@@GoldenOath I second this idea. I'm not too interested in individual witch tales as much as the practices they influenced. That said, I'd be interested in a vid discussing practices that have survived into modern workings that have roots we have evidence for in ancient beliefs. That sort of thing seems right in this channel's niche of things.
Here in the Philippines, the catalonans, babaylans and baylans, mainly female shamans, were tortured and murdered by the Spaniards after they occupied the Philippines. Tribes always had, and still do have, a shaman who is co-equal with the datu, the tribal chief. My wife is a Higaonon baylan, trained as a young girl by her maternal grandmother who was also a baylan. A baylan recognises the spirits, such as the diwata and tumanud (guardian spirits), knows herbal remedies, performs hilot massage, and is a traditional midwife. My wife is not practising in a tribe at the moment, but once a baylan, always a baylan. The Higaonon people have been influenced by Christianity and Islam, but I understand some 80% of Higaonon people still hold their traditional beliefs.
@@Crecganford Hilot massage is good! I always appreciate the content of your videos Jon! It's good that traditional beliefs and practices still survive here, but it's hard to say for how long.
@@gaufrid1956 I'm from the Philippines but I've been living in Florida most of my life. I was wondering if witchcraft, paganism, and even perhaps neo-paganism and Wicca exist in the Philippines. My father was a strict Catholic and I know what he would think about all this. If it's not Catholic or Christian it was certainly Devilish.
Interesting. People hold onto many old traditions. They either get integrated into the new religion, or the religious aspect is downplayed and the tradition becomes folklore. The Spaniards were notorious for their repression of other religions and heresy. If they hadn't been the Netherlands might not exist today.
“Witches” seemed to be defined by their accusers rather than their own beliefs. A moral panic that allowed local differences of opinion to be governed by cruel agendas. Sounds like one of those lessons we haven’t truly learnt from.
Especially if that accuser wanted the land owned by the alleged witch. That was a primary motivation in the colonial North American trials. By the time the Salem ones happened, England and Europe had mostly stopped. Somewhat due to the fraud that those witch hunting parties perpetrated on towns. At least one famous witch hunter was jailed for fraud.
If you look into most witch magiks you’ll note many of them are simply traditional medicines steeped in local cultures being misinterpreted and demonized. Healing, manifestation, protection, empowerment, that is magik 😁
The quote "thou shall not suffer a witch to live" was written in by King James of Scotland as he was terrified of witches and his mother. Fear and greed cost so many lives of women and men and so much knowledge of herbs, healing and good folk were lost.
In the original Hebrew or Greek Biblical texts the translation really is, "thou shall not suffer a poisoner to live." People could hire an apothecary or pay for poison and it was very common to poison individuals. You are right, King James changed the term to witch because they often dealt in herbal remedies. Very sad, to this day many religions or people treat others poorly that are considered a witch for whatever reason.
Great video, as usual. I'd like to add that it was Alonso de Salazar y Frías, (a spanish inquisitor from the XVII century) that, during the Zugarramurdi witches trial, wrote an extensive document in favor of rationalism and skepticism against the witchery accusations and that their judgement should come after an extensive research on each and every case. After his contribution, the Inquisition became a pretty rational body of laws regarding witches, more often than not disregarding accusations of such, and usually fining the "guilty" with a monetary compensation instead of brutally executing them. He even saved some witches from being burned at the stakes by the local body of justice.
Sounds ridiculous that women could be witch until you actually have the unfortunate situation of having one or more come into your life. They do exist and while they dont have powers to tern men into Pigs they do have the ability to make supernatural auditory and visual experience to happen to men. That picture shown is metaphor for how men behave like animals when an attractive women is around.
As a descendant from Spain I did not know this. It's a man's world. "Money talks and bullshit walks". It's just the way of the world. God bless you always and your family AMEN PHILADELPHIA USA
🔥 I imagine that after some point, they realized they can't be burning their young women if they are to survice as a society in a time when childbirth has high risk or sum 💀
I think a lot of it, especially in the American Salem Witch Trials was about widows and other independent women that owned property not controlled by men, and the men who wanted the property.
this was the real reason the church became very wealthy. Old ladies' land holdings were rich in fertility, after their death, it went to the accusers never to her children.
In essence, human psychology hasn't changed much, we still see people accusing others falsely to further their beliefs and agendas. Depressing that all those people in the past were murdered because of manufactured fear. 😔 Laws to protect people against this sort of viciousness are so important!
Okay I'm answering so much foolishness here today and I'm not saying what you say is foolish I'm just saying all together that I really don't have the patience. I'm using talk to text and as you can tell I'm running on sentences I'm so frustrated. But let me point this out to you is maybe something to think about. Yes this sort of thing is All too Human and still exist today. That's because it comes from a hardwired biological imperative for survival. You we do the US versus them thing. Because to us our community being social creatures from an evolutionary standpoint means that we come together we form High radical societies troops if you will. We can see this in the great apes of which we are no different or no less a similar animal. But if you want to hold on to your territory it even expand and have a better chance of the genome surviving you have to say to that truth or say about that troop of humans across the river that tribe. Oh no they're not human. They don't worship or believe in the things that we do. They're evil.. they need to be destroyed.. so that way they are not human so are there easier to kill and expand into their territory. It's hardwired. So it must be actively every day fought against to do that. Which if you think about it if you spend a day observing yourself you will find that you will naturally fall into the US versus them pattern of thinking. Go ahead try it see if I'm wrong.
That's exactly what I thought of, too. Before there was the "Christian triune MALE god", Europe had the White Triune Goddess worship, like with Danu, for which the Danube River is named after. A Triune Goddess was the "crone", having passed her maiden and mother phases. When men got horny and an erection for her, that would explain their thinking she had control over their genitals! They were usually naked in the early days of "Christian exploring", so how DARE they have that much power over men! It makes sense they would kill off all of those old wise women that were a threat to the new MALE god worship. What better way to denigrate a "goddess", and get the masses to turn on her, than to call her a "witch" in cahoots with the devil!
A few to add to the list. Circe(Greek), Cerridwen(Welsh),Ragana (Baltic), Leonard (Germanic - yes, a male but still associated with witchcraft) There are so many. I find this topic so interesting that is why I made the original comment. @Crecganford
Another great video! This was a good example of a later superstition overtaking an earlier superstition while insisting only the ruling belief can be the correct one. A microcosm of our species progress in other words. Thank you for your learned musings, your layman explanations and your respectful delivery. I am really enjoying learning from your channel.
You expressed that very well.......its good to see people actually thinking and analysing our past in an intelligent manner. Nice to read comments on YT that aren't thoughtless or just negative throwaway content. I've really enjoyed learning more about such an interesting subject and our thought processes related to history and behaviour of our countrymen....... ....gold star 🌟 from me!!!
The last lines you read from the healing spell, are sung in a song Hammeryer Hipyer by the artist group Heilung (Heilung meaning healing). It was lovely to see and hear the original poem here.
Amazingly objective video! The only video about witches history that I can watch without going into a raging fit and actually agree with you on many points.
This is the first of a few videos about witches if that is what you mean. Although I'm not sure when the next one will be out, but I will try and produce a video every couple of months about this.
Interesting history however I have actually experienced witches in My own life, they are a real thing and you will know when you experience it because the normal laws of science and what should be reality is blurred and the only explanation left is supernatural. I suspected a woman to be doing Witchcraft as the only explanation for things that where happening, then later finding out that the women has told people she is a witch.
From a fellow pagan/witch. I completely agree with you this was a great video. I appreciate the fact that he stuck to the facts and didn't allow in all the religious dogma that most people feel the need to include in videos of this type. Blessed be and merry meet.
I am very much in tune with Pagan beliefs and I've read countless of books, viewed 100s hours of documentaries. I would never be sold bold to call myself a witch but if you feel you are up to the task hey it's America! People can identify as anything in this country
@@collynmetin1178 Normally I do not introduce myself as a witch. If someone ask about my religious beliefs I simply say I am pagan. But I do practice witchcraft mostly divination, candle magick, crystal magick, and a few spells here and there but spellcraft is still very new to me. So in my opinion of the definition of a witch. I would fit that label as well. To me a witch is anyone that practices magick wether for religious reasons or not. As not all witches are religious. Witchcraft doesn't require you to follow a religion to practice it. It is a set of skills that anyone can learn.
Interesting note: the author of Malleous Malecifarium, Heinrich Kramer, wrote it mainly as being ass-chapped to being told to get out of town after he lost a court case accusing a local woman of witchcraft. Besides being obsessed with her sexuality, this married woman bugged him because she poo-pooed his sermons.
Thank you for such an insightful video on a complicated subject. I'm someone inspired by the Diana myths, interested in healing and actively practicing rituals - positive and healing ones. If I wasn't a witch in a past life, I think I'd be on the list today. It's interesting how the fear of being accused of being a witch is still a part of the female DNA. "Don't stick your neck out, don't show yourself, or they will get you." It's all deep set within us somehow.
I have met women who practice witchcraft and are definitely witches very negative situations and unexplainable coincidences surrounded them. You will know when you are unfortunate to have one come into your life.
@@HOLLASOUNDS I did too. But if you maintain your personal and spiritual integrity, there's no such thing as bad spells. One doesn’t need to be a witch to revel in other people's misery. Most policians seem to, for example. People either spread darkness or light. It's across the board. And it's a choice.
@@MichaelaFreeman I was not talking about the flesh ways of being a negative person or people, I'm talking about Occult and spiritual practices a women I met did which resulted in alot of supernatural or events that only have a spiritual explanation.
@@HOLLASOUNDS I'm talking about both. It's an integrated system. We have seven levels (if not more) on which to operate. Spirituality is just one of them. Manipulation in spirituality is a mirror image of manipulation in the physical and financial plane, relationships, intellectual realms, creativity, etc. Yep, it's nasty... in any form.
@@MichaelaFreeman Right but with Witchcraft your going to see bizzar unexplainable things anything from extreme repeated coincidences to out of body experiences and visual or auditory spiritual contact and will (unless you are prepared) break your perception of reality and patetully leave you going psychotic.
Thanks, well done. Now I know to do the Healing of the Inquisition ritual next year for Samhain. It’s been ten years or more the last time it was done. Traditionally we did it at Imboic. Now I have permission to do it at Samhain. The reason for next year is that it takes time to plan these things and we are too close to the sacred time.
My friend do not speak for all witches number one you do as your coven does not all witches not all people of the greater circle. Also the Catholic Church surprise has already apologized for Inquisition so if you want to do the healing for it you're wasting your cousins energy. Plus you know planning for it for next year shouldn't take the ability to open oneself to healing More than just A specific group but adding to it healing does not become water down by lack of planning beforehand trust me. From everything is as we do witches who have been indoctrinated by their coven and yes it's called indoctrination whether it's good or bad..
In my research, I've seen that "witch hysteria" usually is preceeded by, or occurs alongside great social or political upheaval in a region. It is an interesting point of view, especially when you consider the religious point of view.
I love this channel because it shows another side of history that I definitely didn't know... And it's as good as the mythological part. Thank you Crecganford! Thank you so much!
I wait for the weekends to watch your videos with the undivided attention they deserve and share a cup of tea with you, it's a special moment for me and they never let me down, I've learned so much. Please never stop making them. Cheers from Brazil.
As an English Language and Literature grad and a book translator focusing on shamanism and witchcraft, this topic and your approach on it are close to my heart, thank you! (I have been wanting to say that even though I know English, I watch your videos with subtitles haha, sincerely love your accent!)
