A modern person is more accustomed to encountering witches in children's fairy tales and fantasy stories. These creatures are found in ancient traditions and mystical legends, in medieval stories and mysterious retellings.
Who are witches
Due to many stereotypes, people often picture witches as ancient, humpbacked old women with gray hair and wart-covered, hooked noses. They live in wooden huts in a deep forest, where they store their magic potions from frog legs and unknown herbs. It is difficult for a person to imagine that even his pleasant and pretty neighbor could be a witch.
Over time, the word "witch" has lost its original meaning. In the old days, this was the name for people who knew how to see what was hidden from others. The word "witch" originated in the pre-Christian world and meant a knowing mother. This was a respected woman in society, with whom they consulted, whose words were listened to, and without whose opinion not a single important decision for the community was made, whether it was creating a new family, a military campaign or the beginning of sowing a crop.
Attitudes towards witches changed dramatically with the introduction of Christianity. The Church saw in the witches dangerous competitors and did everything to denigrate them. Knowledgeable women were caught in witchcraft, they were accused of all sins. Only one of their existence was associated with the fall of livestock, epidemics, crop failures and droughts. Throughout the Christian world, witches were burned as dissidents. In medieval times, the fires of the Inquisition blazed throughout Europe. Over time, witches turned into negative characters. They began to hide their existence, and those of them who were able to survive began to call themselves healers and healers.
Who is a modern witch, and how to distinguish her from ordinary people
It has long been the case that knowledgeable people are almost never born in large families. Often these are families with an admixture of different bloods. The gift of guidance is inherited, but its initialization requires a special initiation, information about which is almost not preserved in our days. Most often, initialization occurs suddenly, due to shocks and tragic events. This is quite logical if you look at the fact that the very essence of witches attracts dark forces to itself. However, the gift does not always wake up immediately. It so happens that witches need to spend many years in order to accept and learn to use their abilities.
Modern witches do not differ in appearance from ordinary people. They are not endowed with any special charming beauty, do not stand out for the color of their skin or hair. It is believed that only their eye color can look different in different photographs.
The behavior of witches is also no different from the behavior of most people. They easily join the company, are pleasant to talk to, but in their hearts they always remain lonely. Even in the family circle, witches feel like strangers.
