Shepard.p.3

Witches

WitchesBy: Alyssa Shepard

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Witches:According to Merriam Webster the top three definitions of Witch is: a woman who is thought to have magic powers, a person who practices magic as part of a religion (such as Wicca), a very unpleasant woman

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Witch refers to Wicca, which means wise. In Greek and Persian, the root words for magic are magos and magus, which means wise. They also refer to the English word, magi, which means wise men. Now, most people, when they think witch, they just think of the modern witch with the old woman, pointy nose and hat, warts, evil laughter. Some even think about the Salem Trials in 1692. Long story short, witches dont have the best reputation. During this documentary, we will look from the very beginning of witches to modern day witches.

http://www.clipartkid.com/images/489/witch-cauldron-clipart-clipart-panda-free-clipart-images-dDF599-clipart.gifA Little Background:

HEKATE (HECATE):One of the earliest goddess of all time and possibly the very first witch was, Hekate (Hecate). Hekate was said to have three bodies. One for Heaven, Earth, and Hell. Or past, present, and future. She was called the triple goddess, mother goddess, dark goddess, and some even called her, Queen of Witches. Now, Hekate was a Titan goddess, one of the last Titans after they were wiped out, was respected by the Olympians. She brought good luck and prosperity to them and the people.

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It is said she rule Hell for a time before Hades ever did. Hekate spent time at the crossroads, like crossroad demons people have heard of. She was there with her familiars, the black dogs. She was know to protect people who, lived on the edge. the ones that were shunned out and were misunderstood. She could tolerate and they were comfortable in her company. (LeRoy)

The symbol on the right is the Hekate wheel. It is said Hekate can go to other worlds beyond this one. It also shows she is the keeper of the crossroads.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/34/05/84/3405842bf0259f4b75a01e831852a801.jpgHekate (Hecate):

Kirke (Circe):Another with/ goddess was Kirke or Circe. Circe was also a Titan goddess, as Hekate. Her name is Kirkoo in Greek, meaning, to secure with rings, or hoop around. They say it is a binding power of magic. She is mostly known by Odysseus tale in The Odyssey. Circe has her own island, Aeaea. On this island she had many, many animals. These animals actually use to be men that had offended her. In the Odyssey, she turned Odysseus's men into pigs, since they were behaving as pigs. Her name for binding magic goes along with her specialty.

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The Fates:In Greek and Roman myth, there were three sister goddesses. They were called, The Fates, Moirai, or Moerae. It is told that these sisters had spun a persons destiny before they were born. It was also said they wove the destiny of the gods. They had different names in each culture. In Greek, they were, Clotho, (the spinner), Lachesis, (the apportioner), and Atropos, (the inevitable). Roman culture they were, Nona, Decuma, and Morta (Hill 14:42).

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The Norns:In Nose myth, there is a bit of a different story with the three sisters. Their names are Urd, (What once was) Verdandi (What is coming to be), and Skuld (What shall be). They were said to deal withWorld-tree, Yggdrasil. According to the article by Daniel McCoy, Yggdrasil, the great ash tree that stands at the center of the universe and holds the nine worlds in its branches and roots. They shape destiny carving runes into the trunk of the tree, or, in some sagas and poems, by weaving destiny like a web or tapestry (McCoy).

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Going forward in time, is the next huge era for witches. The Salem Witch Trials. This was a dark time for people, even innocent people. There are still families trying to fight for their ancestors, who were accused of witch craft, but innocent, and get their names cleared for good.

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http://thumbs.media.smithsonianmag.com//filer/salem631.jpg__800x600_q85_crop.jpgGoing Forward:

Salem Witch Trials:The Salem Witch Trials started in the beginning of 1692. Some of the girls in town started having fits of spasm, illusions, vomiting and choking. The town doctor couldnt find anything physically wrong with them, he said it was spiritual. so the girls started to accuse women of witchcraft.

It was right after England came out of a witch craze, themselves. In Europe, combing England, Scotland, and others, 40 to 50,000 people were murdered. Ireland was the one place where they did not murder anyone accused of being a witch, it was a safe place.

