Anne-Lawrence Mathers /The Conversation Medieval people have a reputation for being superstitious – and many of the supernatural phenomena found in the pages of medieval chronicles, miracle stories...
The 17th century was a time of upheaval and uncertainty in England. Civil wars, religious divisions, and economic struggles gripped the country, creating a fertile breeding ground for fear and...
The sudden emergence of witch trials in early modern Europe may have been fueled by one of humanity's most significant intellectual milestones: the invention of the printing press in 1450. A new...
By Mari Ellis Dunning /The Conversation The fear of witchcraft led to centuries of persecution and executions across Europe. While there were an estimated 500 executions in England, and between 3,000...
As India has continued to modernize, the old issue of ancient superstitions surrounding witchcraft has repeatedly cropped up. This deeply rooted belief has led to a tragic trend of violence against...
Mexican witchcraft has long been a topic of fascination for people around the world, and for good reason. In a bustling city of 20 million people, Mexico City, where the majority are devout Catholics...
Whether you call them carrot tops, strawberry blondes or gingers, redheads have attracted unwanted attention throughout history. The target of objectification and abuse, animosity towards fiery locks...
Foemina Instrumentum Diaboli can be translated as ‘Women are instruments of the devil’, which sums up the essence of Renaissance witch hunts in Europe. The word ‘witch’ evokes the figure of an...
Many Christian writers identified the gods and lesser spirits of the Greek and Roman world with demons. This ushered in the Christian practice of demonizing those they perceived as their opponents...
We often talk about the modern world’s obsession with celebrities. People love to talk about the rich and famous. This is nothing new. It’s been a part of human nature since time immemorial. Before...
Since the dawn of civilization, humanity has mostly believed in a polytheistic belief systems, worshipping a variety of gods and spirits. Christianity, however, sought to dismantle these long-...
"Brewing", "herbs," "broomsticks," "woman." When one hears these words together, most often the assumption is that the person in question is a witch. Yet brewing has a very human meaning as well, one...
When one of us began studying psychology he was told that if the aim was to understand human relationships, it would be better served by studying literature—especially Shakespeare. Since then, at...
The folklore of the wicked witch and her diabolical animal familiar is a well-known and often repeated tale. When the seasons change and the nights get long it’s not uncommon to see images and...
A home full of occult objects has attracted enormous interest, recently. A hidden space beneath a staircase in a 16th-century Welsh home was filled with occult objects, including animal skulls and a...
In Britain, a mysterious discovery has been made in the ruins of a church in an abandoned medieval village. On some stones, archaeologists have found graffiti and some enigmatic marking. It is...
Janet Douglas was a 17th century Scottish teenager reputed to have a paranormal gift known as ‘Second Sight.’ She should not be confused was another well-known Janet Douglas, a Scottish noblewoman...
In England a sacred historic oak has been reduced to a burnt stump after it was engulfed by fire. This tree was a local landmark and it was venerated by people from all over the world. This sacred...
Castles are often associated with the supernatural and gruesome events and none more so than one of the most famous castles in all of Germany, Frankenstein Castle. This ruined fortress is synonymous...
A traditional night of celebrations known as Čarodějnice, which translates to ‘Witches Night’ in English has been severely curtailed this year in the Czech Republic. The Czech government has...
Thousands of self-declared ‘ witches ’ will cast a unified ‘ spell ’ on POTUS Donald Trump this weekend and “yes” this news piece is a work of non-fiction and not a joke. It would appear that in the...
Once a prison for people (mostly women) accused of witchcraft , what is held to be Britain’s most haunted house is up for sale - again. Known as “ The Cage ” in St Osyth, England, this historic...
During the Early Modern period of European history – from the Renaissance (1500) to the French Revolution (1800), hundreds of thousands of witches suffered the terrible fate of being burned at the...
How come religions glorified certain Biblical characters’ - such as Jesus and Mary - communication with spirits or angelic entities, yet it condemned witches’ conferring with familiars, to the point...