Magic

I did some reading on Voodoo as I didn’t know much about it. Benin is a country in West Africa known as "the cradle of Voodoo". This is the birthplace of the ancient practice of Voodoo, which is also known as Vodun, the country’s national religion. Its beliefs were exported along with the slaves to Haiti, the Caribbean and Brazil and the religion was distorted by Hollywood. Sticking pins in dolls were once used as a method of cursing an individual by some followers of Vodun in New Orleans; this…

In Peru, and throughout South and Central America, people who practice folk magic are called Bruja/os and witchcraft is called brujeria. Although Brujas may have negative connotations, like being malevolent or tricksters, that it is only because of the influence European missionaries. When they came to convert the indigenous people to Christianity, they saw Brujeria as black magic and devil worship. In order to assimilate indigenous people to European culture, they created the…

doors for the witch trails that happened in the following centuries. The greatest numbers of witch trails occurred in areas that the Inquisition was the most active such as in France, Germany, and Lombardy. Inquisitors took their jurisdiction over magic very seriously. This seriousness helped lead how witchcraft would be classified as a heresy and handled during later…

connotation. In fact, it was divided into two – white magic and black magic. White magic was used by healers, wise men and women, as well as others who fit this category. Black magic, on the other hand, were practiced by those who sought to harm others, thus used their abilities for evil. It was this kind of magic that got a person labelled as a witch rather than the titles used for the practitioners of white magic. A witch was someone who used magic to cause harm unto others, including animals.…

imagination or hallucination, situated outside the realm of reality. However, to Shakespeare and his audience the actuality of the supernatural was very real. Fairies would roam the countryside; any neighbour could be a witch or mage and the practice of magic could be learned from books like any other academic subject. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth , Banquo and Macbeth stumble upon the Weird Sisters, who make mystic prophecies of the pair’s future. In The Tempest , the mage Prospero conjures…

Puritan theological rules were fairly ambiguous. So much so that people believed they could take part in and practice magical rituals without feeling that they were abandoning their traditional Christian beliefs. They felt compelled to do this because magic gave them the ability to alleviate their suffering by blaming it on “witches” and other unordinary people. Ultimately, certain themes in Puritan spirituality left people wanting unconventional coping mechanisms during life crises. He stated…

all began when two local girls of the village played with magic. When these young girls did the forbidden that's when all the hysteria began to erupt. The punishment for Abigail and Betty would be getting whipped if anyone found out they played with magic with Tituba. The first name that was given was Tituba’s. Abigail and Betty must have been scared of being punished, therefore they accused Tituba of “bewitched” them. The girls knew magic was forbidden and rumors started to spread in the…

interchangeably, but it is important to explain a particular way of use each of them. Since the dawn of time people was always interested in the magic and supernatural powers. Topic of witchcraft and magic was always very popular in different kinds of dissertations and papers. Scholars were looking for the relation between witchcraft and religion or the influenced of the magic on the beliefs in various societies. It is important because…

of the fact that those who are Wiccans are the ones that are more interested in science. As Amy described Wiccans often see the world around us in a different sense, and want science to back up these concepts. This religion is not solely based on magic and the harmony within the universe, but the scientific meanings of the human mind and…

According to Gaskill, witchcraft is defined as “the practices of a witch or witches, especially the use of magic or sorcery” (1). The gender people typically think of when someone mentions the word “witch” is women. Women have become the image of witchcraft in the pre-industrial era and still wear the façade today. Because of the roles female healers had in the pre-industrial era, their work created relationships and false reputations that made them vulnerable to accusations. Healers would…