Witchcraft In The Middle Ages

In medieval times women were blamed for the sinking of ships, they brought famine, disease, murdered and maimed. They were known as Satan’s handmaidens. Hundreds of people were persecuted, tortured, and were put to death in a hysterical effort. You could be accused and tortured on the basis of nothing more than the gossip and superstition of others. Witchcraft had all the reason to exist during medieval times when the human knowledge was still at an unsophisticated stage. Since there seemed to be no other reasonable reasons for nature's destructions supernatural forces were to blame such as witchcraft.
Witchcraft originated with the human culture. The fear of the unknown and phenomena led to believe in supernatural forces such as witches.
This practice was most common among the wise folk. They followed the path of nature and were in sync with its mystical powers. Their knowledge of herbs and medicines, they gave wise counsel and were known as leaders within the village. Nature was a great force and humans were merely just a part of it. They understood that what we take from the earth must be returned to restore the balance. They normally healed, made herbal remedies, fortune telling services, etc. They, of course, were paid for their services. Cunning meaning knowledgeable or wise came from an old English term kenning, this meant semi-professional or professional practitioners of magic. The “Cunning Folk” also known as, “White Witches” held the role of helping those who needed it, they were seen as helpful within the
Many think that it is associated with Satanism and Demons. You could distinguish “White Witches” from “Black Witches”. Black witches typically used magic to cause physical and/or practical harm. The difference between the two was forgotten during the Renaissance Era, known for its notorious witch-hunts. Black magic was not taken lightly, and many feared those who used it. Many forget that magic has no color, that it is colorless. People associated Black as evil and white as pure.
Wicca is a religion influenced by pre-Christian beliefs and practices of Western Europe. The word “Wicca” has acquired from Anglo-Saxon word wicce, this means to have wisdom. Wicca stands for male witch and wicce stands for the female witch. Initially followers were seen to be evil-natured Satan worshipers. Many, as the old Pagan religion meaning the craft of the wise, define Wicca. It has become a popular religious movement and is gaining strength by the day. The Wicca believers run into millions of their kind often and are found mostly in English speaking countries. The U.S. constitution recognizes the Wicca religion like any other religion and they receive the same rights and freedom just like any other