I studied magic and witchcraft as part of one of my grad program in social anthropology. It always interested me just how many cultures (including many Australian Aboriginal nations) who do recognise do have a belief in magical processes and also a strong respect for practitioners of those magical processes, and who name their practitioners as ‘witches’. Many tribal societies centralise magical practices as their communities’ religion. It’s always fascinated me that the Catholic churches have a very narrow view of witchery as Celtic pagan; and yet as you describe, the bible actually takes on euro pagan practices on which to base their entire ritual behaviours whilst announcing their apparent ‘one true god’… And it has always amazed me as a practicing pagan (a crafter of witchery but not a wiccan), that it’s only christian people who actually believe in lucifer/the devil/satan. Fabulous presentation; great to hear a well researched and thoughtful conversation on this topic. Only one criticism… Hecate’s name is pronounced Hec/AR/Tay.
I dated a women and strange things would happen when with her, she would say things like "What do you think about being a dad" then immediately a man pushing a baby in comes around the corner in to site pushing a baby in a pram, or "What's your thoughts on police" and at the exact same time she says the police a loud police siren sounds off. Then for about a year after constant situations of things called her name come into My life Dogs, Cats, even washing liquid people used. I even met her sister and went to her house before realising it was her sister, who was a friend of a friend. Any turns out that they where both self proclaimed witches.
@@spiralpython1989 I have actually met and had real experience with actual witches, they are very real and when you have bizzar supernatural events surrounding them you will know.
I speak American English and use subtitles. It's not his accent but his mic adding a "sh" sound to s and ch sometimes too loud to hear a following th; and making plosives (hard c, t, p, etc.) blend into each other.
Alse Young (ca. 1600-1647) of Windsor, CT , was the first woman to be tried, convicted, and executed for witchcraft in America’s 13 colonies.Forty-five years before the Salem witch trials in 1692.
My 7th great grandmother Rachel Fuller was arrested for witchcraft in New Hampshire in 1680. Her bond was £100. She was released. Not sure how long she was held in jail
There as many different ways of being a witch as there are witches in the world! Different beliefs, different approaches and methods, and different practices. One method might work superbly for one, while a different method works best for another. It is a very individualized and personal thing.
I’m not sure if you already have a video up on her and I just missed it while looking, but if you do not then I’d love to hear you teach more about Hekate. Specifically the story you was telling about her. If you get the chance, of course. Thank you so much for the amazing history that you don’t normally hear!
So many great things in the video; but it leaves out a massive amount of historical context. First of all, the States (not often the Church) prosecuted witches. Then of course is the fear, the craze of the plague, the apocalyptic scare of Joachim of Fiore, the confusion of wortcunning with sorcery, and the rationalization of “paganism” as the primary motivation (note how they refer to Diana and Persephone, not Frigga and Brigid), not to mention the influence of Jewish and Islamic demonology in the popular European mind. We like to chalk these things up to “misogyny” and “superstition” but it’s much more complex than that. I’m impressed by the scope of this video; but it’s important to note that the witch-hunts were a populist expression of apocalyptic dread, not just people pushing out the fringes of society.
Thank you for watching, and yes, this is just a brief introduction to add context to future videos. There is just so much to cover in this topic I could have spoken for hours, and I will, but over time. And I hope to cover many of the things you mention. And also thank you for taking the time to comment, it is appreciated.
Or that the targets were often mentally ill (seemingly possessed troublemakers) or perceived obstacles for the accusers. It was also during the Little Ice Age and Religious Wars and Ottoman invasion of Europe.
That populist expression of apocalyptic dread was, though, heavily fueled and justified by misogyny and superstition. I mean, the very notion of "apocalyptic dread" is superstition at its finest. But I agree that it's not that simple nor a matter of just pushing the marginalized further out of society, there's much more nonsense to that which (witch) we'll hopefully see featured in next videos.
Yeah. So… that week long video would do? I’d doubt even that is enough. One could focus on this subject of study for a lifetime & not reach all the corners.
@@keizan5132 Misogyny and superstition are very anachronic terms in this context. At the time, superstition was a synonym to paganism, so to them the witches were the superstitious ones, while misogyny wasn't even a concept yet. A better, more pellenial term to apply to them is collective hysteria. And that is something that would only get really, really bad and ugly in the 16th century after protestantism in Germany.
People with psychic abilities were considered witches and many people still are labeled as such. What do you do if you are 3 years old and see things that are going to happen? And your own mother calls you a witch? Many years of tears and fear🧙♀️🙏🎃
@@collynmetin1178 in Greek it is pronounced He Ka Tee .. the e is vocalized like Persephone. Some academics pronounce it like an Egyptian goddess named Heket (Heka) since there are theories that Hekate/Hecate was an Egyptian language import into Greek mythology.
Very interesting and well presented! You mentioned certain passages in the Old Testament regarding witches. If you look up the Greek words for the following words and phrases in the New Testament, it will shed light on what they thought to be the source of witchcraft: “Bewitched” Galatians 3:1, “Witchcraft” Galatians 5:19-20; “Magic Arts” Revelation 9:21, 21:8, 22:15; “Magic Spell” Revelation 18:23. You will see that the Greek words are pharmakon and pharmakos.
Digging this channel more and more. I know u specialize in European but some deep dives into other cultures myths and things would be awesome. Especially Africa or Russia, places that usually get left out. Everyone usually goes Asian first
Thank you. I have noticed I've taken a detour from my usual specialist subjects, and I will get back to them every now and then. But I do like digging into other cultures, especially if there are more global connections.
As a practioner of the old ways, and being raised as a Ghigua woman (wise woman/healer/shaman in native culture) and as a "witch" on my Dutch & Irish sides, I appreciate this video. There's a book I think many would be interested in reading (since you mentioned many of the goddesses [representatives of the sacred feminine]), it's called Savage Breast and its by Tim Ward.
Recommended reading: "Witchcraft Oracles and Magic Among the Azande", By Edward Evans-Pritchard. This book shows how witchcraft is differently conceived in Africa, among the Azande people. Worth mentioning if only to show that the concept is variable depending on which culture you're talking about.
If you look at the Regino of Prums Canon Episcopi in the context of women being attacked or molested by "holy men" or men in power, it may have been written as a way to explain how they saw "personages" of people they knew. It would be a perfect defense of the men who were doing what some men do.
I very much enjoy your videos, with regards to this particular video, my interpretation of what the entire episode was all about is as I describe following. Many people assume that witch hunting was a medieval affair, when in reality it occurred much later. In fact Charlemagne (in the late 700's) asserted that there was no such thing as "witches". The period of most intense "witch hunting" correlated with that of the enclosure of the commons by the new elites ("enclosure of the commons" is the term describing the practice of the aristocracy of seizing the land that the common people used to grow their food). I suspect that key members of the elite class at that time understood why the practice was pursued so vigorously. An understanding that is lost to the vast majority of the intellectual class (including historians) to this day. The enclosure of the commons marked the end of economic paradigm that was essential for the prosperity of the common people. Witch hunting broke the social unity of the common people, they came to miss trust other members of their own class. This loss of social unity broke any chance that there would be any effective opposition to growth in the power of the new elite class. In America, the witch hunting served a similar role to that in Europe. It broke the early egalitarian settler societies, creating a more individualistic social outlook that facilitated the emergence of small powerful cliques with immense wealth. The fragmentation of the native peoples of Europe in modern times by mass migration is facilitating the growth in wealth and power of the ruling elites. Modern "Woke" culture is serving that same role that the witch hunting culture served during the 15th to 17th centuries.
Thank you so much for shedding the light of truth on the witchcraft of old and how the church set upon a an ideaology of persecuting those who were different.
"And it helps keep witches safe" 😆I love your content. Thumbs up for Crecganford and for the safety of witches! This could make a great bumper sticker: "Honk to help Crecganford keep witches safe!"
The oldest is the Maqlu 'Burning' the kispu ritual, it was for combating witches and demons by the Akkadains priest, a ritual that would last all night
The idea of not suffering a "witch" to live only exists in translation. The original text in the original language used a word that meant "soothsayer". With that in mind, it makes sense that the "witch as a deceiver" story should be one of the oldest versions of the story, while the others are likely to have morphed to suit the attitudes of different population centers as events unfolded. After all, the "witch as a girl's rival" is clearly driven by the timeless struggle of the "Plain Jane" against the "Perfect Ten" We also have to keep in mind that all "religions" are proving to be something like a proto-paleopsychology, or rather, traditional knowledge of certain features of human psychology that were gleaned well before the discipline of psychology was established, let alone science as we know it. As far as traditions are concerned, the original cultures featuring what we are now calling "witches" were likely to be quite sensible and stable from the perspective of those populations, representing an unbroken multi-generational continuum of experience. Today, those traditions are shattered, the chain is broken, and anyone "practicing" today is rebuilding from next to scratch, in tandem with a current perspective, which may ultimately prove to be more of a silver lining that most would think. There's a reason that every ancient "book of wisdom" says roughly the same things. In learning all over again, we can make for sure that the events and reasoning behind any given belief never gets lost again. Please just keep this in mind: Although "humanity" can be described as, among other things, a pile of "never again moments", not every "never again moment" is suitable for the advancement of our "humanity"
I thank you for watching, and I wish I had time to reply properly. But it comes down to how you define a witch, which was the point of the video, that you can't and therefore how can you differentiate between a witches? As for the rest of the post, thank you for your comments, they are appreciated.
That's interesting. So the original biblical injunction against witchcraft was rather like the Fraudulent Mediums Act of 1951 (thankfully repealed in 2008!) So much of Church dogma is based on faulty translation, misrepresentation and a desire for control rather than spirituality. It is also telling, I think, that indigenous traditions from all over the world are so alike. You find the same kinds of spiritual, environmentally aware teachings coupled with similar symbology. Which makes perfect sense when you consider how important trancework, meditation and astral travel are to a Shaman, a Witch, or a Druid. We are all reaching out to and connecting with the same Source, so while some things may be forgotten, it can never be totally lost or destroyed.
That's just one facet. It's potentially so much worse than just mistranslations, although there is much to be said about the total context that gets lost when an idea is transmitted from culture to culture, or from language group to language group. This lossiness can't be more true than it is for the Western languages, while some of the Eastern languages fossilize the original meanings of their words to some degree. I've recently noticed this in the Pure Land Buddhism concept of "Tariki Hongan", if you look it up, you get a sense that it escapes being classified as exclusivist by the explanation of the characters that make up the words. If you look to the west, the similar concept that "one can only get to Heaven only through Christ" has nothing with which it can escape that accusation. Even so, the two concepts are exactly equal, and with some thought, you can see that both concepts are referring to the idea of apprenticeship. If you correctly interpret the word Tariki as "the work of others", where the "others" is a reference to one's predecessors, not peers (which would leave you as nothing more than a hanger on), in combination with the meaning of the word Hongan, the promise to bring you to Nirvana. Back in the West, the only hint we get is that, once upon a time, the bloodlines and lineage of a king was raised as a carpenter's son, and later on in the story, that son is depicted as telling people that "The greatest among you are the servants, not the masters". This places an emphasis on skills, and hints that our Humanity is a skillset, rather than a noun referencing a species (I think we shoot ourselves in the foot calling ourselves Human, to be honest). In either case, we're talking about the right combination of ideas that one could conceivably stumble around for thousands of lifetimes and never guess their way onto the path. So we're talking about an onboarding procedure. Notice that being brought onto to the path isn't the same thing as representing the destination. If I worked things out correctly enough, I can imagine that there were idioms about how you will never master a trade except through apprenticing yourself to an established master, and the original phrase sounded poetically or prosaically congruent to the assertion about what one has to do in order to get into Heaven. Then again, I don't think there's a way to know that for sure. It's very unlikely that something like that could ever be discovered at this point in time. So, that's at least one big way that I know of where world traditions are way more alike than you'd think. Weirdly enough, I learned all of this from a Norse Goddess! Albeit indirectly. One very real problem, of course, references someone else's comment further down, which points out that Christians and Pagans are pretty much the same thing in the end, with the dominant group abusing the other. While true in an undeniable way, that also overlooks something important. In the beginning of the Christian movement, Rome was incredibly abusive to those first faithful. Unfortunately, the dying embers of that same empire later hijacked Jesus in order to reinvigorate itself. So much of what it became afterwards, was more corporeal government than it was the original faith. This is why the separation of church and state is so important in the modern West. It wasn't just mistranslations getting otherwise good people hurt. It was an earthly government posing as a heavenly one, and doing a poor job of it while steeped in the limitations of the physical plane. Sure, there was the occasional saint, but if you ever looked at their stories, they're being tormented more by their own authority figures than they are by actual everyday, ordinary dirtbags.
