Witchcraft

The modern English word for witchcraft has three main meanings: the practice of magic or sorcery worldwide, the beliefs associated with the Western witch hunts of the 14th to the 18th century, and the modern movement called Wicca. Different cultures have different beliefs, which can be summarized as magic, sorcery, religion, folklore, theology, technology, and diabolism. Witches are viewed as people with supernatural powers by some societies, but in the West they are seen as ordinary people who practice magic with the help of the supernatural. The Old English word for witch and witchcraft is craeft, meaning “craft” or “sorrow.” There was no witch-cult or any cult that was disorganized or organized, and neither was there any witch-cult that was a member of an ancient pagan religion. Not all people accused of being witches were women.

The term black mass is almost entirely a fantasy of modern writers. The West did not have witch doctors because they were blamed for magic by demons. The people hurt or killed in the hunts were not witches but victims of their perspiring perspirings, and they were not included in the category of people who were hurt or killed. The witch hunts were not a conspiracy against members of an old religion or any other group, they were simply a way to find witches. He says that the emphasis on the witch in art, literature, theatre, and film has little relation to reality outside. He says that there is no single definition of a witch and that it depends on individual belief and definition.

Sorcery

Witches were more common in other cultures than in the witch hunts in the 14th century. The early Western witches and sorcerers worked for private purposes, as compared to the public practice of religion. Witches wanted to gain or preserve health, to acquire or retain property, to protect against natural disasters or evil spirits, to help friends, and to seek revenge. Sometimes magic was believed to work through simple technology. It was thought that slaughtering an animal could increase a field’s fertility. The similarities were not from cultural diffusion or a secret cult but from the age-old human desire to achieve one’s purposes.

It was believed that sacrificing an animal for a ritual could improve a person’s health. It was possible to use magic to gain power. Witches were thought to use demons in their work because they relied on the power of gods. The magic was often used to create symbolic reality, such as the creation of an image of a god or goddess. In some cases, the magic was performed by a female witch, who was known as a “witch-witch” or “witch-mistress” to her co-workers. In other cases, it was performed by male witches who were known as “witch-men” or “witches-men” to their co-workers, and female witches who were “witch-woman” to their wives. It was carried out by both male and female witches, and was sometimes called “witch magic” or “sorcery” in some instances.

Spell casting

The ability to cast a spell is the most well-known characteristic of a witch. A spell is a set of words, a formula or verse, a ritual or a combination of these. Spells were cast by many methods, such as by the inscription of runes or sigils on objects, to give them magical powers. They were cast by the performance of physical rituals, the use of magical herbs as an aid to good fortune, and the gazing at mirrors, swords, and other objects for purposes of divination.

Thwarting witchcraft

It was believed that it could be stopped in many ways. One way to use magic was with protective or counter-magic. There were witch balls, witch bottles, witch marks, and buried objects such as horse skulls inside the walls of buildings. It was thought that if the alleged witch was persuaded to lift their spell, bewitchment would be solved. People would try to stop the alleged witch by punishing them with physical punishments. In most societies, a formal and legal remedy was preferred.

Discussion

The people of Transkei are poor and illiteracy is high. Most of the inhabitants live in rural areas. There are deep-rooted beliefs in tradition. There have been deaths that have been linked to witchcraft. People need to be educated about the dangers of lightening strike and witchcraft.

The medico-legal history provided by the close relative/s of the victims at the time of autopsies is used to make the case reports. The community wants to eliminate them. There are a lot of lightning deaths in the Transkei sub-region of South Africa. Some elderly women are found performing rituals in the dark which cast suspicion on them. Witches are often dark, short and elderly ladies. When a young person dies suddenly, the belief is that it is due to witchcraft. The reports are based on the Medico-Legal history of the victims.

People who are literate do believe in magic. There are beliefs in witchcraft because of regular misfortunes. Failure to succeed in life can lead to beliefs of being bewitched. There are often accusations of witchcraft within the group. Witches are not the mothers as such but junior or senior mothers with the classificatory kinship systems. In Xhosa culture, lightning strike and road traffic accidents are considered to be part of witchcraft. The elderly women who are accused of witchcraft are usually women.

Local councilor

An axe was the weapon of choice for the crime. The brother of the perpetrators was in the city of Johannesburg, far away from the victim’s home, but the belief was that she had bewitched him and caused the death. The son of the person who committed the crime died in an accident, and he blamed the victim. The brother planned the killing of the woman because he believed that her illness was due to witchcraft. He may have consumed alcohol to overcome fear and shyness.

Every year, about 50 to 60 elderly women are brought to the mortuary at Umtata General Hospital who have been implicated in witchcraft. Most of the elderly women are at risk of being murdered. The people and police formed a community-policing forum after a triple murder in a village. A group of young people from the village accused three family members of bewitching a local councilor who had fallen ill. The three were murdered. A ward committee member was among six people arrested after the incident. They are all due to appear in court.

Adult African rural

The deputy chairperson said that the forum’s creation helped allay the fears of the elderly that they would be next to be killed.

Poverty and illness are more common in rural areas where the belief of witchcraft is more dominant. Poverty in rural areas leads to strained family relations. The Xhosa people of South Africa have retained social cohesion through traditional customs, language and lifestyle. The issue of witchcraft is associated with poverty, disease, and ignorance. There is a high prevalence of minor psychiatric disorders in an adult African rural community with a significant association with age, marital status, employment, income and educational level. The traditional healer provides therapy for all mental illnesses if uncontrollable behavior necessitates a mental hospital referral. When clients go to a traditional healer they are usually told that a witch is in the community and has cast a spell on them.

