Witchcraft

Witchcraft is the practice or belief in magic, often involving ritual action, spells, or supernatural influence. Its meanings and social roles vary across cultures and historical periods.

Spell: A spoken, written, or enacted formula intended to produce a supernatural effect. Spells are one of the most recognizable means by which witchcraft is thought to act.
European witch trials: A series of prosecutions for alleged witchcraft in Europe, especially from the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries. These trials shaped enduring European images of witches and their supposed powers.
Gerald Gardner: An English occultist who helped establish modern Wicca in the mid-twentieth century. Gardner presented a modern religious movement as a surviving form of witchcraft.
Wicca: A modern Pagan religion whose traditions commonly include ritual magic and reverence for nature deities. Wicca is a specific religion often associated with contemporary witchcraft, but the terms are not interchangeable.
Witchcraft accusation: A claim that a person has used witchcraft, often to cause harm through supernatural means. Accusations reveal how witchcraft beliefs can organize blame and social conflict.
Ritual: A structured sequence of actions performed according to established rules or traditions. Ritual actions give many forms of witchcraft their prescribed structure.
Malleus Maleficarum: A 1486 treatise on witchcraft by Heinrich Kramer that advocated identifying and prosecuting witches. Its arguments helped codify ideas about witchcraft in early modern Europe.
Doreen Valiente: An English Wiccan priestess and writer who shaped the movement's rituals and texts. Valiente's writing helped define the religious practice associated with modern witchcraft.
Magic: The use or claimed use of supernatural forces to affect events, people, or objects. Magic is the broader idea that encompasses many practices called witchcraft.
Witchcraft in Africa: A broad range of African beliefs and practices concerning witchcraft, varying greatly by society and period. These traditions show why witchcraft cannot be defined solely through European history.

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