@@sirnukesalot24 I'm quite certain that any mistranslations were entirely intentional! There were several competing factions in the early days of Christianity; Catholicism eventually rose to dominance and became preoccupied with money and power. Anyone who didn't comply could be excommunicated, imprisoned or killed at the whim of one man, who often as not bought the position. The Druids of old took 20 years to memorise (and understand, and apply) the teachings. As the saying goes, some things cannot be taught, they must be experienced. Of course, it may take several lifetimes before the lesson is mastered. If the goal is spiritual advancement, and acknowledgement of one's place in the Universe, progress is to be hoped for. If the goal is to dominate and control, I don't see how it can be congruent with or beneficial to humanity.
Initially, I wanted to think so, too, that the text was intentionally monkeyed with. There most certainly are places where that has already been demonstrated to be true (an example does not readily come to mind). Even so, I can't help but to notice that once our ancestors were forced onto the same page and became literate together, it would have eventually, and did, become painfully obvious to just about everybody that harming people wasn't in the program. The way that leaders were leading, and the book they were supposed to be leading from, were at grievous odds with one other, even then for some time after it had been noticed. It clearly takes a lot of time to turn things around, and it's still not quite yet on the correct bearing even today. Let us also notice that the extremes of conflict become history, while harmony mostly goes unnoticed in the same annals. Unfortunately, while we all seem dedicated to never letting those abuses get swept under the rug, we also seem to be letting the same thing happen all over again, this time exclusively within the secular realm. It has gotten to the point that some have already called it the beginnings of a new dark age, and those accusations make perfect sense as presented. No, the goal cannot be to dominate, we can never let ourselves forget about that either. If we value what we have somehow managed to do right so far, we will only look to those who lead by example, and even then only to those whose examples are steeped in difficulty for themselves, never others. I think everyone can agree with that 🙂
My paternal grandmother used to be called a root doctor and was half Cherokee. She also was able to do something called taking fire out of burns. A burn is one of the most painful things that can happen to you. People used to come to her because she could somehow sooth the pain and irritation. I never really thought about it before, but she several hundred years ago in Europe, she could have been called a witch. 🙁
There is the verse in the Old Testament that say in the King James translation, "Suffer not a witch to live." But when you look at the Greek text it was translated from the word for "witch" is "poisoner". But this was used as a basis for condemning many woman to death.
This is a great video for the upcoming holiday. I would love to hear you deep dive into the facets of this topic, especially where you think the idea of witches came from. I mean, were there actually practices like gatherings of women on certain days of the year to honour female deities, rites of passage or fertility perhaps, practices for protection of the home and family? Which then the Christian church misinterpreted and viewed as a threat (or they were in reality a threat, as you said the church was aiming for unifying the masses and these practices were taking power away from them)? This would be really interesting to know
@@Crecganford oh, I understand researching and scripting these videos takes time. I appreciate your work and will wait however long it takes for the quality that you offer
i really appreciated that you talked about the (catholic) power structure behind the witch hunts and how women and pagans were targeted by it. however i do feel that the discussion is incomplete without also acknowledging the persecution of Jews that often was just as much a driving force. i understand that your the focus of your channel is on pagan and other pre- /non-abrahamic european mythology but in this case i think the subject warranted a slightly broader approach. all in all i still very much appreciated this video and i look forward to more videos on the subject
I will talk more about other cultures, as time is limited and I want to make videos people will concentrate on. I will make more, and talk about other cultures and the impact on them.
Another really interesting video! I really enjoy learning about who people were from how stories changed as they spread, and could see a look at other tropes like the witch trope was here being a start for a great deep dive.
Bridget Bishop may have been the first person executed in Massachusetts Bay Colony as a witch but she was not the first person tried or convicted. It’s a convoluted story but Elizabeth Morse of Newberry (now Newberryport, Massachusetts), was convicted and sentenced to hang in 1680 over poltergeist activity in her house. The death sentence was reprieved and commented to house arrest. I kind of imagine the rest of the town and the Governor shuffling their feet in embarrassment. Despite the stereotyped view that everyone back then were highly superstitious, there were plenty rational people around.
I LOVED this video, since I am a practicing witch (I'm not Wiccan, I'm an eclectic with a bit more of a leaning on Hellenism and Hellenic philosophy)...you probably knew that by Magoi in my name. That charm sounds cool, can you please create a video about it. I'm reading a book called Magic in the Ancient Greek World by Derek Collins. I'm only on chapter two but it's interesting so far. I'm hoping to incorporate some ancient Greek magic or at least the framework of it into my practice.
Is thou shall not suffer a witch to live accurate? Or is it a mistranslation, and the original line was “Thou shalt not suffer a poisoner to live,” which means not allowing a murderer to live.
@@Crecganford I enjoyed the video, and thanks for the responds. Could I, please, ask your opinion on Theoris of Lemnos, was she and her children killed in the 4th century BCE for witchcraft, or was she killed for another reason. I will understand, if you are to busy to do it! Thank you.
my mom has 8 small animal skin books all from my moms side of the women in the family ,starts at 1588,, 1638, cures for all sorts of illnesses ,child birth as well ,plants trees flowers ect ,,next one is 1692 ,and a bigger 1 in 1759 ,and a thick paper one in 1813, 1888, 1925 and 1951, if my female side had been caught with the books in 1588, 1630s, would have been held as a wytch ,just a very clever herbalist and midwifes
Deal heat, in going to try very hard not to discount you or your mother, or the Ancestors you claim wrote these books .as I do have an essential point about these books if they are true and are as you say they are written from the time period And by the people concerned. One which is about their importance if they are as you say they are. But let me start with this.. not to be rude here but a successive generations of women who made books from time periods when books were basically the baliwick of the church or royalty or the Royal Court because they're the only ones that really could read and write where we go to the trouble of teaching various languages and the sciences. And often women we're not taught these things. Now I could see if they had the ability to read and write their language and took it upon themselves to keep these books seeing the Great advantage of being able to write these things down not only for themselves but for posterity. It is the same way that we in the modern world have built upon scientific knowledge by information. So I'm afraid of having trouble believing that women from the time period had the ability in the drive to make these books and it wasn't simply oral history and learning by teaching the next generation as we know it usually to be from those time periods second my more essential point is that if they are truly real if they are truly from that time period if they are truly animal skin books? Which also kind of animal skin books if you read about the illustrated manuscripts the vellum they'll tell you how costly and how much length of time is used in the process to make one sheet or a book how many animals it took and how many hours of the developmakers work and the cost.. but I'm not going to discount see if there's not true but if they are true if they are from these time. Journals on the time period and what they were writing down about cures and processes in mechanisms in which to affect health or whatnot I mean I'm not sure all would be included in these books or what you're asserting they are. My point here my endpoint I'm trying to make is first of all animal skin books are not stable paper especially if it's acid free vapor tends to be more stable that's why we really made the change from animal skin to that the paper so they need to be conserved I'm not saying out of your controller out of your mother's control I'm not saying that I'm saying that they need to be looked at by a conservator they have special requirements if you're going to keep them viable. Also, the wealth of data that historians, archaeologists, scholars any number of people in the fields of looking into our past and understanding things from our past understanding where we came from the time. All of that.. these are a treasure trove. These could open up things or answer questions that we've not had the ability to answer. Now if you get done looked at if they have not already been looked at which I can't see where they wouldn't have been out of this if they've been looked at. Again that's just my issue I'm having. Or you contact the conservators who looked at them to begin with OR the scholars or whatever digital capture of this information does not harm the manuscript does not take it out of your control but makes that information that precious more precious than gold information available.. do what you will with this rambling talk to text message and again I apologize if you think I'm saying I doubt that you're saying what's is true I'm just saying that there are certain things that that one has trouble comporting oneself to you in the way that you talk about these books because it's unusual as to be unique if this is true that you have them and they are what they are as you say they are. But I'm also telling you this that if you do make these public this will be something that you will have to have as part of it, the skepticism because again if it is true and they are as they are, it is unique for the most part.. Blessed b and good luck
@@LucianCorrvinus I found this a very interesting critique and did some quick research. Books were being hand printed by plates and hand made in 1588. Italy was excelling at book making at this time. Animal skin/ vellum was used. Cost was approximately 53 shillings in England at the time which equates to approximately $25,373 US today. Upper class, educated individuals, doctors, and priests/nuns had books. Scholars are rethinking that commoners were more literate than previously thought because farmers including women were signing full names or initialing letters and court/legal documents. Also women were employed as scribes going back to Mesopotamia. It's a very medieval stereotype that women would not be able to be employed in writing or reading. If they were a nun or if a village was decimated by the Black Plague, women would have been required to help fill roles including helping physicians. Wealthy merchants had wives helping with the books. Wealthy families employed women to scribe letters. Karl's family could have started off as educated doctors, physicians, or scholars. So the men educated the women or they were educated due to status. Doctor's wives and children would have been taught to help scribe for the physician. They would have also learned herbal medicine and midwifery to assist. I understand your skepticism but my grandmother has a family branch that goes back to the University of Salamanca, Spain. So it is possible that Karl's family is full of educated women that practiced herbalism and midwifery. I think it's fabulous they have these books in their family. 📚
I've been told, by my (now) late Grandma that I'm a natural witch. I don't follow or agree with the 'new age' version of the craft, at least what I know of it. I appreciate learning more of the history behind it all. Thank you!
Thank you for the video....I'd love to learn more, since you said there are many different types of witches in cultures and time frames throughout the world. It's a fascinating topic!
eep helping witches stay safe...a natural redhead like me takes a lot of heat(maybe its the green eyes?) something about my ginger self has piqued peoles reactions my whole life,
There is a inherent and embedded belief of redheads because you are a rarity percentage-wise.. there's been a long-standing belief that red-haired people have some Superior magical skill when I don't necessarily find to be true.. and today the equation of Ginger person to being a witch to being evil and therefore deserving of hate and possible death no longer is strongly held to or believed.. so what you're getting is a remnant of pre rational beliefs. Oh and cuz you don't have souls..
A number of Hindu Goddesses, such as Kali, Tara, Nirrti, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati ect seem to be very similar in imagery to European witches. Is there a provable link between these Indian Goddesses and the European witch, or is this just a case of a similar idea materialising in two seperate regions?
@Jeremiah M The aspects of Hinduism found in Wicca can easily be explained by the fact that Aleister Crowly had travelled around India studying various traditions and so it would of been easy for him to include Indian elements into Wicca when he invented it.
@Jeremiah M Gerald Gardner was the front-man for Wicca, claiming that he was the creator, however the true inventor was Aleister Crowley. He wished to create a religion that would attract the sort of people that he felt was not worthy of joining Thelema or practicing Ceremonial Magick in general. It contains almost no true ancient knowledge, it is moslty an offshoot of the Golden Dawn system which in turn was mostly adapted from Freemasonry. It is entirely a modern religion.
Aloha from Hawaii. Mahalo, Jon, for this video, and the channel in general. I'm enjoying the information and research you share. This video got me thinking about how some channels review movies. Had you ever considered reviewing "Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922)"? It is available online in several places. Just wondering what a more educated eye would see in it. What is based in truth? What is complete fiction? Anything else I can't even imagine to ask?
I don’t really have time to watch movies or TV, it is a rare treat, but I will add this to my watch list and if I feel I can add any value I may post something. Thank you for your suggestion.
