Characteristics Of Witchcraft

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Witchcraft has been a part of many cultures for hundreds of years all around the world. Witchcraft is defined as being the manipulation of substances and or words that are powerful using magic to cause either harm or good depending on the person intent. Witchcraft is usually an unconscious activity, dues to this the “witch” is not often aware that he or she is bewitching someone (McGarry 2016: 15). There are six main characteristics to witchcraft that make it easier to identify it within different cultures. The characteristics are that there are a few exceptions; witches are mostly seen as evil beings, secondly, witches have particular traits, for example reversals of behaviour, witchcraft is typically genetic condition, as it is usually used …show more content…

An example of this viewpoint can be explained by Charles W. Upham. In 1867, Upham wrote that Mather orchestrated to bring about the witch fad in order to "increase his own influence over an infatuated people.” He did this by convincing the people that he could "vanquish evil spirits" and "hold Satan himself in chains by his prayers and piety" (Detweiler 1975: 598). Others have even gone as far as to blame the girls for witchcraft craze in Salem stating that they were pretending and were acting unusual from how girls should normally behave to garner attention (Detweiler 1975: 600). Many anthropologists have theories as to why people believed in the witchcraft in Salem so strongly and why it caused such a frenzy. Some state that witchcraft was a way to explain misfortunes that could not be explained and somewhere to place blame, others believed that witchcraft operated as some form of social control and others had a theory that witchcraft operated as way to release social tensions (Detweiler 1975: 601). Anthropologists have also

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