Essay Witchcraft Portrayed in Films - 6180 Words

An ugly and frightening old woman crouches ominously over a big worn cauldron, set over a crackling red fire. Her skin is wrinkled, cragged and coloured in a strange tone that isnt quite natural, and her face features a long and crooked nose, adorned with a few erratic warts. She is wearing a long black robe that has seen better days, and a tall conical hat with a large rim covers her untidy hair. She concentrates on her cauldron, in which some unwholesome-looking liquid is boiling and sending off coloured fume into the air. In the background, one can glimpse a row of jars and pots, each filled with exotic and macabre ingredients. Her old broom, made not for sweeping but for flight stands in a corner, and she is watched by the glowing and†¦show more content†¦Norman Cohen in Europes Inner Demons claims that there is no factual basis for any accounts of witches Sabbaths. Written accounts of such events are either `forgeries or the result of stories originated by the church a nd other authorities as a means of persecuting non orthodox groups. (Russell, page 114) It stems originally from the period of expansion of Christianity, during the third century of the Common Era. Christianity, following a monotheistic set of beliefs declared that any other representations of the Divine were incorrect, and that any other Gods were in fact demons from the legions of Satan. `Christianity succeeded, for a time, in making the Gods of the old religion the Devil of the new. (Crowley, Page 17) However, even with the political power of the conversion of Rome behind Christianity, it was having a hard time superimposing itself over the then present traditions, and on many times having to resort to violence and trickery to achieve its goals, such as for example, the remapping the paganShow MoreRelatedThe Middle Of The 16th Century1571 Words   |  7 Pages19 men women, all convicted of witchcraft, were carted to Gallows Hills to be hanged as their punishment. Trials were he ld for many of the people that were accused because based on their religion witchcraft was strictly prohibited and would not be tolerated in any circumstances. Although it may be considered ironic if a person was to admit to witchcraft there was less of a punishment as compared to a person who denied the accusation. The accusation of witchcraft and the trials caused an uproar inRead MoreThe Crucible By Nicholas Hytner1638 Words   |  7 Pagesthey are engulfed in the mass hysteria of witchcraft. 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