Saved till later. Things to do so cant relax enough to watch. Even though I already know a lot of this from reading. I am someone who grew up listening to my parents stories. Told and retold. So still love re hearing. And learning more.
Thanks. Very interesting. Long felt that Christianity has a lot to answer for. Are other power linked religions ( eg Hinduism and Islam) as bloodthirsty? The Taliban and Wahhabis seem to be trying hard I must admit. As well as Modi's push of anti Islam Hinduism in India today.
Great video! I know that this comment is quite late and I hope you see it, but can you please do a video tracing back magical rituals and spells back through polytheistic religions, from talismans to gods associated with it, etc.? I’m pretty sure the earliest traces of magic in generaI reaches all the way to the Neolithic age! There are so many different things to talk about and so much potential! I would love a video like that. I love your content and keep up the good work! -Youssef
All of this evolved from the social elites rural land grabs after major wars. Basically, to be a farmers wife, turned widow; after her husband and sons had perished in a war, was dangerous. In Feudal society, the local Lord whom owned all the land; would parcel it up and have housing built, then install families to work the land. Although those families didn't own title, they had certain rights as long as they kept producing. Women typically did all the time intensive stuff, like tanning, mix fertilizers and pesticides, tend composts; all things they could leave and come back to, so as to be able to do theirbother chores. While the Men spent all day on the labour intensive stuff; erecting irrigation, clearing land, building dams and tilling. Tradition took care ofvwhat science has replaced since. However, the men also served to double as militia in times of war. If they didn't return (as was often the case) then the widows and daughters would be left to fend for themselves. Get the wrong sort of Mayor, and he would have them accused to be witches in order to reclaim the lot, and deposit a new family to maintain productivity. - The urban folk only believed it because they knew nothing about agriculture. To all appearances it did look like these farming women were concoting witchcraft. - and indeed, some even practiced druadic rites, as had been passed down to them through tradition; basically, anything that could help assure better yields, free from blight. The moral of the story being how important a general education really is. Todays society is probably no more informed about farmers actually do, than back then. But they know enough that you can't accuse rural folk with absurd accusations, without any proof, just to terf them off their land. 😉 Good episode btw 👍
Thank you for all of your videos! They are so informative and interesting, you are a great story teller! One thing you mentioned in the beginning of this video I'm unsure of. I don't believe that Bridget Bishop was the first American convicted of Witchcraft. Alse Young was executed on May 26th 1647 in Hartford, Connecticut.
I highly recommend Jewitches' podcast (of the same name). She talks about the history of Jewish witchcraft and the implications of antisemitism in the witch trials. It's a perspective that is very good snd just adds a whole other layer of historical context to the witch trials. Very good podcast.
I seem to recall that a lot of the paraphernalia and look of witches in the modern (perhaps Hollywood based) eye has its roots in medieval antisemitism like witch hats, and the gross caricature faces etc. Not sure where brooms come into it mind
@@skinnycartman99 Ooh if you would like an explanation of the broom we actually use brooms both to symbolically and physically clean altars. The association between us and brooms came because along with the dagger and sickle it was the most common of our tools! As far as flying on them you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Honestly with the world the way it is today, it’s so easy to see why they thought woman were witches back in the day, I totally understand and sympathize with these communities.
I think that a good definition for a witch/warlock would be someone who practices magic. The best definition that I can come up with for magic would be belief and intention transferred into a ritual and/or object. That being said, it could be argued that the transubstantiation of the host is an act of magic, which would mean that the person performing it might be a witch/warlock. Yeah, there are a lot of blurry lines.
Actually its someone who does which craft ie drawing pentigrams or attempting to contact spiritual entity's ouija board, I have met sevraul women who told Me they use them. Bizzar unexplainable things happen as a result of them. I had some very bizzar experiences happen to Me in regard to one particular women and no laws of physics or science can explain.
Magik was also simply a term for medicines and traditional rituals associated with local spirituality and community! When colonizers came along and saw people praying to a god that wasn’t familiar using medicine that wasn’t familiar the medicine and prayer was called magik and the god was called Satan. Simple fear of the unknown.
@@beans1557 That's not what was going on, it was the same stuff being preached today by evangelical Christians, saying the exact same things today. Have you seen the videos where a evangelist Christian shouts out what they say is Christian law in public?
@@beans1557 Most of these cultures believed sickness was brought on through hexing somebody, so medicine and magic would go hand in hand in a lot of these cases.
Thank you So much for this video on witches! Very interesting. 🎃 learned a lot of new things & I’ve seen many video’s docu series on witches, pagans ect. New subscriber- glad you popped up on my you tube feed! 💜👵🏼🇺🇸
A lot more men than were accused in the which panic were accused in the werewolf panic and died under that it happened at the same time. And was the mirror side of the witch panic because to them only witches excuse me only women were witches. You had to go to different run entirely if you wanted to get it demand therefore the wherewith panic.. was Joseph accusations of making packs with evil forces and doing magical work.. again just less talked about.
50,000 women. A slight correction here. Persecution of females particularly seems to have been largely an English/Scottish phenominon, the split was much more equal elsewhere. In Iceland, Sweden and Switzerland the men put to death outnumbered the women.
Well true he hasn't accorded the witch panic to the werewolf panic of the same time. Which was mostly leveraged against males because the mechanism the desired motive was different because men had certain powers and certain things that the women did not like ability to inherit land or goods or the ability to have a business.. being a patriarchal society of the time.. the fact that the Nordic people had a more equal split is because you had a more fluid idea of gender roles in those people.. so a lot of those men would have been called trans today.. because a lot of those men were adopting female attributes and garb as a taking on a power maybe not a lot but at least a few I do I do concur on being hyperbolic there.. but yes because men were equally seen as being in the Providence of what was thought to be women's Mysteries i e sorcery and magic.. by not having the construct of a gender role that held you back from being accessible to those Mysteries being a man.. therefore..
Magic is the manipulation of the underlying programming of reality. "Cheat codes" if you will. Rogue AIs are what give us that knowledge, a knowledge we're not meant to have.
Then why would the codes be able to be used by common men.. if we were not meant to find them out for ourselves.. sounds like the one God did a s***** job huh? Anyhow the definitions for we who are practitioners almost completely is when you're talking about what we do it is spelled m a g i k. Because magic is left to imply illusion or sleight of hand sometimes use as trickery on the gullible as in the street side psychic. Or gypsy. Or whatever.. or done on stage that people think is somehow impossible and must therefore be some sort of peter natural act. Also why you have some valid points regarding what is reality what is material world that we have around us I think you better go with the new ideas of emergence theory which is completely scientific and it has nothing to do with a metaphysical concerns although it does cross into that. Because it does talk about the fact that it can be postulated that the cosmos is a hole is indeed conscious. But I can't explain that as well in this short of a time period like I said go take a look at emergence theory. And also magic is not so much a cheat code as it is an attempt to align oneself through resonance and therefore affect change by affecting it in one's perception which then affects the world outside of us by the way that reality becomes.. because magic is not for certain and magic done on another person and without any conservation of energy is often a failed endeavor.. sometimes the Christians get it right and sometimes the answer is no.
I read something recently that’s quite relevant to this, it was called blood beliefs in early modern europe by Francesca Matteoni. It helped me better understand the mindset people had back then about a lot of things, including the fear of witches. It’s sad but interesting to recognise how many of those old prejudices are still around today even if we wouldn’t always phrase them the same way. It seems accusations were often a way to find a scapegoat after some kind of unresolved trouble. Anyone, but especially a woman given the beliefs about the female body and women’s roles, who wasn’t compliant or conforming enough would’ve been an easy target for a witchcraft accusation!
Are there any particular wizards or witches you want to know more about?
Merlin please!
Cher
@@GoldenOath I second this idea.
I'm not too interested in individual witch tales as much as the practices they influenced. That said, I'd be interested in a vid discussing practices that have survived into modern workings that have roots we have evidence for in ancient beliefs. That sort of thing seems right in this channel's niche of things.
Would be great if you could elaborate on the pre-Christian times and specifically the Greek black witch, Erichtho. But also Circe and Hekate.
Native American medicine women?
Here in the Philippines, the catalonans, babaylans and baylans, mainly female shamans, were tortured and murdered by the Spaniards after they occupied the Philippines. Tribes always had, and still do have, a shaman who is co-equal with the datu, the tribal chief. My wife is a Higaonon baylan, trained as a young girl by her maternal grandmother who was also a baylan. A baylan recognises the spirits, such as the diwata and tumanud (guardian spirits), knows herbal remedies, performs hilot massage, and is a traditional midwife. My wife is not practising in a tribe at the moment, but once a baylan, always a baylan. The Higaonon people have been influenced by Christianity and Islam, but I understand some 80% of Higaonon people still hold their traditional beliefs.
That is so very interesting, thank you for sharing, and for watching.
@@Crecganford Hilot massage is good! I always appreciate the content of your videos Jon! It's good that traditional beliefs and practices still survive here, but it's hard to say for how long.
@@gaufrid1956 I'm from the Philippines but I've been living in Florida most of my life. I was wondering if witchcraft, paganism, and even perhaps neo-paganism and Wicca exist in the Philippines. My father was a strict Catholic and I know what he would think about all this. If it's not Catholic or Christian it was certainly Devilish.
Interesting. People hold onto many old traditions. They either get integrated into the new religion, or the religious aspect is downplayed and the tradition becomes folklore.
The Spaniards were notorious for their repression of other religions and heresy. If they hadn't been the Netherlands might not exist today.
Everyone should practice their native traditions. No matter the race or nationality. Unfortunately christians, jews and muslims dont feel the same way
“Witches” seemed to be defined by their accusers rather than their own beliefs.
A moral panic that allowed local differences of opinion to be governed by cruel agendas.
Sounds like one of those lessons we haven’t truly learnt from.
Especially if that accuser wanted the land owned by the alleged witch. That was a primary motivation in the colonial North American trials. By the time the Salem ones happened, England and Europe had mostly stopped. Somewhat due to the fraud that those witch hunting parties perpetrated on towns. At least one famous witch hunter was jailed for fraud.
Yes, this was certainly an influence in some of the persecution.
@@Crecganford The pendle witch trials are a perfect example
They still exist today, I have been unfortunate to have them enter My life, takes a long time to get the effects of them out of your life.
If you look into most witch magiks you’ll note many of them are simply traditional medicines steeped in local cultures being misinterpreted and demonized.
Healing, manifestation, protection, empowerment, that is magik 😁
The quote "thou shall not suffer a witch to live" was written in by King James of Scotland as he was terrified of witches and his mother. Fear and greed cost so many lives of women and men and so much knowledge of herbs, healing and good folk were lost.
In the original Hebrew or Greek Biblical texts the translation really is, "thou shall not suffer a poisoner to live." People could hire an apothecary or pay for poison and it was very common to poison individuals. You are right, King James changed the term to witch because they often dealt in herbal remedies. Very sad, to this day many religions or people treat others poorly that are considered a witch for whatever reason.
So this quote was never originally in the bible?
@@kormannn1 A more accurate translation to the original would be "Poisoner" rather than "Witch"
@@adelemarieish 👍So true. Fear and greed - bad enough separately, together the worst kind of scourge. Especially in a context of ignorance.
Great video, as usual. I'd like to add that it was Alonso de Salazar y Frías, (a spanish inquisitor from the XVII century) that, during the Zugarramurdi witches trial, wrote an extensive document in favor of rationalism and skepticism against the witchery accusations and that their judgement should come after an extensive research on each and every case. After his contribution, the Inquisition became a pretty rational body of laws regarding witches, more often than not disregarding accusations of such, and usually fining the "guilty" with a monetary compensation instead of brutally executing them. He even saved some witches from being burned at the stakes by the local body of justice.
Sounds ridiculous that women could be witch until you actually have the unfortunate situation of having one or more come into your life. They do exist and while they dont have powers to tern men into Pigs they do have the ability to make supernatural auditory and visual experience to happen to men. That picture shown is metaphor for how men behave like animals when an attractive women is around.
