did witches really exist ?

Answer 1

Often someone accused of being a witch was no more than a neighbour wronged for the way they looked or for the accuser to finanicially gain from their property when they were out of the way.

In medieval Europe you would often find the cunning folk living on the fringes of settlements, these people often had a limited medical knowledge and could treat their neighbours ailments using salves and medicines made from local ingredients.

The respect they commanded in the community would often pose a threat to the local priest and as time went on they were persecuted and branded with the witch tag.

Although many in Medieval Europe were branded with the term witch, few, if any, were actually guilty of the charge.

Answer 2

Good Question,
In fact people still use the craft called Wicca which initially uses herbs and healing to heal the sick and works the ways of lives, Which can bring up the Witch Trials.

But some people in the world join groups such as covens that use the way of their " magic " which basically means they use nature and love to change their lives, In my experience these people just wish it will happen.

But to tell the truth witches in books/tvs shows can fly, dissapear and do spells which actually work and have a example of working not people sitting around doing basic spells about making love work and making a career boost these people only do these types of spells because you cannot see their effects.

If you were to find out what a witch was it would properly be someone with a quality which makes them different such as empaths, Psychics and Telekensis, The people who go around boasting they can do these things are normally liars but the truth is people who are Empaths or whatever dont normally brag and tend to keep it a secret.



Hope this helps ;]

Answer 3

A witch is a follower of the Wicca sect which is a pagan sect. Like all pagans the early and even later Christians persecuted them as they wanted people to follow the Christian religion so they could hold some power over them. Before we understood as much as we do about chemistry there were people, mainly women, who had knowledge about different chemicals in plants etc. Many of these people were accused of being witches for all sorts of reasons. As I understand it the cause of the witch trials at Salem was in fact someone wanting to get hold of some land.
By the way the term witch is not gender specific a witch can be male or female

Answer 4

Yes of course they did and still do. I've been a practising Witch (white witch for people who don't understand what a witch is) for about 15 years after I broke free of the brainwashing from the church and decided to think for myself because of the condescending, arrogant, closed minded behaviour of many of the christians of my ex church and people online in general I was becoming more and more embarassed to call myself a christian, thats when I decided to take a couple of years out to study all religions and choose whats right in my heart. Wicca and Buddhism appealed to me the most because of being peaceful religions and those 2 are what I live my life by today. I will always love Jesus, but I will never be part of a christian church again. I have a mind of my own and I like to be allowed to use it, if that makes me evil to some people then sadly so be it. Blessed Be.

Answer 5

Yes. A witch is a person with uncommon knowledge. The word originally mean "wise one" and was used to refer to those who practised herb lore, healing and intervention with the spirit world during ancient times. Occasionally it was used to refer to charlatans who preyed on others, false prophets or con men. Thus, when the bible condemns "witches", it is condemning those who make a living from hurting others.

These days a "witch" is usually a follower of one of the Pagan religions. I am a hedgewitch, a person who seeks wisdom from nature lore. Witches believe it is wrong to harm others and usually work to better themselves, discover a connection with nature and help others. As paganism is an increasingly popular form of spirituality, many people would call themselves witches today. It is a legitimate faith.

Saying that, witches cannot make sparks fly from their fingertips or fly around on a broomstick. Magic to a witch is rather similar to prayer or positive thinking. A witch is more likely to try to change their luck than turn someone into a frog. In the case of a few, ignorant people, that is a great pity.

Answer 6

Yes and no. There have always been people interested in the occult and nature magic. Ancient druids, tribal healers and shamans fall into this category. They were an integral part of many cultures before Christianity took hold. After Christianity took hold in many cultures, people who used herbs and poultices to help heal injuries and treat diseases began to be called witches and not trusted. We now know that lavendar and honey have natural antiseptics, aloe heals burns and minor cuts and insect bites faster than anything else you can buy and willow bark contains the same ingredient as aspirin. Basically these persecuted healers were more like modern day doctors than the "doctors" of the day.

There are also modern day witches of all sorts and temperments.

Answer 7

I don't think, in the sense that they were ugly old hags that flew broomsticks, that they existed, but certainly I know they do now.

Magick is a manipulation of energies, almost like the sciences of physics and chemistry in which we can take something and turn it into something more useful, or effect a change that we can recognise. For instance the flame of a candle (i.e. heat and light energy) can be transmuted, using your inner ('psychic', 'metaphysical') energy as a catalyst, to change it into a red emotion such as passion or anger. Similarly I can take the sound waves of a bell and transmute it to glucose inside the body for an energy boost- the higher pitched the bell, the better.

So in that sense, it's entirely natural for witches to exist in any sense ^_^

Since they do now, I'd assume they have always done, though not quite in this sophisticated way. The potions and Harry Potter spells is a load of garble! In love and light, Tasha x

Answer 8

They did in the past and they do today
In the past the witches were moreso "pagans".
This means that they followed different spiritual beliefs to the religion being implemented at the time. e.g. when christianity was growing etc. people who still stuck to their old beliefs of natural powers such as the earth, the moon, the stars.
Also a lot of women were classed as witches when all this came about and were either educated, or practicing pagean beliefs.

Today there are still witches such as white witches who work 'good' with spells and other things.

So moreso, in the old times it jst seems that 'witches' were merely a fragment of closed mindedness, frozen in a time of discrimination.

Answer 9

Yes witches really existed and continue to.

Answer 10

Wiccans are our modern equivalent of witches. They have covens or work alone and they have High Priestessess, a highly powerful hereditary White Witch. raised in the great tradition of the old wisdom of Witchcraft, which is different to modern day Wicca, books include Grimoires [magickal books], some of which were considered priceless. They usually do harmless stuff like candle magic and healing.