Witchcraft in the Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages the wisdom of the witches, also known as "wise women" or "cunning folk" were seen as helpful people in their communities, due to their knowledge of healing herbs. They could help the ones in need. There were White Witches and Black Witches. The White Witches focused on healing and helping, while the Black Witches practiced Black Magic. Black Magic was focused more on harming people than helping people, bringing sicknesses, injury, and death. Black Magic was seen as a work of the devil. The terms White Witches and Black Witches were lost, though, in the hysteria of the Renaissance when the witch hunts began.

The reason those witch hunts began were because of a book. In 1486 Malleus Maleficarum (Latin for The Hammer of Witches) was published and vividly described the satanic and sexual abominations of witches and witchcraft. The medieval era had experienced horrible wars, terrible famines, and extremely deadly diseases. The people were looking for a reason for all of that misfortune, and directed their anger towards the witches, blaming them all.

Then  the church gave permission to be rid of them, starting witch hunts. Witches were blamed when people died from disease (or just in general), when animals died, when there was a bad harvest, when fires were started, or even when food would go bad! The usual people accused of witchcraft were women, since the Medieval era was a time when men were in control. Many of the women accused were also poor and lonely.

 Anyone with knowledge of herbs or healing was defined as a witch. The church included in it's definition of witchcraft that "those who used herbs for cures did so only through a pact with the Devil, either explicit or implicit." In Europe, if anyone had possession of any kind of healing herbs, many of which had a psychedelic effect, it would result in that person burning as execution. Because witches were so looked down upon, and many killed for witchcraft, the majority of medical knowledge was lost. The use of herbs and plants such as mandrake, monkshood, cannabis, belladonna, and hemlock were common ingredients in brews and ointments for medical purposes.

There is no doubt that this hectic time still effects us today, shaping the public's view of witches and witchcraft just like it did so long ago.

Article by Kerigan Geerts