Witchcraft – How did it start?
I want to talk about something that is warm at heart. Witchcraft! If you are like me, intrigued about the possibility to have powers to take control of your life and being in command, then you should read this post below!
Celts were the people of Indo – European origin. Initially from central Europe, they spread to Western Europe, Britain and further south-east spreading their culture and traditions. They lived before the Romans around 700BC to 100AD. They were god fearing people who paid adulation to both a God and Goddess. They were proficient in most of the fields they undertook, from being warriors to artists to farmers etc. The Celts believed in after life at Summerland and also in Reincarnation.
The priests of the Celts were known as Druids. Twenty years of difficult training and study was required to becoming a practising Druid. They were all powerful and wise. They remained in existence even after the defeat of the Celts by the Romans often proving political assistance and advice. They were called as peacemakers.
They travelled a lot and were country dwellers. Here is an interesting twist – Pagan means country dweller. The ways and means of the Celts, their religious beliefs were later denoted as Paganism. Their traditions fused wit other descendant tribes making up for the Pagan rituals that grew. Each tribe had its own means of living and worshipping. Healing was often one by concocting potions that were derived from medicinal herbs of the respective areas and hence these customs began to be called as witchcraft.
Witch
The wise Celtic women were called witches which is said to be a derivative of the word ‘wicca’ which means wise. Thus witch craft holds the meaning ‘Craft of the wise.’
The travellers that Celts were, they moved to Northern America. The local colonies there did not support the witchcraft practices openly. Thus secrecy in such practices was maintained. The potions from those practising witchcraft were said to have healing powers and offer protection from enemies like Native Americans. Because of such benefits, the witches were widely respected. They were not initially feared. Fear slowly corrupted the minds of the majority of innocents when the common public realized that they do not possess powers to perform what witches can. Adding fuel to fire was the claim by the Church that witch craft can only be learned from the devil. Thus witches lost their importance in the society and worse still were looked upon as enemies when epidemics and famines occurred. People believed it to be the work the witches for disapproving them and the work of God’s wrath for supporting the witches. Slowly even women who were not witches came to be looked down upon. Women were looked upon as distractions in places of politics and religion. They were not allowed to visit holy places with men. Beauty and all forms of happiness were sins and not to be allowed. Mass killing of women took place. Those that were slightly suspected of practising witchcraft were executed without notice or trial. The witches were tortured in unmentionable barbaric ways and killed along with cats, which were thought to be faithful reporters of witches. Anyone and everyone accused of Witchcraft were killed mercilessly. This was not the plight of the common man alone. Even priests and kings were not spared.
The torture and killings of those practising witch craft was encouraged by many Vatican popes and kings. Rules and laws were created to capture witches and large ransoms were offered.
This carried on for more than 150 years after which the craze of witchcraft killings finally ceased to exist at approximately in the 1700’s.
//Bruce
