All  
Home / witchcraft

witchcraft

Sorcerer in hood standing in front of an ancient destructed Babylon tower with flood, fire & hurricane illustration
16 February, 2019 - 18:52 Sarah P Young

Mesopotamian Magic: Ancient Tablets Reveal a World of Witches, Sorcerers and Exorcists

Ancient Mesopotamia was a vast region in Western Asia which has become known as the ‘cradle of civilization’ due to the huge number of feats the culture achieved. Agriculture, animal herding, and...
Ouija Board - talking board and planchette used on seances for communicating with the dead.
7 February, 2019 - 13:51 ancient-origins

How the Ouija Board Got Its Sinister Reputation

By now, most have vague notions of the Ouija board horror narrative, in which demonic spirits communicate with – even possess – kids. Director Mike Flanagan furthers this trope in his new film ‘...
A woman and children were found dead in a well near their home.
31 January, 2019 - 13:53 Ed Whelan

Ancient Superstitions Pervade India as Modern ‘Witch Hunt’ Leaves Mother and Children Dead

A shocking story from India is showing that in some areas of the world old superstitions are still alive and leading to terrible crimes. The belief in witchcraft is still common in many areas of...
The penance of Jane Shore by Robert Scott Lauder
15 December, 2018 - 18:59 dhwty

Jane Shore: The 15th Century Royal Mistress Forced to Walk London’s Streets in her Underwear

Elizabeth ‘Jane’ Shore was an Englishwoman who lived between the 15 th and 16 th centuries. She is best remembered as one the many mistresses of the English king Edward IV. As one of the king’s...
A mysterious sorceress
19 November, 2018 - 13:50 ashley cowie

Rapidly Closing American Churches Are Shadowed by The Meteoric Rise in Witchcraft

A highly-thought provoking report published in the October edition of Christian Post highlights that “the number of witches (and wiccans) has dramatically increased since the 1990s, to the degree...
Suspicious townfolk targeted Alice Kyteler.
6 November, 2018 - 18:58 dhwty

Alice Kyteler: The Kilkenny ‘Witch’ Who Ran While her Servant Burned

Alice Kyteler (known also as the Kilkenny Witch ) was the first recorded person to have been condemned of witchcraft in Ireland. The alleged witch, however, succeeded in fleeing the country, thereby...
Market in Ouidah, in Benin, selling ingredients for African magic.
21 September, 2018 - 15:39 ashley cowie

From South to North, Africa is the Continent of Ancient Magic

The word ‘magic’ makes us think of sleight of hand, tricks and illusion, but historically African magic was a way to achieve goals by harnessing the creative powers of nature, which were regarded and...
Detail of a modern representation of Hecate.
16 September, 2018 - 01:44 dhwty

Hecate: Holding Court Over Ancient Greek Witchcraft, the Moon, and Ghosts

"I am she that is the natural mother of all things, mistress and governess of all the elements, the initial progeny of worlds, chief of powers divine, Queen of heaven, the principal of the Gods...
"The Black Man", an aspect of Nyarlathotep as described by H. P. Lovecraft in "The Dreams in the Witch House" (1932). (Jens Heimdahl/CC BY SA 4.0) A replica of necropants at The Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft in Holmavik, Iceland. At the right of the pants is the magical symbol (nábrókarstafur) that is part of the ritual and at its feet are coins. The exhibit is behind glass and lit from above with a harsh yellow light. (Bernard McManus/CC BY 2.0)
27 June, 2018 - 18:57 Mark Oliver

Necropants: Did Icelandic Sorcerers Really Make Magic Pants Out Of Human Skin?

A museum in Iceland is home to the only known pair of necropants: pants made out of human skin. Legend has it that Icelandic sorcerers would tear the skin off of a dead friend’s body and clothe...
Constantine TV Series logo
22 March, 2018 - 17:58 valdar

Ancient Mythology Is Embedded Within the Constantine TV Series

Constantine is an American TV series that centers around the character of John Constantine, a British exorcist and occult detective who hunts supernatural entities. The entire Constantine series is...
Petronilla de Meath was Ireland’s first recorded witch burning.
7 March, 2018 - 18:42 David Halpin

Pity for Petronilla de Meath: Ireland’s First Witch Burning

There is a famous Jonathan Swift quote about how the law impacts upon the rich and poor in unequal measure which reads, “Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets...
Albany Bulb Sea Witch Prays to the Pink and Purple Sky.
29 January, 2018 - 18:52 ashley cowie

Untwisting the Knotted History of Sea Witches

You might have noticed that Ursula, the antagonist in Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989), was a sea witch disguised as a half-human, half-octopus mythological hybrid creature . And, the antagonist of...
Rhineland Master. Love Magic, 1470s. Museum für bildende Künste, Leipzig.
8 August, 2017 - 14:01 Riley Winters

A Patriarchal Portrait of a Witch: Warning of Witchcraft in the Female Wiles

Early modern Europe was a period of patriarchy, in which men were in control and women only truly had a say in the household affairs. Power and regulation lay in the hands of men, while the care of...
A modern Pagan Wiccan altar set up.
28 May, 2017 - 14:03 dhwty

Secrets of Magic in Modern Paganism Revealed

Magic is one of the aspects that can be found in many of the groups that are part of the movement known collectively as Modern Paganism. According to practitioners of magic within the movements of...
Margaret Murray Unwrapping the Khnum-Nakht Mummy
2 April, 2017 - 22:56 Natalia Klimczak

Margaret Murray - Mother of Egyptology, Grandmother of Wicca, or Fairy Godmother?

Margaret Murray is one of the most mysterious Egyptologists. Although many researchers criticize her research, the story behind her writings scares anyone who is wary of the powers of witchcraft...
The birthday party of Lazaro Salsita, born 15 years ago, in the body of Lazaro Medina Hernandez, 35, Sculptor. Havana (La Habana), Cuba.
14 March, 2017 - 00:53 Natalia Klimczak

A Unique Mixture of Afro-Cuban Religious Rituals or Witchcraft? The True Story Behind Santeria

Some religious practices can be very surprising because they link aspects from different beliefs which may appear incompatible at first glance. In the case of Santeria, the connection between native...

Pages