What do you think when someone calls someone a witch? What comes to mind? Do you think of the movie “Hocus Pocus” or do you think of black pointy hats and long black dresses with slits? And witchcraft? Does the term “devil worshipper” ever come to mind? Do you think about potions and spells? For many, many generations we have underestimated the true meaning of the word witch and what witchcraft really is. What is the story behind this? Witches and witchcraft have been part of our history since ancient times. There's a little more to Halloween than the ghost stories, the movies on TV, and the Halloween costumes. For many centuries until today, Christians have lived in fear of witches. They were known as the children of the devil who only practiced black magic and were considered the "persecution" of Christians. Witches have been known to mankind since the 1200s. Throughout the 1400s, the scrutiny of witches was more focused and shifted away from Jews. In Church law, it was declared that belief in the existence and practices of witchcraft was “heresy.” Because of what Christians believed, the churches tortured and hunted down anyone they thought were witches and killed many women and only a few men. They even made them confess that they flew in the midnight sky, were in love with the devil himself, practiced black magic and even transformed into animals. WITCHCRAFT: The word witchcraft comes from the word “Wicca”. Wicca means wise. Witchcraft should be considered a pagan cult and/or religion, stereotyped as a “magical phenomenon”. By 1000 AD, the practice of witchcraft became a threat to Christians and their beliefs. They believe that with the spirit...... middle of paper ...... witches and witchcraft have been passed down from generation to generation. From the 1200s to today is how long witches have been around. When it comes to the history of witches and witchcraft, stories have been used to keep history alive in stories written in ancient mythology in Walt Disney films. Check your family history. What and who were they. Were they witch hunters or were they witches? There is more to the story of Halloween or All Hallows Eve than meets the eye. What story or legend will come next? Works Cited http://atheism.about.com/od/christianityviolence/a/witches.htm http://www.witchcraft.com.au/witchcraft-history.html http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/ projects/ftrials/salem/witchhistory.html https://spoonful.com/family-fun/wickedly-wonderful-disney-witches?page=8 http://www.imdb.com/title /tt0107120/summary plot