Modern Day Witchcraft has its roots in the Goddess religions, dating back at least as far as 25,000 BC C., during the Gravettian-Aurignacian Culture. Numerous figurines female and sculptures have been found in most of Europe and the Orient, which supports the theory of a cult of the Great Mother, during the early years.
Naturally, Many attempts have been made over the centuries by various cultures and religions to destroy goddess worship. She was married to the gods in their various aspects in order to reduce its prestige and sometimes even executed and killed. As his cult took over.
The establishment of witchcraft was a gradual evolution, not a conscious action. The use of term witch was also broadly applied and spread throughout the world of psychics and healers everything in between. These witches are not necessarily faithful God either. They were found in all religions and all cultures throughout the millennia.
Until 1021AD, witches were seen by society as the wise and highly regarded as healers. Were assisted births, were trained in divination and understanding the medicinal qualities of plants. They offered comfort and help the needy. Many witches the time were Christians, which made it even easier to accept and respect.
In 1022AD, during the reign of Benedict VIII, all that is set to change. The implementation of the first "heretic" in 1022 marked the beginning of a reign of 753 years of terror, usually known as The Burning Times, which was to last until 1775, when the last execution of persons accused of witchcraft took place, nine elderly women in Poland. Millions of people (including children) on charges of witchcraft were killed in the most horrible of ways during this period resulting in what is probably one of the greatest acts of genocide this world has never seen.
The deaths of accused witches at the stake not always. Many witches were killed during the torture and "evidence. Looking back on the methods used, it sends a chill down my spine. James I (1566-1624) of Scotland, even wrote a book called Daemonologie. The purpose of this book was to explain how to identify a witch. Some of the methods used are:
The hallmark of the Witch: James I argued that the mark of the witch was a place of the body when a witch may experience no pain. The location of this area that supposedly differ from witch to another. Therefore, every inch of the body accused witch was pricked with needles to find the witch mark.
Test Water: In Daemonologie, James I suggested that only the real witch can float in the water. This theory is based on the fact that water was a sacred substance and consequently would not take a witch to its depth. As a result, the hands of a witch accused and feet were bound before being thrown into a lake or river. If he is innocent, the accused would drown. And they die. Upon conviction, the accused would be burned at the stake. Of Either way, the defendant ended up dead.
About the Author:
Rose Ariadne has been practicing ancient forms of Witchcraft for over 25 years. Get more info about the history of witchcraft here: http://www.askroseariadne.com/editorials/great-history-of-witchcraft.html
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - The Great History Of Witchcraft
Witchcraft for Beginners : The Ancient History of Witchcraft