The tendency is to eliminate from the community. The family members are harmed when the houses are burnt. The perpetrators don’t have role models when they are young. Drugs, alcohol, and tobacco are things that peers introduce them to. Lack of parental care is also evident. Children brought by their grand parents tend to be very shy. There is a lack of control and there is often no one to give direction as they go through teenage years. Most of the elderly women who have been accused of witchcraft are facing terrible experiences in these communities.

The bill of rights in the constitution of South Africa is something that traditional healers need to be educated on. Lack of education is associated with the issue of witches.

Education

It is a challenge for the police, social workers, judiciary and local politician to deal with the problem. People need to be educated about the myths of lightning strike. The myth of lightning strike needs to be ended and the killing of witches stopped. The fight against all forms of superstition is a fight against all forms of witchcraft. It is a fight against superstition and magic in all religions. It is the fight against all types of superstitions and witchcraft in all religions and parts of the world. The fight to end superstition and witchcraft needs to be won by all people of all ages, races and religions. It is not just a matter of magic, but also of education.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between 25,000 and 50,000 children were accused of being witches and thrown out of their homes. Children have been subjected to abuse during exorcisms, sometimes supervised by self-styled religious pastors. Other pastors and Christian activists try to save children from their unscrupulous colleagues. The police arrested 14 people in April 2008 for allegedly using black magic or witchcraft to steal or shrink men’s penises to extort money for a cure. The belief in magical warfare technologies in the Eastern Congo serves a group-level function, as it increases group efficiency in warfare, even if it is not optimal at the individual level. The authors of the study think that this is one reason why the belief in witchcraft is still going strong. The two short films made in Kinshasa were funded by the US Agency for International Development.

Tanzania

In order to make powerful amulets, witch doctors in the country advise albinos to be murdered for their body parts. The owner of a business is said to prosper in life if he has amulets. 25 people have been murdered since March 2007. President Kikwete publicly condemned witchdoctors for killing albinos.

Current

Children believed to be witches or possessed by evil spirits can be subject to severe beatings, traumatic exorcism, and other abuse in the United Kingdom. There have been child murders associated with belief in the supernatural. The problem is serious among immigrant or former immigrant communities of African origin, but other communities are also involved. Children who are seen as different for a variety of reasons are at risk of being accused of witchcraft. Children may be beaten or have their eyes rubbed during an event. This type of abuse can be hidden. A recommendation to record abuse cases linked to witchcraft accusations has not yet been implemented. Efforts to combat the problem are hampered by lack of awareness among professionals.

Child abuse

There have been 60 crimes linked to faith in London so far this year. In the year of 2013, reports doubled from 23 to 46. Half of the UK police forces do not record such cases. The NSPCC said that authorities need to ensure they are able to spot the signs of the particular brand of abuse.

The family pays for an exorcism after the pastor accuses the child of being a witch. Many of the cases involve children. If a child says that their pastor called them a witch, that should be a child safety issue. The number of child abuse cases involving witchcraft is relatively small, but they often include horrifying levels of abuse.

Italy

Italy had a lot of love magic trials in the 16th century. In Italy, women were more likely to be suspected of being witches than men. There was a link between prostitutes and supernatural practices in the trial records. Prostitution was considered an expert in love and could make love related spells. Most of the women accused of being witches were prostitutes. A courtesan was questioned about her use of magic because of her relationship with men of power in Italy. She was accused of being a witch because of her wealth and relationship with the men of power. She was vulnerable to the accusation of witchcraft if she took part in it. The trial records show a correlation between prostitution and magic. Many women were desperate for a marriage.

They were vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft if they took part in the practice or not. A courtesan was accused of using love magic because she was married to a man of power.

Catholic church

The Catholic Church in Italy enforced moral discipline from the 16th to 18th century.

The two institutions used the help of local tribunals to investigate a woman’s religious behaviors when she was accused of witchcraft. The majority of women accused were poor, had different religious practices, spoke a different language, or simply from a different city/town/ region. She was not native to Rome and still considered a foreigner.

The husband of Cassandra was considered a witch because he was from Venice. She was accused of being a witch because she was poor and not native to Ferrara. A jury found her guilty of witchcraft and sentenced her to life in prison. She was sentenced to death in Venice.

Cook Islands

The native name for a man who prays was karakia, which means “man who prays.”

A husband of a pretty woman was killed by a singular enchantment. The flower of a Gardenia was stuck in a cup of water.

The husband’s death was then offered a prayer for by the sorcerer. The incantation was successful if it fell. The succession of a sorcerer was from one generation to the next. It would be from mother to daughter to niece. The relatives of the supposed victims of the sorceresses were often the ones who killed them. The prayers were handed down from generation to generation with the strictest care. There were prayers for every phase of life, from battle to a change in wind, and from an intended voyage to a crop. The queen was thought to have had the power of the mystic power. The possessor was given the power to slay. Second sight, as well as the power to bring good or evil luck, were included.

The uncrowned Queen was thought to be a witch by a journalist who visited the Cook Islands in 1907. She said that if the flower remained upright, he would live. She was buried in the same grave as her father, who was a witch. The queen was said to have brought good or bad luck to the island, and had second sight.