Witchcraft

[Artemis]

Where did the stories about witches and witchcraft came from? I think that it is universal. Is there truth about its existence or just another myth?

 

[Toni]

There have always been strange people around. What comes to mind is the Salem witch trials. I truly believe that one neighbor had a falling out with another neighbor and accused her of witchcraft. Being uneducated on the matter, the whole community became enthralled in the maddness.

 

[LegendofJoe]

The idea of people capable of using spells to harm others probably has been around since the stone age.
Some early accounts of witches are found in Classical writings. From Greek mythology comes Circe and Medea.
From Horace comes the very horrid Canidia.
The Roman writer Lucan wrote about Erictho, a ghastly witch.
These are all literary witches, but they no doubt reflected the superstitious beliefs of many people.

 

[Myrddin]

I think the idea of witches and witchcraft started with forces of nature that, back in the older and more "innocent" times, people couldn't grasp or understand, and therefore blamed it on magic. Like crops withering and dying. And of course, this magic has to come from somewhere, so they blamed it on other people, likely those the accuser didn't know well, and therefore became fearful of when the unexplained happened. Who knows how the blaming of friends and family came about. Maybe as they grew more fearful of this magic, they also grew more fearful of those around them?

 

[Isis]

I think the idea of witches and witchcraft started with forces of nature that, back in the older and more "innocent" times, people couldn't grasp or understand, and therefore blamed it on magic. Like crops withering and dying. And of course, this magic has to come from somewhere, so they blamed it on other people, likely those the accuser didn't know well, and therefore became fearful of when the unexplained happened. Who knows how the blaming of friends and family came about. Maybe as they grew more fearful of this magic, they also grew more fearful of those around them?

I agree with this. It's hard for people to accept bad luck, so they look for a scapegoat and of course they will start with those they consider strange. As for accusing a friend or family member, I think sometimes they just were upset with that person for some reason and accused them.

 

[magickz]

I got one last week that I want to check out called "Waking the Witch" and as soon as my husband saw it he thought of how grumpy I am in the mornings. Anyone read it yet?

 

[Myrddin]

I got one last week that I want to check out called "Waking the Witch" and as soon as my husband saw it he thought of how grumpy I am in the mornings. Anyone read it yet?

Ah, Kelley Armstrong! Good author. I have not read it yet, as there are many before it I want to read first. I think Waking the Witch is about the tenth book in Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. It's not important to read them in order, but I always like to. This one is the first from Savannah's perspective (the first person narrator).

 

[Allie-Gator]

I haven't heard of the series, but it sounds good. I may have to go to the library and see if I can find it. Witches were always to blame for anything that may go wrong in anyone's life, especially if someone felt they were "cursed". Mankind always has to have someone to blame for problems.

 

[Myrddin]

I haven't heard of the series, but it sounds good. I may have to go to the library and see if I can find it. Witches were always to blame for anything that may go wrong in anyone's life, especially if someone felt they were "cursed". Mankind always has to have someone to blame for problems.

Keep in mind when hunting down the series, the first two, Bitten and Stolen, are from the perspective of a werewolf and are about the werewolves. The second one, though, introduces some of the other characters that take over as narrators later. Books 3 and 4 are from the perspective of a witch. (Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic.)

 

[Allie-Gator]

Thanks Myrddin. I haven't been able to find it at the library. I may have to go to either Amazon or some other online source to find them. I love novels of this ilk.

 

[Wise Old Owl]

You know, "wise women" have always practiced healing arts in many cultures and do so even today. People who use herbs for health and advise others, in the past, would have been suspected of being witches. Pretty much anyone who was not as active in the community was always suspected. Different viewpoints are never popular and were less popular in our early history.

 

[Myrddin]

Thanks Myrddin. I haven't been able to find it at the library. I may have to go to either Amazon or some other online source to find them. I love novels of this ilk.

I'm not sure if your library system has inter-library loans, but if it does, that would be another way to go.

 

[Allie-Gator]

I have ordered one of them. Our library system will only allow one inter-library loan at a time. So I have ordered "Bitten". I can't wait to read it!

 

[magickz]

I love anything that ties into true history, even my spouse is slowly catching on. While he will watch a movie, show or random tidbit about witches I have still yet to hear him confess. He just says "its interesting but I don't believe in".

 

[Myrddin]

I have ordered one of them. Our library system will only allow one inter-library loan at a time. So I have ordered "Bitten". I can't wait to read it!

I think if you like the werewolf ones, you'll really like the witch ones, when you get there. I have just started book three, Dime Store Magic, in which the witch, Paige, takes over as narrator. Though I am only one hundred pages in, I already I like it much more than either of the first two. (One of the later narrators is introduced briefly in this one.)

 

[Allie-Gator]

The first one "Bitten" started off rather slow and I was almost ready to give up and then it started to get interesting. I'm about 3/4 of the way through and it's fantastic! I am going to get the rest of them for sure. I may have to invest in a copy of the series for my library.

 

[Myrddin]

The first one "Bitten" started off rather slow and I was almost ready to give up and then it started to get interesting. I'm about 3/4 of the way through and it's fantastic! I am going to get the rest of them for sure. I may have to invest in a copy of the series for my library.

There are currently 11 of them, and, I think, soon to be a twelfth.

 

[Allie-Gator]

There are currently 11 of them, and, I think, soon to be a twelfth.

Wow! I didn't know there were that many. I will be reading them all since I really loved the first one. The story slowly sucks you into it. Do you know if this was her first novel ever?

 

[Myrddin]

Wow! I didn't know there were that many. I will be reading them all since I really loved the first one. The story slowly sucks you into it. Do you know if this was her first novel ever?

I have no idea. She has another series going on as well, though I don't know if she started it before or after the Women of the Otherworld. You could probably found out on www.kelleyarmstrong.com (her website). Books 1 and 2 are by told Elena, the werewolf; 3 and 4, Paige Winterbourne a witch; 5, a ghost who was a witch; 6, Elena again; 7, a necromancer; 8, a half-demon; 9, won't say; 10, Elena again; and 11, Savannah Levine, a witch.

 

[grimmly]

Witch craft is one of the oddest and oldest forms of religion around the idea that you (the witch) could do something to change and effect the world around you. Is truly novel and something we tend to forget. It's much easier to blame others ( witches the government other people the devil) then say well that sucks well I'm going to brush my self off and do better. We have come to need a crutch ( again the government god other people. Normally there dead but still other people) then want to take charge of what's happened and do something about it. Now before you ask me where I get this idea from let me explain something. I'm a male witch. I marred a witch. My children show signs of growing up to be witches. Magic and witch craft are still alive. If you are willing to look