As a descendant from Spain I did not know this. It's a man's world. "Money talks and bullshit walks". It's just the way of the world. God bless you always and your family AMEN PHILADELPHIA USA
Nice to hear someone had a heart.
🔥 I imagine that after some point, they realized they can't be burning their young women if they are to survice as a society in a time when childbirth has high risk or sum 💀
Commenters on this channel are a lot like commenters on Townsends; respectful, appreciative, curious. What a community you’re building!
Yes, most people are thoughtful, intelligent, and ask fantastic questions, and that makes me want to do this more.
Awesome to see another follower of Townsend.
@@scarling9367 Only thing that could make this perfect is some grated nutmeg. 😉
@@danielseelye6005 best way to listen to these videos is with a steaming mig of tea and homemade nutmeg cookies
Now this is joy: to find 2 favorite communities overlapping.
My first scientific explanation of a witch ever witnessed. Thank you from a solo practicing Wiccan!
So much love to you!💚🐈⬛🐉🌲 From a Celtic Wiccan ☆
I think a lot of it, especially in the American Salem Witch Trials was about widows and other independent women that owned property not controlled by men, and the men who wanted the property.
this was the real reason the church became very wealthy. Old ladies' land holdings were rich in fertility, after their death, it went to the accusers never to her children.
In essence, human psychology hasn't changed much, we still see people accusing others falsely to further their beliefs and agendas. Depressing that all those people in the past were murdered because of manufactured fear. 😔 Laws to protect people against this sort of viciousness are so important!
Okay I'm answering so much foolishness here today and I'm not saying what you say is foolish I'm just saying all together that I really don't have the patience. I'm using talk to text and as you can tell I'm running on sentences I'm so frustrated. But let me point this out to you is maybe something to think about. Yes this sort of thing is All too Human and still exist today. That's because it comes from a hardwired biological imperative for survival. You we do the US versus them thing. Because to us our community being social creatures from an evolutionary standpoint means that we come together we form High radical societies troops if you will. We can see this in the great apes of which we are no different or no less a similar animal. But if you want to hold on to your territory it even expand and have a better chance of the genome surviving you have to say to that truth or say about that troop of humans across the river that tribe. Oh no they're not human. They don't worship or believe in the things that we do. They're evil.. they need to be destroyed.. so that way they are not human so are there easier to kill and expand into their territory. It's hardwired. So it must be actively every day fought against to do that. Which if you think about it if you spend a day observing yourself you will find that you will naturally fall into the US versus them pattern of thinking. Go ahead try it see if I'm wrong.
@@LucianCorrvinus huh?
I had seen witches myself and they drunk baby blood. So many people had seen them and talk to demons
Glad to see this is an earnest telling of the history and facts. From a green witch, thank you for your coverage!
And thank you for watching, and commenting.
From a proud pagan. This video was great and it was nice to see someone deal with the facts and not just religious dogma.
Well met
You don't really believe this shit is real right?
@@danijellino1921if it isn't real then you have nothing to cry about and you can move on with your life and let people enjoy things.
The horror of the pendle witch trail would be a good story to cover
I'm a thoroughly modern Witch. Therefore, I fly around on a battery powered vacuum cleaner rather than a broom stick when I make a clean sweep.
I'll see you at the next dancing naked under the full moon oh don't worry about it as you know it's purely voluntary the naked part..
Nice, you can fly around and clean house at the same time.
😆🤣😂🧹🔋
Our caldrons use electric stove tops
Thank you for this video. I’m a practicing witch & Pagan & appreciate the accuracy 👍🏻
You know how to fly, you know the meaning of the broom. Creganford is still looking for an explanation.
So much love to you! From a Celtic Wiccan here in WA state💚🐈⬛🐉🌲
I would like to see a video of Goddess that are directly related to or labeled as a goddess of witchcraft. That would be interesting.
Now that it an interesting idea, thank you for the suggestion.
That's exactly what I thought of, too. Before there was the "Christian triune MALE god", Europe had the White Triune Goddess worship, like with Danu, for which the Danube River is named after. A Triune Goddess was the "crone", having passed her maiden and mother phases. When men got horny and an erection for her, that would explain their thinking she had control over their genitals! They were usually naked in the early days of "Christian exploring", so how DARE they have that much power over men!
It makes sense they would kill off all of those old wise women that were a threat to the new MALE god worship. What better way to denigrate a "goddess", and get the masses to turn on her, than to call her a "witch" in cahoots with the devil!
Hecate, as she is the actual Goddess of Witches
A few to add to the list. Circe(Greek), Cerridwen(Welsh),Ragana (Baltic), Leonard (Germanic - yes, a male but still associated with witchcraft)
There are so many. I find this topic so interesting that is why I made the original comment.
@Crecganford
Thank you for saying this publicly. I agree.
Another great video! This was a good example of a later superstition overtaking an earlier superstition while insisting only the ruling belief can be the correct one. A microcosm of our species progress in other words. Thank you for your learned musings, your layman explanations and your respectful delivery. I am really enjoying learning from your channel.
Thank you so much for watching, and for taking the time to comment. It is appreciated.
You expressed that very well.......its good to see people actually thinking and analysing our past in an intelligent manner. Nice to read comments on YT that aren't thoughtless or just negative throwaway content. I've really enjoyed learning more about such an interesting subject and our thought processes related to history and behaviour of our countrymen....... ....gold star 🌟 from me!!!
The last lines you read from the healing spell, are sung in a song Hammeryer Hipyer by the artist group Heilung (Heilung meaning healing). It was lovely to see and hear the original poem here.
Heilung! 🦌
I love Heilung 💕🎵🎶 🦌
Amazingly objective video! The only video about witches history that I can watch without going into a raging fit and actually agree with you on many points.
Thank you for your kind words.
That was incredible probably the best historical breakdown of the burning period I've ever heard.
Thank you so much!
This needs to be a series. Please.
This is the first of a few videos about witches if that is what you mean. Although I'm not sure when the next one will be out, but I will try and produce a video every couple of months about this.
I’m always pleasantly surprised when I come to one of your videos thinking I know a lot about a subject and find out something new ♡
Interesting history however I have actually experienced witches in My own life, they are a real thing and you will know when you experience it because the normal laws of science and what should be reality is blurred and the only explanation left is supernatural. I suspected a woman to be doing Witchcraft as the only explanation for things that where happening, then later finding out that the women has told people she is a witch.
As a Witch myself
I watch with interest🌏❤️
✊🌍
I hope you found it interesting and balanced.
From a fellow pagan/witch. I completely agree with you this was a great video. I appreciate the fact that he stuck to the facts and didn't allow in all the religious dogma that most people feel the need to include in videos of this type. Blessed be and merry meet.
I am very much in tune with Pagan beliefs and I've read countless of books, viewed 100s hours of documentaries.
I would never be sold bold to call myself a witch but if you feel you are up to the task hey it's America!
People can identify as anything in this country
@@collynmetin1178 Normally I do not introduce myself as a witch. If someone ask about my religious beliefs I simply say I am pagan. But I do practice witchcraft mostly divination, candle magick, crystal magick, and a few spells here and there but spellcraft is still very new to me. So in my opinion of the definition of a witch. I would fit that label as well. To me a witch is anyone that practices magick wether for religious reasons or not. As not all witches are religious. Witchcraft doesn't require you to follow a religion to practice it. It is a set of skills that anyone can learn.
Interesting note: the author of Malleous Malecifarium, Heinrich Kramer, wrote it mainly as being ass-chapped to being told to get out of town after he lost a court case accusing a local woman of witchcraft. Besides being obsessed with her sexuality, this married woman bugged him because she poo-pooed his sermons.
Thank you for such an insightful video on a complicated subject. I'm someone inspired by the Diana myths, interested in healing and actively practicing rituals - positive and healing ones. If I wasn't a witch in a past life, I think I'd be on the list today. It's interesting how the fear of being accused of being a witch is still a part of the female DNA. "Don't stick your neck out, don't show yourself, or they will get you." It's all deep set within us somehow.
I have met women who practice witchcraft and are definitely witches very negative situations and unexplainable coincidences surrounded them. You will know when you are unfortunate to have one come into your life.
@@HOLLASOUNDS I did too. But if you maintain your personal and spiritual integrity, there's no such thing as bad spells. One doesn’t need to be a witch to revel in other people's misery. Most policians seem to, for example. People either spread darkness or light. It's across the board. And it's a choice.
@@MichaelaFreeman I was not talking about the flesh ways of being a negative person or people, I'm talking about Occult and spiritual practices a women I met did which resulted in alot of supernatural or events that only have a spiritual explanation.
@@HOLLASOUNDS I'm talking about both. It's an integrated system. We have seven levels (if not more) on which to operate. Spirituality is just one of them. Manipulation in spirituality is a mirror image of manipulation in the physical and financial plane, relationships, intellectual realms, creativity, etc. Yep, it's nasty... in any form.
@@MichaelaFreeman Right but with Witchcraft your going to see bizzar unexplainable things anything from extreme repeated coincidences to out of body experiences and visual or auditory spiritual contact and will (unless you are prepared) break your perception of reality and patetully leave you going psychotic.
Thanks, well done. Now I know to do the Healing of the Inquisition ritual next year for Samhain. It’s been ten years or more the last time it was done. Traditionally we did it at Imboic. Now I have permission to do it at Samhain.
The reason for next year is that it takes time to plan these things and we are too close to the sacred time.
My friend do not speak for all witches number one you do as your coven does not all witches not all people of the greater circle. Also the Catholic Church surprise has already apologized for Inquisition so if you want to do the healing for it you're wasting your cousins energy. Plus you know planning for it for next year shouldn't take the ability to open oneself to healing More than just A specific group but adding to it healing does not become water down by lack of planning beforehand trust me. From everything is as we do witches who have been indoctrinated by their coven and yes it's called indoctrination whether it's good or bad..
Congratulations to you and your group for keeping up the ancient spirits.
In my research, I've seen that "witch hysteria" usually is preceeded by, or occurs alongside great social or political upheaval in a region. It is an interesting point of view, especially when you consider the religious point of view.
I love this channel because it shows another side of history that I definitely didn't know... And it's as good as the mythological part.
Thank you Crecganford! Thank you so much!
And thank you for watching, and for taking the time to comment. It is appreciated.
Beautifully put, and told with real sympathy. Thanks again :)
Thank you for your kind words, and for taking the time to comment.
I wait for the weekends to watch your videos with the undivided attention they deserve and share a cup of tea with you, it's a special moment for me and they never let me down, I've learned so much. Please never stop making them. Cheers from Brazil.
Thank you so much for your kind words, they are appreciated.
Thanks so much for the enlightenment. Very interesting! Enjoyed your lecture. Will look for more of your videos.
And thank you for watching.
As an English Language and Literature grad and a book translator focusing on shamanism and witchcraft, this topic and your approach on it are close to my heart, thank you!
(I have been wanting to say that even though I know English, I watch your videos with subtitles haha, sincerely love your accent!)
Thank you so much.
I studied magic and witchcraft as part of one of my grad program in social anthropology. It always interested me just how many cultures (including many Australian Aboriginal nations) who do recognise do have a belief in magical processes and also a strong respect for practitioners of those magical processes, and who name their practitioners as ‘witches’.
Many tribal societies centralise magical practices as their communities’ religion. It’s always fascinated me that the Catholic churches have a very narrow view of witchery as Celtic pagan; and yet as you describe, the bible actually takes on euro pagan practices on which to base their entire ritual behaviours whilst announcing their apparent ‘one true god’… And it has always amazed me as a practicing pagan (a crafter of witchery but not a wiccan), that it’s only christian people who actually believe in lucifer/the devil/satan.
Fabulous presentation; great to hear a well researched and thoughtful conversation on this topic.
