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Wicca, a predominantly Western movement whose followers practice witchcraft and nature worship and see it as a religion based on pre-Christian traditions of northern and western Europe. It spread through England in the 1950s and subsequently attracted followers primarily in Europe and the United States.
Wicca was first given a name in Gerald Gardner’s 1954 book Witchcraft Today, in which he announced it as “wica,” the extra “c” being added in the 1960s. According to Gardner, the word ...
The history of Wicca documents the rise of the Neopagan religion of Wicca and related witchcraft-based Neopagan religions.
The history of Wicca can really be viewed in two ways: the actual story of its founding in England in the 1940s and 50s, and the broader, somewhat mythical narrative of a timeless quest to understand and connect with the divine source at the heart of Nature’s mysteries.
Wicca draws upon ancient pagan and 20th-century Hermetic motifs for theological and ritual purposes. Doreen Valiente joined Gardner in the 1950s, further building Wicca's liturgical tradition of beliefs, principles, and practices, disseminated through published books.
While it has often been used as an interchangeable term to describe any form of witchcraft in popular culture, Wicca is a specific religious belief system that firmly has its roots in 1940s England.
Witches were perceived as evil beings by early Christians in Europe, inspiring the iconic Halloween figure. Images of witches have appeared in various forms throughout history—from evil,...
Witchcraft has a long and fascinating history, spanning cultures, time periods and continents. From ancient customs and beliefs to modern interpretations and trends, the study of witchcraft provides a window into human nature, society, and spirituality.
Wicca is a relatively modern revival of ancient witchcraft and pagan traditions, founded in the mid-20th century by Gerald Gardner. Gardner claimed that Wicca preserved the “Old Religion,” a pre-Christian belief system centered on the worship of nature, deities, and magical practice.
The largest and most prominent of the contemporary religious witchcraft traditions is Wicca, a modern Pagan religion that first came to public awareness in 1950s Britain. Early Wiccans typically believed that theirs was an ancient pre-Christian religion that had survived into the 20th century, a notion later refuted by historical scholarship.