Many people have vague ideas of what real witches are, usually formed by children’s stories or by the faith that they learned whilst growing up. To compound the problem, many people will simply repeat the information they’ve heard and assumed as fact, so when you are exploring the concept of witchcraft, you will come across many of these myths and misleading “facts”. Here are a few of the most popular myths about witches:
Myth #1: Real witches are Wiccan
Witchcraft and Wicca are two entirely separate things. Witchcraft is a craft or skill, just as cooking is a craft or skill. It can be learned and practiced by anyone who can follow instructions and focus on what they’re doing. Wicca is a religion, constructed in the 1950′s by a man named Gerald Gardner. Some Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are Wiccans.
Myth #2: Real witches worship satan, and “pagan” means “satanist”
Witches do not believe in Satan. Satan himself is a construct of the Christian faith, as a counterpart to the religion’s God. Therefore, to put it quite simply, to believe in Satan you first have to believe in God, which requires you to be a Christian.
Myth #3: The pentagram is the symbol of Satan
The pentagram can be found dating back as far as 3,000 BC in Mesopotamian writings, having an astrological meaning; it represented the five planets Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Saturn, and Venus. Since then it has appeared in many different cultures and represented many groups, including having a sacred meaning for Christians.
- In Judaism it is the Seal of Solomon.
- In Taoism it symbolises the five elements wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.
- In Mormonism the pentagram appears inverted in many Temples
- In Christianity the pentagram represents the five senses, and sometimes the five wounds of Christ. In medieval times Christians actually wore pentagrams in the belief that it would protect them from demons.
- Both Ethiopia and Morocco have pentagrams on their country’s flag.
- Satanism uses the pentagram inverted, or pointing down, to symbolize pointing towards Hell, with the two upward points representing the devil’s horns.
- In Witchcraft, the pentagram points up towards the heavens, and the points represent earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. There are many different types of real witches, however, and Reconstructionist witches do not recognize or use the pentagram at all.
Myth #4: All real witches are female
Both men and women can practice witchcraft, and both may refer to themselves as “witches”. Some modern-day men refer to themselves as “wizards” in an attempt to denote masculinity, and authors frequently use the term “wizard” to denote a male witch. In Old English, “wicca” (wik-ka) meant “male wizard or sorcerer” and “wicce” (witch-ee) meant “female witch or sorceress”.
Myth #5: The persecution of real witches is over
Unfortunately this isn’t true. While we no longer have public hangings, crushings, burnings, or quarterings of witches here in the United States, that does not mean that they are not persecuted. Some witches still find that if they reveal their beliefs, some people will shun them and their families. Many find that once their beliefs are found out, their employer will fire them. Outspoken witch authors both offline and online receive very nasty “hate” mail, comments on their websites, and slandering of their names and reputations. There are many different types of persecution, not just killings.
Myth #6: Witches Worship Satan
The belief that witches were associated with Satanism, devil worship and the promotion of evil was probably first spread and encouraged by clerics in medieval Europe. The Christian religious hierarchy saw witchcraft as a direct threat to the authority of Christianity and therefore their authority in society. This was an attempt to turn society away from the practice of witchcraft.
In fact, modern witchcraft in particular is very far removed from the worship of an evil force. Witchcraft worships and honours nature in all its beauty and variety.
Witches don’t believe in the devil, but rather, worship nature in its symbolic manifestation as Earth God and Earth Goddess.
Myth #6: Wichcraft and Wicca are the same thing
Although based on some ancient pagan beliefs, Wicca is a modern religion created around the 1950s in Northern Europe. Wicca has become synonymous with witches, although historical references to witchcraft predates Wicca by hundreds of years. A common interpretation of the relationship between the terms Wicca and Witchcraft is that Wiccans practice the religion of Witchcraft.
Myth #7: Witches practice evil sorcery and can put a curse on you
No one can put a curse on another, and certainly not a witch! Witches must abide by the ethical principle of their craft, the most important of which is not to harm anyone.
Witchcraft, amongst other things, involves the teaching, learning and developing of spells, rituals and a lifestyle to promote well-being, health and happiness. For example, a witch can perform a ritual to help ward off disease and illness. A true Witch would never consider putting a curse on another person.
Myth #8: All Witches Practice black magic
True magic is neither black nor white, it’s both because nature is both loving and cruel. The only black or white is in the heart of the witch. That couldn’t be more true and it largely depends on the individual witch as to what purpose their workings are used for, but remember, there is good and bad in EVERY religion and belief system.
Myth #9: Witches sacrifice small animals and children
Nothing could be further from the truth, as witches have great respect for ALL life and in no way do they think they have power over other beings, paticularly children of all ages.
Myth #10: Witches are obsessed with sex and dancing naked
Witchcraft is based on the union of the Goddess and the God and the fruitfulness of the land at certain times of the year. Some covens do work naked, but not all, and it is certainly not compulsory to do when working alone, it is more to do with individual choice and what feels comfortable. Obviously, decency and legality must be taken into account when working outdoors, but there is certainly nothing obsessive or perverse about it!!
Remember when doing your research to explore as many resources as possible, and when you run across something that seems a little far-fetched, it’s very likely it’s a myth. Look up credible sources of information and weigh out all of the differing viewpoints carefully. Blessed Be!
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