Witchcraft

Witchcraft refers to the practice of magical or supernatural arts, often involving the manipulation of natural forces through ritual, spells, and charms. Across cultures, it encompasses a wide range of activities including healing, divination, protection, and harm. The term is used both descriptively and pejoratively, and its meaning varies by cultural context and historical period.

In Europe, accusations of witchcraft led to trials and executions from the late 15th to 18th centuries; the best-known episodes are the European witch hunts and the Salem witch trials in colonial America. In other regions, similar practices are embedded in folk religion, shamanism, or spiritual traditions rather than a single category called 'witchcraft'.

In the modern era, witchcraft is associated with Neopagan and folkloric practices. Wicca, founded in the mid-20th century by Gerald Gardner, is one influential tradition emphasizing a duotheistic reverence for a Goddess and a God and ritual ethics such as the Wiccan Rede. Other practitioners identify as eclectic witches, folk witches, or hedge witches, often emphasizing personal autonomy and nature-based rituals.

Scholars study witchcraft as a social and religious phenomenon, examining its symbolic meanings, gender dynamics, and social functions. Contemporary witchcraft can function as a spiritual path, a form of cultural expression, or a hobby, and in many places it is protected as religious freedom; in others, it remains stigmatized or illegal.