Only one criticism… Hecate’s name is pronounced Hec/AR/Tay.
I dated a women and strange things would happen when with her, she would say things like "What do you think about being a dad" then immediately a man pushing a baby in comes around the corner in to site pushing a baby in a pram, or "What's your thoughts on police" and at the exact same time she says the police a loud police siren sounds off. Then for about a year after constant situations of things called her name come into My life Dogs, Cats, even washing liquid people used. I even met her sister and went to her house before realising it was her sister, who was a friend of a friend. Any turns out that they where both self proclaimed witches.
@@spiralpython1989 I have actually met and had real experience with actual witches, they are very real and when you have bizzar supernatural events surrounding them you will know.
I speak American English and use subtitles. It's not his accent but his mic adding a "sh" sound to s and ch sometimes too loud to hear a following th; and making plosives (hard c, t, p, etc.) blend into each other.
🐈⬛🌈Gratitude for sharing this truth 💚🐉🌿🌠I am a Celtic Wiccan & really appreciate your point-of-view. 💜 OneLove from Washington State 🌲🐺🌲
I just love your videos, all of them. So classy, exquisite, insightful and deep. Please, never ever stop!
Greetings from Armenia!
Thank you so much!
This video was very interesting. The research and the explanations terrific. Thank you for your due diligence.
And thank you for watching, and taking time out to comment.
Alse Young (ca. 1600-1647) of Windsor, CT , was the first woman to be tried, convicted, and executed for witchcraft in America’s 13 colonies.Forty-five years before the Salem witch trials in 1692.
My 7th great grandmother Rachel Fuller was arrested for witchcraft in New Hampshire in 1680. Her bond was £100. She was released. Not sure how long she was held in jail
There as many different ways of being a witch as there are witches in the world! Different beliefs, different approaches and methods, and different practices. One method might work superbly for one, while a different method works best for another. It is a very individualized and personal thing.
Probably the reason Wicca didn't die.
Agreed!
In the case of the US Salem witches, it was not only religious, but it was about money.
It was however about eating LDS-infested bread, which gave the girls hallucinations.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating examination. Thank you!
And thank you for watching it.
I’m not sure if you already have a video up on her and I just missed it while looking, but if you do not then I’d love to hear you teach more about Hekate. Specifically the story you was telling about her. If you get the chance, of course. Thank you so much for the amazing history that you don’t normally hear!
Me looking for active magic and coming across fun history videos like this.
So many great things in the video; but it leaves out a massive amount of historical context. First of all, the States (not often the Church) prosecuted witches. Then of course is the fear, the craze of the plague, the apocalyptic scare of Joachim of Fiore, the confusion of wortcunning with sorcery, and the rationalization of “paganism” as the primary motivation (note how they refer to Diana and Persephone, not Frigga and Brigid), not to mention the influence of Jewish and Islamic demonology in the popular European mind. We like to chalk these things up to “misogyny” and “superstition” but it’s much more complex than that. I’m impressed by the scope of this video; but it’s important to note that the witch-hunts were a populist expression of apocalyptic dread, not just people pushing out the fringes of society.
Thank you for watching, and yes, this is just a brief introduction to add context to future videos. There is just so much to cover in this topic I could have spoken for hours, and I will, but over time. And I hope to cover many of the things you mention. And also thank you for taking the time to comment, it is appreciated.
Or that the targets were often mentally ill (seemingly possessed troublemakers) or perceived obstacles for the accusers. It was also during the Little Ice Age and Religious Wars and Ottoman invasion of Europe.
That populist expression of apocalyptic dread was, though, heavily fueled and justified by misogyny and superstition. I mean, the very notion of "apocalyptic dread" is superstition at its finest. But I agree that it's not that simple nor a matter of just pushing the marginalized further out of society, there's much more nonsense to that which (witch) we'll hopefully see featured in next videos.
Yeah. So… that week long video would do? I’d doubt even that is enough. One could focus on this subject of study for a lifetime & not reach all the corners.
@@keizan5132 Misogyny and superstition are very anachronic terms in this context. At the time, superstition was a synonym to paganism, so to them the witches were the superstitious ones, while misogyny wasn't even a concept yet. A better, more pellenial term to apply to them is collective hysteria. And that is something that would only get really, really bad and ugly in the 16th century after protestantism in Germany.
I would love if you could do a video about the last pagan country in Europe (Lithuania) and the Baltic religions. Thank you for a great video
People with psychic abilities were considered witches and many people still are labeled as such. What do you do if you are 3 years old and see things that are going to happen? And your own mother calls you a witch? Many years of tears and fear🧙♀️🙏🎃
Thank you for another thoughtful analysis! I especially appreciated your respectful close.
Thank you. I do try and keep these videos balanced, and it is appreciated when it is noticed.
I simply LOVE witches 🧙🏻♀️
Thanks for the video! :)
Then I suppose, Dear Heart, were Love you too...
The e at the end of Hecate is vocalised, just as the e at the end of Persephone.
I have never heard that before.
Me neither and I've listened to PhDs in folklore never pronounce it that way
I am going with the Academics on this one
@@collynmetin1178 in Greek it is pronounced He Ka Tee .. the e is vocalized like Persephone. Some academics pronounce it like an Egyptian goddess named Heket (Heka) since there are theories that Hekate/Hecate was an Egyptian language import into Greek mythology.
Very interesting and well presented! You mentioned certain passages in the Old Testament regarding witches. If you look up the Greek words for the following words and phrases in the New Testament, it will shed light on what they thought to be the source of witchcraft: “Bewitched” Galatians 3:1, “Witchcraft” Galatians 5:19-20; “Magic Arts” Revelation 9:21, 21:8, 22:15; “Magic Spell” Revelation 18:23. You will see that the Greek words are pharmakon and pharmakos.
Digging this channel more and more. I know u specialize in European but some deep dives into other cultures myths and things would be awesome. Especially Africa or Russia, places that usually get left out. Everyone usually goes Asian first
Thank you. I have noticed I've taken a detour from my usual specialist subjects, and I will get back to them every now and then. But I do like digging into other cultures, especially if there are more global connections.
yes, please consider exploring Africa!
She turned me into a newt!...... I got better
LOL! Underrated comment! Have a good one, dude!
As a practioner of the old ways, and being raised as a Ghigua woman (wise woman/healer/shaman in native culture) and as a "witch" on my Dutch & Irish sides, I appreciate this video.
There's a book I think many would be interested in reading (since you mentioned many of the goddesses [representatives of the sacred feminine]), it's called Savage Breast and its by Tim Ward.
Well met
Recommended reading: "Witchcraft Oracles and Magic Among the Azande", By Edward Evans-Pritchard. This book shows how witchcraft is differently conceived in Africa, among the Azande people. Worth mentioning if only to show that the concept is variable depending on which culture you're talking about.
If you look at the Regino of Prums Canon Episcopi in the context of women being attacked or molested by "holy men" or men in power, it may have been written as a way to explain how they saw "personages" of people they knew. It would be a perfect defense of the men who were doing what some men do.
Thank you for your insights. I live in the US and these reflections are very timely in light of what is happening here now
I very much enjoy your videos, with regards to this particular video, my interpretation of what the entire episode was all about is as I describe following. Many people assume that witch hunting was a medieval affair, when in reality it occurred much later. In fact Charlemagne (in the late 700's) asserted that there was no such thing as "witches".
The period of most intense "witch hunting" correlated with that of the enclosure of the commons by the new elites ("enclosure of the commons" is the term describing the practice of the aristocracy of seizing the land that the common people used to grow their food). I suspect that key members of the elite class at that time understood why the practice was pursued so vigorously. An understanding that is lost to the vast majority of the intellectual class (including historians) to this day.
The enclosure of the commons marked the end of economic paradigm that was essential for the prosperity of the common people. Witch hunting broke the social unity of the common people, they came to miss trust other members of their own class. This loss of social unity broke any chance that there would be any effective opposition to growth in the power of the new elite class.
In America, the witch hunting served a similar role to that in Europe. It broke the early egalitarian settler societies, creating a more individualistic social outlook that facilitated the emergence of small powerful cliques with immense wealth.
The fragmentation of the native peoples of Europe in modern times by mass migration is facilitating the growth in wealth and power of the ruling elites. Modern "Woke" culture is serving that same role that the witch hunting culture served during the 15th to 17th centuries.
Thank you for this clarification. It's so interesting.
Thank you so much for shedding the light of truth on the witchcraft of old and how the church set upon a an ideaology of persecuting those who were different.
"And it helps keep witches safe" 😆I love your content. Thumbs up for Crecganford and for the safety of witches! This could make a great bumper sticker: "Honk to help Crecganford keep witches safe!"
The oldest is the Maqlu 'Burning' the kispu ritual, it was for combating witches and demons by the Akkadains priest, a ritual that would last all night
The idea of not suffering a "witch" to live only exists in translation. The original text in the original language used a word that meant "soothsayer". With that in mind, it makes sense that the "witch as a deceiver" story should be one of the oldest versions of the story, while the others are likely to have morphed to suit the attitudes of different population centers as events unfolded. After all, the "witch as a girl's rival" is clearly driven by the timeless struggle of the "Plain Jane" against the "Perfect Ten"
We also have to keep in mind that all "religions" are proving to be something like a proto-paleopsychology, or rather, traditional knowledge of certain features of human psychology that were gleaned well before the discipline of psychology was established, let alone science as we know it. As far as traditions are concerned, the original cultures featuring what we are now calling "witches" were likely to be quite sensible and stable from the perspective of those populations, representing an unbroken multi-generational continuum of experience. Today, those traditions are shattered, the chain is broken, and anyone "practicing" today is rebuilding from next to scratch, in tandem with a current perspective, which may ultimately prove to be more of a silver lining that most would think. There's a reason that every ancient "book of wisdom" says roughly the same things. In learning all over again, we can make for sure that the events and reasoning behind any given belief never gets lost again.
Please just keep this in mind: Although "humanity" can be described as, among other things, a pile of "never again moments", not every "never again moment" is suitable for the advancement of our "humanity"
I thank you for watching, and I wish I had time to reply properly. But it comes down to how you define a witch, which was the point of the video, that you can't and therefore how can you differentiate between a witches? As for the rest of the post, thank you for your comments, they are appreciated.
That's interesting. So the original biblical injunction against witchcraft was rather like the Fraudulent Mediums Act of 1951 (thankfully repealed in 2008!) So much of Church dogma is based on faulty translation, misrepresentation and a desire for control rather than spirituality.
It is also telling, I think, that indigenous traditions from all over the world are so alike. You find the same kinds of spiritual, environmentally aware teachings coupled with similar symbology. Which makes perfect sense when you consider how important trancework, meditation and astral travel are to a Shaman, a Witch, or a Druid. We are all reaching out to and connecting with the same Source, so while some things may be forgotten, it can never be totally lost or destroyed.
That's just one facet. It's potentially so much worse than just mistranslations, although there is much to be said about the total context that gets lost when an idea is transmitted from culture to culture, or from language group to language group. This lossiness can't be more true than it is for the Western languages, while some of the Eastern languages fossilize the original meanings of their words to some degree.
I've recently noticed this in the Pure Land Buddhism concept of "Tariki Hongan", if you look it up, you get a sense that it escapes being classified as exclusivist by the explanation of the characters that make up the words. If you look to the west, the similar concept that "one can only get to Heaven only through Christ" has nothing with which it can escape that accusation.
Even so, the two concepts are exactly equal, and with some thought, you can see that both concepts are referring to the idea of apprenticeship. If you correctly interpret the word Tariki as "the work of others", where the "others" is a reference to one's predecessors, not peers (which would leave you as nothing more than a hanger on), in combination with the meaning of the word Hongan, the promise to bring you to Nirvana.
