The History of Witches and Witchcraft: What You Never Knew about the Witch

You may think you know a lot about witches, but much of what is published is based on fairy tales, here we take a look at what witches really were, why they were persecuted, and will reveal how you can know if you're a witch. This is the first in a number of videos I expect to produce on this subject, as it is huge and covers so many cultures and ages, and so this is a very focused discussion of the European Middle Ages. I hope you enjoy! We talk about witch hunts, wiccan, and all things witchery, in this introduction to witch craft. If you wish to support Crecganford then please consider signing up to *Patreon* where you can find research notes, additional videos, research tips, and early access to videos: https://www.patreon.com/crecganford References include: Briggs, Robin. 1996. Witches and Neighbors: The Social and Cultural Context of European Witchcraft Callow, John. 2022. The Last Witches of England Cawthorne, Nigel. 2019. Witches, A History of Persecution Hutton, Ronald. 2022. Queens of the Wild, Pagan Goddesses in Christian Europe Malleus Maleficarum Catholic Education Resource Centre Arne-Thompson-Uther Index Berezkin's Database Chapters ============================ 0:00 Introduction 1:24 Which witch? 2:35 The Rise and Demise of the Witch 4:19 What is a witch? 5:12 Hammer of the Witches 6:54 Are you a witch? 7:41 Regino of Prums Canon Episcopi 10:53 In collusion with the devil 11:29 Pagan spells 12:48 Witches in the bible 14:00 Witches outside Abrahamic texts 15:25 Mythological trends of witches 16:37 It wasn't about being a Pagan 18:57 The Elite and the Commoners 20:23 The Fairy Tales make sense 21:19 The tragedy of it all 22:58 Asking the Pope to apologise 23:23 The church plays god 23:59 What really is a witch?