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 pointed black hats and long black dresses with slits? And witchcraft? Has the term “devil worshiper” ever crossed your mind? Do you think about potions and spells? For many, many generations, we have underestimated what the true meaning of a witch is and what witchcraft really is. What is the story behind it? Witches and witchcraft have been part of our history since ancient times. There's more to it than just the ghost stories told on Halloween, the movies on TV, and Halloween costumes. For many centuries up to the present day, Christians have lived in fear of witches. They were known as the children of the devil who practiced only black magic and considered them the “persecution” of Christians. Witches have been known to humanity since the 1200s. During the 1400s, examination of witches was more focused and moved away from the Jews. Church law stated that belief in the existence and practices of witchcraft was “heresy.” Because of what the Christians believed, the churches would then torture and hunt down anyone they thought was a witch and would kill many women and only a few men. They even made them confess to flying in the midnight sky, being in love with the devil himself, practicing black magic and even transforming into animals. SORCERER: The word witchcraft comes from the word "Wicca". Wicca means the wise. Witchcraft must be considered a cult and/or a pagan religion, a stereotype as a “magical phenomenon”. By 1000 AD, the practice of witchcraft became a threat to Christians and their beliefs. They believe that with... means of paper ...... and witchcraft have been passed down from generation to generation. From the distant 1200s to today, this is how long witches have existed. Starting with the history of witches and witchcraft, stories were used to keep history alive within the stories written in ancient mythology in Walt Disney films. Check your family history. What and who they were. 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 comes 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/plotsummary