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Salem Witch Trials:There are a few theories out there, explaining why the witchcraft broke out in Salem. In Jess Blumbergs article, she published, what is considered one of the best theories out there. It was originally published in, Science, in 1976, by a psychologist, Linnda Caporael. In this article, Caporael states the fits the girls were having was from a fungus ergot, that is found in rye, wheat, and other cereal grasses. According to toxicologist, eating ergot foods can cause muscle spasms, vomiting, delusions, and hallucinations (Qtd. Blumberg). Other theories, listed in a documentary from the history channel about the Salem Witch Trials.

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Salem Witch Trials:Another theory is from David Goss, executive director of Beverly Historical Society. In the documentary video from the history channel about Salem Witch trials he believed they were doing it for sport. They grew up in a strict society, were in the bottom of the social scale. They became popular in the town, people listened to them, they had a power to choose life or death for someone. They had a great deal of fun doing it. (Goss). Carol Karlsen, visting professor, Harvard Divinity School, also in the documentary video, stated her son honestly believes the girls were possessed and picked people that had been accused of witchcraft before (Karlsen). The fact of that is, people that were high in society and a great member of the church was accused and hung as well.

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Moving Forward: Modern Day Witches:Todays witches are mostly in movies and TV shows. There are people that practice Wicca. Wicca deals with nature and the energy in the world. In television there are all kind of witches. From the good witches on, Practical Magic, to the evil witches, Wicked Witch in Oz.

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Modern Day Witches:Three hundred years after the Salem Witch Trials, what was know about witchcraft has changed. Witchcraft is now a pagan religion, Wicca. (Roby 55). Of course now in America people have the freedom of religion. Witchcraft laws was also placed, to avoid situations, like the Salem Witch Trials. Wicca was created in the 1940s and the 1950s. Gerald Brosseau Gardner was the one that created the pagan religion of Wicca. Wiccans are promised to not do any harm to anyone in their craft. Roby listed, according to the ABC News articles, the population of Wicca is over 342,000 people. This was recorded in 2008, by then the population has most likely increased.

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Modern Day Witches:Nina Bahadur did an article in the Huffington Post, how mostly woman were interested in witchcraft. During the Salem witch trails, it was mostly woman accused. Some say it was because they wanted independence, also it was said woman are easily convinced and not strong in their spiritual aspect as men were. Woman, even now are not respected as they should be. Bahadur quoted Ammo ODay, a woman who works in a wiccan store and was raised catholic. I was told I was going to hell because Im a woman, said ODay, who spent 12 years in Catholic school. (Qtd. Bahadur). There are plenty of men that practice witchcraft as well. Men dont have such a hard time with religion, society, and respect as women do. In todays age, there are stores for people who practice witchcraft, there is no death penalty, no law against it. It has really changed in three hundred years. It also has changed even more from the respected goddess thousands of years ago.

Modern Day Witches:http://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_640x430/public/hermoine.png

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Work Cited:Thomas, LeRoy. Myth 7. Hecate. Youtube. Youtube. 21 Feb. 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.Malapropism. Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam-Webster 2016. Web. 19 Nov. 2016. Bahadur, Nina. A Modern-Day Witch Explains How Magic Can Empower Women. The Huffington Post. 22 Oct.

2015. Web. 19 Nov. 2016.Blumberg, Jess. A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. Smithsonian. 23 Oct. 2007. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.Hill, Bryan. The Three Fates: Destinys Deities of Ancient Greece and Rome. Ancient Origins. 11 May. 2015. Web. 13 Nov. 2016. McCoy, Daniel. The Norns. Norse Mythology for Smart People. 2012-2016. Web. 13 Nov. 2016. Roby, Cynthia. Creatures of Fantasy Witches. New York. Cavendish Square Pub. 2016. Print. Pg. 49-56. 10 Nov. 2016. Salem Witch Trials. Perf. David Goss. Carol Karlsen. The History Channel. 2005. H. DVD. 10 Nov. 2016.