sorciere

Sorciere is the Italian noun for a female witch or sorceress. In everyday Italian, the term strega is more common for a witch, while sorciere tends to be more formal, literary, or archaic and is frequently found in folklore, fairy tales, and historical writing. The word is associated with practices of magic, divination, and the manipulation of supernatural powers, and it is used to describe a woman who is believed to wield such powers.

Historically, accusations of sorcery appeared in Italy during the late medieval and early modern periods, though the scale of witch trials varied by region and were often less extensive than in some other parts of Europe. Church authorities and secular courts sometimes prosecuted those accused of sorcery, yet many local healing and herbal traditions overlapped with popular notions of magic. In Italian folklore, a sorciere can be depicted as a healer, enchantress, or antagonist, depending on the narrative.

In contemporary usage, sorciere retains a literary or cultural tone and is common in novels, cinema, and scholarly discussions about magic and gender. It is typically contrasted with terms such as strega or mago to reflect gender and context of magical practice. The concept remains a reference point in studies of folklore, mythology, and popular culture in Italian-speaking contexts.