
Wiccans also have grey magic which is about sexualisation and drugs. Wiccans can
also practice the original black magic by using voodoo for instance.
Witches are difficult to define. I believe that there is not one straight up definition for a
witch, because this definition changes constantly. In the stone ages witches and
wizards were shamans and medicine men. Their main goal was to heal people and
say prayers for successful hunting. Then came the classical antiquity where religion
was born: the polytheistic religion. During that time witches and wizards weren't just
medicine men and women, they also helped the civilians obtain the protection and
blessing by the gods. During the Middle Ages Christianity spread then witches and
wizards only became helpful as medicine men and women. Their powers began to
decrease during the course of the witch-hunt. After that witches and wizards were
forced to practice in secrecy, but that all changed in 1939 when Gerard Gardner
founded the first Wiccan coven. The coven practiced Gardner's new religion called
Wicca. So the role of witches in society has changed radically through time and
place, making it very difficult to define them in one single phrase.
The process of writing my PWS went quite well, even though I did experience some
minor difficulties. One of them was that I had some problems getting started on
writing and doing my research. It was a lot of information to go through which made it
difficult to get going. I also had some trouble to see whether all of my sources were
trustworthy. The angst of writing either too little or too much was ever present. The
biggest problem however was staying focused on my grammar and spelling.
16
I did not experience any trouble planning, I stuck to my planning and if I didn't I
made a new one. Writing this paper was also not very difficult, I had some fun.
Witches from the tv-serie American Horror Story, season 3, Coven
17
Literary list
Belle, M. (2002) Heksen en tovenaars, Antwerpen, Standaard Uitgeverij
Geurink, H. (2006) Heksen feesten, Oosterhout, Deltas
Lewis, J.R. (1996) Magical religion and modern witchcraft, New York, SUNY
Rieter, O. (2010) Magie, Utrecht, Nederlands centrum voor volkscultuur
Schmitt, J. (1995) Bijgeloof in de middeleeuwen, Nijmegen, SUN
Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft Internet, gevonden op (22-09-2016)
Http://www.thefreedictionary.com/divinatory Internet, gevonden op (22-09-2016)
Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sorcery Internet, gevonden op (22-09-2016)
Http://www.scholieren.com/profielwerkstuk/12777 Internet, gevonden op (24-092016)
Http://thecreationeffect.blogspot.nl/2011/03/superstition-in-the-middle-ages.html
Internet, gevonden op (19-11-2016)
Https://www.google.nl/search?sourceid=chrome-psyapi2&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF8&q=what%20is%20superstition&oq=what%20is%20&rlz=1C1SAVI_enNL513NL516
&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.4039j0j7 Internet, gevonden op (19-11-2016)
Http://www.witchcraftandwitches.com/history_ancient.html Internet, gevonden op (1911-2016)
Http://www.witchcraft.com.au/witchcraft-history.html Internet, gevonden op (19-112016)
Http://www.scholieren.com/praktische-opdracht/24363 Internet, gevonden op (19-112016)
http://www.scholieren.com/praktische-opdracht/11371 Internet, gevonden op (19-112016)
http://www.scholieren.com/spreekbeurt/6847 Internet, gevonden op (19-11-2016)
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/witchhistory.html Internet,
gevonden op (19-11-2016)
http://www.witchcraftandwitches.com/history_medieval.html Internet, gevonden op
(19-11-2016)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanism Internet, gevonden op (20-11-2016)
https://www.equip.org/perspectives/satanism-and-witchcraft-is-satanism-the-sameas-witchcraft/ Internet, gevonden op (20-11-2016)
http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/difference-between-wiccans-satanists-7616.html
Internet, gevonden op (20-11-2016)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_(paranormal) Internet, gevonden op (01-12-2016)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_and_religion Internet, gevonden op (01-12-2016)
https://www.faust.com/legend/magic-and-religion/ Internet, gevonden op (01-122016)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_magic Internet, gevonden op (01-12-2016)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_magic Internet, gevonden op (01-12-2016)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca#Magic Internet, gevonden op (27-12-2016)
Logbook
Date
Description
Time spend
07-02-2017 | 19:00
This really were the final touches, I filtered all of the last
spelling errors, layout errors and some tiny grammar
issues.
30 min
05-02-2017 | 21:00
I executed the final touches on my PWS.
