Post by Sister Magdalene on May 11, 2009 22:10:12 GMT
My curiousity getting the better of me, I decided to read up a bit about witchcraft in the 12th Century to help me a bit better with my RP.
Anyway, here are some interesting things I found out.
Medieval Christians believed the pentagram to symbolise the five wounds of Christ. The pentagram was believed to protect against witches and demons. The pentagram is used as a Christian symbol for the five senses.
Most Christians, probably due to their misinterpretation of symbols used by ceremonial magicians, came to associate it with Satanism and subsequently rejected the symbol sometime in the twentieth century.
In Early Modern Europe (AD 1500 to 1800) witchcraft came to be seen as a vast diabolical conspiracy against Christianity, and accusations of witchcraft led to large-scale witch-hunts, especially in Germanic Europe. (quoted from Wikipedia)
The Pactus Legis Alamannorum (early 7th century) lists witchcraft as a punishable crime on equal terms with poisoning.
Traditionally, a white witch was a cunning man or wise woman, who sold magical services to ward off or reverse the effects of witchcraft. During the Early Modern European witch-hunts, many practitioners of folk magic that did not see themselves as witches, but as healers or seers, were convicted of witchcraft.
Its all very interesting, well I found it so myself. I have friends who consider themselves modern day "neopagans" or wiccans. I also have a friend who follows shamanism. Myself, I have a deep interest in Druidry. None of this is posted to cause any offence or upset to the members, but I thought it might be of some interest. It is not my intention to upset anyone.
Anyway, here are some interesting things I found out.
Medieval Christians believed the pentagram to symbolise the five wounds of Christ. The pentagram was believed to protect against witches and demons. The pentagram is used as a Christian symbol for the five senses.
Most Christians, probably due to their misinterpretation of symbols used by ceremonial magicians, came to associate it with Satanism and subsequently rejected the symbol sometime in the twentieth century.
In Early Modern Europe (AD 1500 to 1800) witchcraft came to be seen as a vast diabolical conspiracy against Christianity, and accusations of witchcraft led to large-scale witch-hunts, especially in Germanic Europe. (quoted from Wikipedia)
The Pactus Legis Alamannorum (early 7th century) lists witchcraft as a punishable crime on equal terms with poisoning.
Traditionally, a white witch was a cunning man or wise woman, who sold magical services to ward off or reverse the effects of witchcraft. During the Early Modern European witch-hunts, many practitioners of folk magic that did not see themselves as witches, but as healers or seers, were convicted of witchcraft.
Its all very interesting, well I found it so myself. I have friends who consider themselves modern day "neopagans" or wiccans. I also have a friend who follows shamanism. Myself, I have a deep interest in Druidry. None of this is posted to cause any offence or upset to the members, but I thought it might be of some interest. It is not my intention to upset anyone.
. 
