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The witch-cult hypothesis is a discredited theory that the witch trials of the Early Modern period were an attempt to suppress a pagan religion that had survived the Christianization of Europe. According to its proponents, accused witches were actually followers of this alleged religion.
Witchcraft is the use of alleged supernatural powers of magic. ... and the now-discredited witch-cult theory, Wicca emphasizes a connection to nature, the divine, ...
Sex-specific theory developed in the Malleus Maleficarum laid the foundations for widespread consensus in early modern Germany on the evil nature of witches as women. [117] Later works on witchcraft have not agreed entirely with the Malleus but none of them challenged the view that women were more inclined to be witches than men. [118]
The Witch-Cult in Western Europe is a 1921 anthropological book by Margaret Murray, published at the height of the success of Frazer's Golden Bough. [1] Certain university circles subsequently celebrated Margaret Murray as the expert on western witchcraft, though her theories were widely discredited.
Low magic is also closely associated with sorcery and witchcraft. [18] Anthropologist Susan Greenwood writes that "Since the Renaissance, high magic has been concerned with drawing down forces and energies from heaven" and achieving unity with divinity. [19] High magic is usually performed indoors while witchcraft is often performed outdoors. [20]
The first sections further explains how witchcraft is either real or not, and makes the conclusion that witch craft must be real due to the Devil being real, linking the two together.The second section includes details about witches specifically, particularly characteristics common in witches, how witchcraft is conducted, as well as who is ...
The history of magic extends from the earliest literate cultures, who relied on charms, divination and spells to interpret and influence the forces of nature. Even societies without written language left crafted artifacts, cave art and monuments that have been interpreted as having magical purpose.
The Meaning of Witchcraft is a non-fiction book written by Gerald Gardner. Gardner, known to many in the modern sense as the "Father of Wicca", based the book around his experiences with the religion of Wicca and the New Forest Coven. It was first published in 1959, only after the British Parliament repealed the Witchcraft Act 1735 (9 Geo. 2. c.