- Page numbers
- Index with page numbers
- Literary list
- Logbook
- Final touches layout
1 hour and 30 min
Reflection
This was a very long day, but it all worked out fine. Over
all was it a very efficient and succesful day.
05-02-2017 | 11:30
I have finished everything of my PWS. It is just the final
touches tonight or tomorrow.
- I checked everything for grammar, spelling and if I have
given enough information
- I uploaded everything to Apprentice XM
- I put in pictures and perfected my layout
7 hours and 30 min
Reflection
It went really good, there were some frustrating moments
though. Like when I found out my pictures were gone.
Over all: it took a long time, but I am happy about how
much I have done.
19-01-2017 | 11:00
I have uploaded all of the previous done work:
- Four sub topics
- Grammar checked 2/4 sub topics
30 min
Reflection
/
04-01-2017 | 16:30
I have chosen the pictures to go into my PWS
- for all four subtopics
1 hour
Reflection
It was hard to find pictures that I could explain what was
going on and where it came from
03-01-2017 | 17:00
I started checking my draft and I finished two last pieces:
witch hammer and rituals of Wicca
Reflection
3 hours
It went smoothly
01-01-2017 | 19:00
I finished writing my draft version of my PWS. Today I
wrote my introduction, conclusion and finished my last
subtopic.
3 hours
Reflection
I did not have any trouble
30-12-2016 | 16:00
I wrote my draft of two questions of my last subtopic. I
wrote about the connection between Satanism and Wicca
and Wiccan magic.
3 hours and 30 min
Reflection
I could concentrate well, I did not have any problems.
29-12-2016 | 20:00
I finished two of my questions of my subtopic modern
witchcraft, draft.
1 hour and 30 min
Reflection
It was hard, because I had a lot of information, but in the
end it paid out and I have written two pieces
29-12-2016 | 16:00
I finished my third subtopic: magic. Draft.
1 hour and 30 min
Reflection
I worked really fast, was very concentrated and finished a
lot in a short time.
28-12-2016 | 12:00
I worked on my third sup topic: magic. Draft
4 hours
Reflection
It was hard to focus, and I think that is why it took so long
and I finished little
27-12-2016 | 16:00
I worked on my third sup topic: magic. Draft
1 hour
Reflection
I worked fast and efficient
27-12-2016 | 12:30
I finished my second subject, the witch-hunt. Draft
3 hours and 30 min
Reflection
I worked good
17-12-2016 | 14:00
I have finished writing the draft of my first subtopic:
witchcraft. Draft
Reflection
I had no problems
1 hour and 30 min
13-12-2016 | 14:00
Today I started writing! I have begun to write my first
subtopic: witchcraft. I think I am about 1/4 done with my
first subtopic. Draft
1 hour and 30 min
Reflection
I worked fast and efficient, it couldn't have gone any
better.
07-12-2016 | 16:30
Today I wrote my appealing piece for the presentation
night.
30 min
Reflection
It was not that hard, I did not have any problems.
01-12-2016 | 11:30
I changed all of my subtopics and main topic. It was very
hard to find information about some of my subtopics, so
after talking to Bart, I changed them.
Today I finished all of my research.
1 hour and 30 min
Reflection
It was easier to do my research and I could use some of
the research I had done earlier.
20-11-2016 | 15:00
Today I finished finding information about witchcraft,
which I have now completed.
3 hours and 30 min
Reflection
I worked great
19-11-2016 | 19:30
Today I started gathering all of my information I'll be
using to write my pws.
I have gathered information about the topic in general
and about my first subtopic: witchcraft.
2 hours
Reflection
I think it went really well, I worked a long time, but it was
worth it. I have made a lot of progress.
25-10-2016 | 19:00
I have finished my planning, or 'plan van aanpak'. I have
worked on this before, here and there.
1 hour and 30 min
Reflection
I think I worked efficient and finished it quite fast
24-09-2016 | 11:00
I have made a presentation about witchcraft for English, I
now have information about the history of witchcraft,
magic and Wicca.
Reflection
This will help me why some of my subtopics, so I think it
2 hours
was very helpful
22-09-2016 | 10:00
I am starting research about witchcraft. I now have some
basic information about witchcraft, so I can start thinking
about my research question and subtopics.
Reflection
It was hard to start, and I could have worked faster, but
since it was the first thing I did I am happy about my
progress.
Total time: 48 hours
30 min