The idea of witches has existed throughout history, essentially as one of the oldest feminist movements in recorded history.
While it is true that all cultures have had the idea of people of spiritual power, the idea of them being women and being associated with the word "witch" which comes from the latin word "wicca" meaning "power" and "lichen" meaning "goddess" wasn't spread until relatively recently from the West.
It was designed originally as an affront to organized religion. While some people associate it with Satan worship, some of the first witches were actually Israeli-Indians.
Becoming a witch was seen as a way for women who were ugly or born with birth defects to gain status, by running counter to society. It's no coincidence that witches are associated with green skin, since many self-proclaimed witches actually were infected with ganggrene, though it wasn't too common, since those witches usually died pretty quickly, witches loved engaging in degenerate fecal sex acts. They had hoards of beta males licking their feet, and volunteering to be boiled in oil so as to be eaten and bonded with the local goddesses.
Anthropologically speaking 'witchcraft' is simply any 'magic' worked with the intent to harm. 'Sorcery tends to fall under this header'.
>Israeli-Indians The oldest witchcraft manuscripts are Babylonian and appear to be non-Hebrew.
>wicca Created by a follower of Crowley in the 50's. Relatively weak stuff compared to other currents but BTW is fairly legit, most BTW initiates I know at least study grimoires. You're not going to find anything of huge value in the 'new age' section of your local bookstore.
The 'witch cult' hypothesis is largely bullshit, but there's good evidence of some sort of lineal transmission from the practices written about in Saducismus Triumphatus and A Candle in the Dark through various cunning crafters and grimoire practitioners ala Grimoire of Arthur Gauntlet down to modern praxis, likely via Spare but this is highly contentious.
Isaiah Bennett
Must be why most autistic high school girls think they are witches
Christopher Watson
I'm pretty interested in the mythology of witches. I'm pretty sure there's a connection to use of entheogens, particularly deliriants. I've often wondered if this could be some kind of explanation for claims of bewitchment. I imagine some intuitive proto-human alchemist women turned psycho witch-doctor in a horrific Shrek swamp decorated with shrunken heads and blood paintings doing some Elizabeth Bathory shit with amanita mushrooms or ayahuasca.
Adam Harris
>93 >entheogens, particularly deliriants Yes.
>some kind of explanation for claims of bewitchment Doesn't account for the cultures with limited access to or use of the plant materials in question. Witchcraft does actually exist in cultures where deleriants aren't really a thing.
Most records of flying ointment call for animal fat. We have an instance of baby fat reported by a theologian who knew Crowley but said theologian doesn't actually drop his source on that so I'm still a touch skeptical.