Back in the West, the only hint we get is that, once upon a time, the bloodlines and lineage of a king was raised as a carpenter's son, and later on in the story, that son is depicted as telling people that "The greatest among you are the servants, not the masters". This places an emphasis on skills, and hints that our Humanity is a skillset, rather than a noun referencing a species (I think we shoot ourselves in the foot calling ourselves Human, to be honest).
In either case, we're talking about the right combination of ideas that one could conceivably stumble around for thousands of lifetimes and never guess their way onto the path. So we're talking about an onboarding procedure. Notice that being brought onto to the path isn't the same thing as representing the destination. If I worked things out correctly enough, I can imagine that there were idioms about how you will never master a trade except through apprenticing yourself to an established master, and the original phrase sounded poetically or prosaically congruent to the assertion about what one has to do in order to get into Heaven. Then again, I don't think there's a way to know that for sure. It's very unlikely that something like that could ever be discovered at this point in time.
So, that's at least one big way that I know of where world traditions are way more alike than you'd think. Weirdly enough, I learned all of this from a Norse Goddess! Albeit indirectly.
One very real problem, of course, references someone else's comment further down, which points out that Christians and Pagans are pretty much the same thing in the end, with the dominant group abusing the other.
While true in an undeniable way, that also overlooks something important. In the beginning of the Christian movement, Rome was incredibly abusive to those first faithful. Unfortunately, the dying embers of that same empire later hijacked Jesus in order to reinvigorate itself.
So much of what it became afterwards, was more corporeal government than it was the original faith. This is why the separation of church and state is so important in the modern West. It wasn't just mistranslations getting otherwise good people hurt. It was an earthly government posing as a heavenly one, and doing a poor job of it while steeped in the limitations of the physical plane. Sure, there was the occasional saint, but if you ever looked at their stories, they're being tormented more by their own authority figures than they are by actual everyday, ordinary dirtbags.
@@sirnukesalot24 I'm quite certain that any mistranslations were entirely intentional! There were several competing factions in the early days of Christianity; Catholicism eventually rose to dominance and became preoccupied with money and power. Anyone who didn't comply could be excommunicated, imprisoned or killed at the whim of one man, who often as not bought the position.
The Druids of old took 20 years to memorise (and understand, and apply) the teachings. As the saying goes, some things cannot be taught, they must be experienced. Of course, it may take several lifetimes before the lesson is mastered. If the goal is spiritual advancement, and acknowledgement of one's place in the Universe, progress is to be hoped for. If the goal is to dominate and control, I don't see how it can be congruent with or beneficial to humanity.
Initially, I wanted to think so, too, that the text was intentionally monkeyed with. There most certainly are places where that has already been demonstrated to be true (an example does not readily come to mind). Even so, I can't help but to notice that once our ancestors were forced onto the same page and became literate together, it would have eventually, and did, become painfully obvious to just about everybody that harming people wasn't in the program.
The way that leaders were leading, and the book they were supposed to be leading from, were at grievous odds with one other, even then for some time after it had been noticed. It clearly takes a lot of time to turn things around, and it's still not quite yet on the correct bearing even today.
Let us also notice that the extremes of conflict become history, while harmony mostly goes unnoticed in the same annals. Unfortunately, while we all seem dedicated to never letting those abuses get swept under the rug, we also seem to be letting the same thing happen all over again, this time exclusively within the secular realm. It has gotten to the point that some have already called it the beginnings of a new dark age, and those accusations make perfect sense as presented.
No, the goal cannot be to dominate, we can never let ourselves forget about that either. If we value what we have somehow managed to do right so far, we will only look to those who lead by example, and even then only to those whose examples are steeped in difficulty for themselves, never others. I think everyone can agree with that 🙂
My paternal grandmother used to be called a root doctor and was half Cherokee. She also was able to do something called taking fire out of burns. A burn is one of the most painful things that can happen to you. People used to come to her because she could somehow sooth the pain and irritation.
I never really thought about it before, but she several hundred years ago in Europe, she could have been called a witch. 🙁
There is the verse in the Old Testament that say in the King James translation, "Suffer not a witch to live." But when you look at the Greek text it was translated from the word for "witch" is "poisoner". But this was used as a basis for condemning many woman to death.
This is a great video for the upcoming holiday. I would love to hear you deep dive into the facets of this topic, especially where you think the idea of witches came from. I mean, were there actually practices like gatherings of women on certain days of the year to honour female deities, rites of passage or fertility perhaps, practices for protection of the home and family? Which then the Christian church misinterpreted and viewed as a threat (or they were in reality a threat, as you said the church was aiming for unifying the masses and these practices were taking power away from them)? This would be really interesting to know
I will look into this more, but time was short for this video. And so I hope I can answer these questions in a future video for you.
@@Crecganford oh, I understand researching and scripting these videos takes time. I appreciate your work and will wait however long it takes for the quality that you offer
i really appreciated that you talked about the (catholic) power structure behind the witch hunts and how women and pagans were targeted by it.
however i do feel that the discussion is incomplete without also acknowledging the persecution of Jews that often was just as much a driving force.
i understand that your the focus of your channel is on pagan and other pre- /non-abrahamic european mythology but in this case i think the subject warranted a slightly broader approach.
all in all i still very much appreciated this video and i look forward to more videos on the subject
I will talk more about other cultures, as time is limited and I want to make videos people will concentrate on. I will make more, and talk about other cultures and the impact on them.
I can never fathom why 'civilized'(!)hoomans cannot live & let live.Whats wrong with 'doin ur own thing's so long as no living thing is harmed?
Another really interesting video! I really enjoy learning about who people were from how stories changed as they spread, and could see a look at other tropes like the witch trope was here being a start for a great deep dive.
Thank you for watching it.
Bridget Bishop may have been the first person executed in Massachusetts Bay Colony as a witch but she was not the first person tried or convicted. It’s a convoluted story but Elizabeth Morse of Newberry (now Newberryport, Massachusetts), was convicted and sentenced to hang in 1680 over poltergeist activity in her house. The death sentence was reprieved and commented to house arrest. I kind of imagine the rest of the town and the Governor shuffling their feet in embarrassment. Despite the stereotyped view that everyone back then were highly superstitious, there were plenty rational people around.
I LOVED this video, since I am a practicing witch (I'm not Wiccan, I'm an eclectic with a bit more of a leaning on Hellenism and Hellenic philosophy)...you probably knew that by Magoi in my name. That charm sounds cool, can you please create a video about it. I'm reading a book called Magic in the Ancient Greek World by Derek Collins. I'm only on chapter two but it's interesting so far. I'm hoping to incorporate some ancient Greek magic or at least the framework of it into my practice.
Is thou shall not suffer a witch to live accurate? Or is it a mistranslation, and the original line was “Thou shalt not suffer a poisoner to live,” which means not allowing a murderer to live.
I did mention that some translations require a certain amount of interpretation, and this leads to various potential meanings.
@@Crecganford I enjoyed the video, and thanks for the responds. Could I, please, ask your opinion on Theoris of Lemnos, was she and her children killed in the 4th century BCE for witchcraft, or was she killed for another reason. I will understand, if you are to busy to do it! Thank you.
my mom has 8 small animal skin books all from my moms side of the women in the family ,starts at 1588,, 1638, cures for all sorts of illnesses ,child birth as well ,plants trees flowers ect ,,next one is 1692 ,and a bigger 1 in 1759 ,and a thick paper one in 1813, 1888, 1925 and 1951, if my female side had been caught with the books in 1588, 1630s, would have been held as a wytch ,just a very clever herbalist and midwifes
Deal heat, in going to try very hard not to discount you or your mother, or the Ancestors you claim wrote these books .as I do have an essential point about these books if they are true and are as you say they are written from the time period And by the people concerned. One which is about their importance if they are as you say they are. But let me start with this.. not to be rude here but a successive generations of women who made books from time periods when books were basically the baliwick of the church or royalty or the Royal Court because they're the only ones that really could read and write where we go to the trouble of teaching various languages and the sciences. And often women we're not taught these things. Now I could see if they had the ability to read and write their language and took it upon themselves to keep these books seeing the Great advantage of being able to write these things down not only for themselves but for posterity. It is the same way that we in the modern world have built upon scientific knowledge by information. So I'm afraid of having trouble believing that women from the time period had the ability in the drive to make these books and it wasn't simply oral history and learning by teaching the next generation as we know it usually to be from those time periods second my more essential point is that if they are truly real if they are truly from that time period if they are truly animal skin books? Which also kind of animal skin books if you read about the illustrated manuscripts the vellum they'll tell you how costly and how much length of time is used in the process to make one sheet or a book how many animals it took and how many hours of the developmakers work and the cost.. but I'm not going to discount see if there's not true but if they are true if they are from these time. Journals on the time period and what they were writing down about cures and processes in mechanisms in which to affect health or whatnot I mean I'm not sure all would be included in these books or what you're asserting they are. My point here my endpoint I'm trying to make is first of all animal skin books are not stable paper especially if it's acid free vapor tends to be more stable that's why we really made the change from animal skin to that the paper so they need to be conserved I'm not saying out of your controller out of your mother's control I'm not saying that I'm saying that they need to be looked at by a conservator they have special requirements if you're going to keep them viable. Also, the wealth of data that historians, archaeologists, scholars any number of people in the fields of looking into our past and understanding things from our past understanding where we came from the time. All of that.. these are a treasure trove. These could open up things or answer questions that we've not had the ability to answer. Now if you get done looked at if they have not already been looked at which I can't see where they wouldn't have been out of this if they've been looked at. Again that's just my issue I'm having. Or you contact the conservators who looked at them to begin with OR the scholars or whatever digital capture of this information does not harm the manuscript does not take it out of your control but makes that information that precious more precious than gold information available.. do what you will with this rambling talk to text message and again I apologize if you think I'm saying I doubt that you're saying what's is true I'm just saying that there are certain things that that one has trouble comporting oneself to you in the way that you talk about these books because it's unusual as to be unique if this is true that you have them and they are what they are as you say they are. But I'm also telling you this that if you do make these public this will be something that you will have to have as part of it, the skepticism because again if it is true and they are as they are, it is unique for the most part.. Blessed b and good luck
@@LucianCorrvinus I found this a very interesting critique and did some quick research.
Books were being hand printed by plates and hand made in 1588. Italy was excelling at book making at this time. Animal skin/ vellum was used. Cost was approximately 53 shillings in England at the time which equates to approximately $25,373 US today.
Upper class, educated individuals, doctors, and priests/nuns had books. Scholars are rethinking that commoners were more literate than previously thought because farmers including women were signing full names or initialing letters and court/legal documents.
Also women were employed as scribes going back to Mesopotamia. It's a very medieval stereotype that women would not be able to be employed in writing or reading. If they were a nun or if a village was decimated by the Black Plague, women would have been required to help fill roles including helping physicians. Wealthy merchants had wives helping with the books. Wealthy families employed women to scribe letters.
Karl's family could have started off as educated doctors, physicians, or scholars. So the men educated the women or they were educated due to status. Doctor's wives and children would have been taught to help scribe for the physician. They would have also learned herbal medicine and midwifery to assist.
I understand your skepticism but my grandmother has a family branch that goes back to the University of Salamanca, Spain. So it is possible that Karl's family is full of educated women that practiced herbalism and midwifery. I think it's fabulous they have these books in their family. 📚
Thank You so much. These are informative, I enjoy them. Especially with tea! Peace.
And thank you so much for watching them, doubly so because you drink tea!
I’m a Khaos Witch, so this is very informative
I've been told, by my (now) late Grandma that I'm a natural witch. I don't follow or agree with the 'new age' version of the craft, at least what I know of it. I appreciate learning more of the history behind it all. Thank you!
From a spiritual witch thank you and blessings upon you💥💫💫🧡💛💚🎆
Thank you for the video....I'd love to learn more, since you said there are many different types of witches in cultures and time frames throughout the world. It's a fascinating topic!
