Wicca (Witchcraft)
- The history of Wicca is under much debate in the Wiccan community. Some people say that is dates back to as early as the stone age. Some say that its orgins are much more recent. The problem with the history is that there has been much perse caution throughout the years, making hard to keep accurate records. The more recent history can be confirmed, but the problem lies in the ancient history.
Archeologists have found drawings on caves from the stone age that would suggest that Wiccan, or Witchcraft, dates that far back, but it's hard to be certian. In the earliest age of man was non-existence and the drawings are hard to inturpret. It's believed, even in the stone age, that there was a concept of higher being and there were various forms of worship. Some scholars say that the drawings found were the beginning of what is known as Wicca today. Others feel that the connection is to weak to make it so judgemental like that. Evidence was found to support that there was some form of earlier Wicca in earlier C.E.
Artifacts have been found from the first few centuries that suggest that there were Witches back then. Some of these things include decorated knifes, mixing bowls, and jewelry. The Christian Churches was also much more tolerant of Witchcraft in early C.E. People who were found to be pracitioners only had to repent with no real threat or harm. Then in the late 13th century, the view of magick began to change.
The belief that magick was a form of evil,l that came from the devil himself, grew in the late 13th century. People who practiced Witchcraft were viewed as being bound with Satan and were considered evil. This began, as what most Wiccans' refer to as, 'The Burning Times.' The Inquistion was found and many witches were put to death. The numbers depending on what source they came from, but the lowest estimates are well into the thousands. The Witch-Hunts ended by the 18th century, the last trial being the Salem Witch Tirals. In Salem, Massachusetts, where twenty people, supposedly Witches, were put to death after an out-break of hystaria caused by several young girls who said they were bewitched.
Wicca had a low following in the time that followed, up untill the mid 20th century. In the mid 20th century, there was a re-birth of Witchcraft, referred to today as Neo-Pagan movment. Several writers grew great attention to Wicca and its beliefs. The most famous of these writters was Gerald Gardner who wrote, 'Witchcraft Today' in 1954 and began to revitalize the Wiccan movment. Today Wicca thrives and has a large following.
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