Speaking of witches, what most people have come to mind is the image of a mysterious woman riding a broomstick, holding a wand, and playing magic books and magic potions all day long. In medieval Europe, priest, knights, witches, and other terms were often mentioned by people. Then, regardless of the image created by literary writers, What is the real witch in history like?
First of all, we must find out the origin of the witch. In English, the original meaning of the word “witch” is the wise woman. The emergence of the witch is in sync with the ancient civilization. As early as in the Neolithic period, the frescoes on the caves appeared the half-human, half-animal wizard to summon the pattern of the god of the forest. At that time, mastering the knowledge of herbal medicine for healing and healing, watching the sky and predicting the weather, and thoroughly understand the nature based on experience were called wizards.
In ancient myths of Europe, there are also many witches images to win universal praise, such as Circe of the Ancient Greek mythology and she can blot out the sky and cover the sun, use of herbs and poison. For example, Medea to help Easun obtain the legendary Golden Fleece. The creation of these mythological images expresses the respect and admiration of ancient people for witches who have mastered knowledge.
In medieval Europe, witches gradually developed into a group of organized groups. In the Middle Ages, women who wanted to be witches must join a witch rally, observe the rules of witches, and perform astrology and medical studies together. It is worth mentioning that at the time most people thought that the witch was the person who worships Satan and makes a contract with the devil. This is actually a misunderstanding. In fact, the witches neither believe in God nor believe in Satan. The origin of their beliefs comes from the Polytheism in Nordic mythology and Greek mythology. It is generally believed, that they believe the Earth-Goddess, Gaia.
Why does the Witch associated with Satan? In my opinion, at that time, Europe was still in a period of cultural darkness under the rule of the Church. Most of the people could not be educated and ignorant. They naturally feared the witch who had mastered the mysterious knowledge and power at that time. Because the witches did not believe in Christianity, the churches that had mastered the power at that time were very dissatisfied, so say the witches believe in demons. After church several centuries of propaganda, the witches became the evil incarnation in the impression of the people.
Speaking of medieval witches Must mention the end of the Middle Ages, that is, in the 14th and 15th centuries the witch was wiped out insane. More than 3 million women who were treated as witches were sentenced to death, which is arguably a major disaster in humanitarian history. In fact, in a strict sense, many females who were executed in this campaign have nothing to do with witches. Why did the Christian Church has launched this action without humanity? The reason behind it is worth pondering.