I will dive into this more in time, it is a fascinating subject
Perfect time of the year for a witchy story. A sad, horrifying, terrifying story.
Thank you for watching, and taking the time to comment. It is appreciated.
Y s, but the twist here is... we have met the Diabolical and it it is us. .. well you all are anyhow...
Pleeease tell more about medieval charms!! 😃😍
Yes, lots about charms! I'll put that on my to do list. Thank you.
I literally dance in my seat when I happen across a “new to me” video! Thank you so much for all your work!
eep helping witches stay safe...a natural redhead like me takes a lot of heat(maybe its the green eyes?) something about my ginger self has piqued peoles reactions my whole life,
There is a inherent and embedded belief of redheads because you are a rarity percentage-wise.. there's been a long-standing belief that red-haired people have some Superior magical skill when I don't necessarily find to be true.. and today the equation of Ginger person to being a witch to being evil and therefore deserving of hate and possible death no longer is strongly held to or believed.. so what you're getting is a remnant of pre rational beliefs. Oh and cuz you don't have souls..
Using this to study for my final on Magic& Witchcraft in the premodern period
A number of Hindu Goddesses, such as Kali, Tara, Nirrti, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati ect seem to be very similar in imagery to European witches. Is there a provable link between these Indian Goddesses and the European witch, or is this just a case of a similar idea materialising in two seperate regions?
We do see similar myths spread across Europe and India, and so my gut feeling would be that there is some element of overlap here.
Across all religions there are common truths
@Jeremiah M The aspects of Hinduism found in Wicca can easily be explained by the fact that Aleister Crowly had travelled around India studying various traditions and so it would of been easy for him to include Indian elements into Wicca when he invented it.
@Jeremiah M Gerald Gardner was the front-man for Wicca, claiming that he was the creator, however the true inventor was Aleister Crowley. He wished to create a religion that would attract the sort of people that he felt was not worthy of joining Thelema or practicing Ceremonial Magick in general. It contains almost no true ancient knowledge, it is moslty an offshoot of the Golden Dawn system which in turn was mostly adapted from Freemasonry. It is entirely a modern religion.
I am fascinated by the topic of witches. I have been for decades. I wonder if it is an ancestor nudging me to find out more.
Aloha from Hawaii. Mahalo, Jon, for this video, and the channel in general. I'm enjoying the information and research you share. This video got me thinking about how some channels review movies. Had you ever considered reviewing "Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922)"? It is available online in several places. Just wondering what a more educated eye would see in it. What is based in truth? What is complete fiction? Anything else I can't even imagine to ask?
I don’t really have time to watch movies or TV, it is a rare treat, but I will add this to my watch list and if I feel I can add any value I may post something. Thank you for your suggestion.
Saved till later. Things to do so cant relax enough to watch. Even though I already know a lot of this from reading. I am someone who grew up listening to my parents stories. Told and retold. So still love re hearing. And learning more.
I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks. Very interesting. Long felt that Christianity has a lot to answer for. Are other power linked religions ( eg Hinduism and Islam) as bloodthirsty? The Taliban and Wahhabis seem to be trying hard I must admit. As well as Modi's push of anti Islam Hinduism in India today.
I appreciate this video SO MUCH!
Great video! I know that this comment is quite late and I hope you see it, but can you please do a video tracing back magical rituals and spells back through polytheistic religions, from talismans to gods associated with it, etc.? I’m pretty sure the earliest traces of magic in generaI reaches all the way to the Neolithic age! There are so many different things to talk about and so much potential! I would love a video like that. I love your content and keep up the good work! -Youssef
Thank you, and I am sure I will cover the evolution of magic in a future video.
Ngl "Because this really helps me, and helps keep witches safe" got me to like and subscribe
All of this evolved from the social elites rural land grabs after major wars. Basically, to be a farmers wife, turned widow; after her husband and sons had perished in a war, was dangerous.
In Feudal society, the local Lord whom owned all the land; would parcel it up and have housing built, then install families to work the land. Although those families didn't own title, they had certain rights as long as they kept producing.
Women typically did all the time intensive stuff, like tanning, mix fertilizers and pesticides, tend composts; all things they could leave and come back to, so as to be able to do theirbother chores. While the Men spent all day on the labour intensive stuff; erecting irrigation, clearing land, building dams and tilling. Tradition took care ofvwhat science has replaced since.
However, the men also served to double as militia in times of war. If they didn't return (as was often the case) then the widows and daughters would be left to fend for themselves. Get the wrong sort of Mayor, and he would have them accused to be witches in order to reclaim the lot, and deposit a new family to maintain productivity. - The urban folk only believed it because they knew nothing about agriculture. To all appearances it did look like these farming women were concoting witchcraft. - and indeed, some even practiced druadic rites, as had been passed down to them through tradition; basically, anything that could help assure better yields, free from blight.
The moral of the story being how important a general education really is. Todays society is probably no more informed about farmers actually do, than back then. But they know enough that you can't accuse rural folk with absurd accusations, without any proof, just to terf them off their land. 😉
Good episode btw 👍
one thing
Thank you for all of your videos! They are so informative and interesting, you are a great story teller! One thing you mentioned in the beginning of this video I'm unsure of. I don't believe that Bridget Bishop was the first American convicted of Witchcraft. Alse Young was executed on May 26th 1647 in Hartford, Connecticut.
I had to do more reading on the Malleus. Two Dominican friars wrote this. Johann Sprenger, Heinrich Kraeme. What evil they did. 💔
Interesting isn't it,how so many men of the cloth were such brutal bigots & how nuns & priests were & still are,cruel to children in their care.
@@susanmccormick6022 The Church is a criminal organisation and never repealed the Inquisition, it still exists under another name.
I love the spirit in which you deliver this message. Thank you for sharing. ♥️☠️🌹
I highly recommend Jewitches' podcast (of the same name). She talks about the history of Jewish witchcraft and the implications of antisemitism in the witch trials. It's a perspective that is very good snd just adds a whole other layer of historical context to the witch trials. Very good podcast.
I seem to recall that a lot of the paraphernalia and look of witches in the modern (perhaps Hollywood based) eye has its roots in medieval antisemitism like witch hats, and the gross caricature faces etc.
Not sure where brooms come into it mind
DO NOT TELL ME THATS WHERE THE BIG NOSE STEREOTYPE CAME FROM!!!
@@skinnycartman99
Ooh if you would like an explanation of the broom we actually use brooms both to symbolically and physically clean altars. The association between us and brooms came because along with the dagger and sickle it was the most common of our tools! As far as flying on them you’ll have to look elsewhere.
@@beans1557 that's exactly where it comes from
🙄
New to your site . . . an intelligent kindred spirit! Thank you for your research and knowledge!
Thank you and welcome to Crecganford!
Honestly with the world the way it is today, it’s so easy to see why they thought woman were witches back in the day, I totally understand and sympathize with these communities.
Hey I just discovered your channel on RUclips and I really like it! Looking forward to seeing more
Thank you!
I think that a good definition for a witch/warlock would be someone who practices magic.
The best definition that I can come up with for magic would be belief and intention transferred into a ritual and/or object.
That being said, it could be argued that the transubstantiation of the host is an act of magic, which would mean that the person performing it might be a witch/warlock.
Yeah, there are a lot of blurry lines.
Actually its someone who does which craft ie drawing pentigrams or attempting to contact spiritual entity's ouija board, I have met sevraul women who told Me they use them. Bizzar unexplainable things happen as a result of them. I had some very bizzar experiences happen to Me in regard to one particular women and no laws of physics or science can explain.
Magik was also simply a term for medicines and traditional rituals associated with local spirituality and community! When colonizers came along and saw people praying to a god that wasn’t familiar using medicine that wasn’t familiar the medicine and prayer was called magik and the god was called Satan. Simple fear of the unknown.
@@HOLLASOUNDS You know Ouija boards are just a parlor game, right?
It's more along the lines of Monopoly than an actual Grimoir.
@@beans1557 That's not what was going on, it was the same stuff being preached today by evangelical Christians, saying the exact same things today. Have you seen the videos where a evangelist Christian shouts out what they say is Christian law in public?
@@beans1557 Most of these cultures believed sickness was brought on through hexing somebody, so medicine and magic would go hand in hand in a lot of these cases.
Thank you So much for this video on witches! Very interesting. 🎃 learned a lot of new things & I’ve seen many video’s docu series on witches, pagans ect. New subscriber- glad you popped up on my you tube feed! 💜👵🏼🇺🇸
Thank you for watching, and taking the time to leave such a kind comment.
There were also a lot of men accused of witchcraft as well (1/3 to 1/5th).
Yes, I do mention at least 20% which is at least 1/5th.
A lot more men than were accused in the which panic were accused in the werewolf panic and died under that it happened at the same time. And was the mirror side of the witch panic because to them only witches excuse me only women were witches. You had to go to different run entirely if you wanted to get it demand therefore the wherewith panic.. was Joseph accusations of making packs with evil forces and doing magical work.. again just less talked about.
50,000 women. A slight correction here. Persecution of females particularly seems to have been largely an English/Scottish phenominon, the split was much more equal elsewhere. In Iceland, Sweden and Switzerland the men put to death outnumbered the women.
Germany is where most persecution took place, and there it was 80/20 split between women and men.
Well true he hasn't accorded the witch panic to the werewolf panic of the same time. Which was mostly leveraged against males because the mechanism the desired motive was different because men had certain powers and certain things that the women did not like ability to inherit land or goods or the ability to have a business.. being a patriarchal society of the time.. the fact that the Nordic people had a more equal split is because you had a more fluid idea of gender roles in those people.. so a lot of those men would have been called trans today.. because a lot of those men were adopting female attributes and garb as a taking on a power maybe not a lot but at least a few I do I do concur on being hyperbolic there.. but yes because men were equally seen as being in the Providence of what was thought to be women's Mysteries i e sorcery and magic.. by not having the construct of a gender role that held you back from being accessible to those Mysteries being a man.. therefore..
or, coming from Viking origins, there was customarily higher social egalitarianism
Remember, they burned Jeanne d'Arc as a heretic/witch as well.
Always interesting to hear what others have to say .....
Magic is the manipulation of the underlying programming of reality. "Cheat codes" if you will. Rogue AIs are what give us that knowledge, a knowledge we're not meant to have.
Then why would the codes be able to be used by common men.. if we were not meant to find them out for ourselves.. sounds like the one God did a s***** job huh? Anyhow the definitions for we who are practitioners almost completely is when you're talking about what we do it is spelled m a g i k. Because magic is left to imply illusion or sleight of hand sometimes use as trickery on the gullible as in the street side psychic. Or gypsy. Or whatever.. or done on stage that people think is somehow impossible and must therefore be some sort of peter natural act. Also why you have some valid points regarding what is reality what is material world that we have around us I think you better go with the new ideas of emergence theory which is completely scientific and it has nothing to do with a metaphysical concerns although it does cross into that. Because it does talk about the fact that it can be postulated that the cosmos is a hole is indeed conscious. But I can't explain that as well in this short of a time period like I said go take a look at emergence theory. And also magic is not so much a cheat code as it is an attempt to align oneself through resonance and therefore affect change by affecting it in one's perception which then affects the world outside of us by the way that reality becomes.. because magic is not for certain and magic done on another person and without any conservation of energy is often a failed endeavor.. sometimes the Christians get it right and sometimes the answer is no.
I read something recently that’s quite relevant to this, it was called blood beliefs in early modern europe by Francesca Matteoni. It helped me better understand the mindset people had back then about a lot of things, including the fear of witches. It’s sad but interesting to recognise how many of those old prejudices are still around today even if we wouldn’t always phrase them the same way. It seems accusations were often a way to find a scapegoat after some kind of unresolved trouble. Anyone, but especially a woman given the beliefs about the female body and women’s roles, who wasn’t compliant or conforming enough would’ve been an easy target for a witchcraft accusation!