do witches and wizards really exist?

Hello curious kids! Do you’ve gotten an issue you prefer to answered by an authority? Ask an adult to send your query to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au

Do witches and wizards really exist? Mabel, aged 7, Anglesea, Victoria.

They are, but not in the best way most individuals think.

The witches and wizards you examine in fairy tales and fantasy can often do amazing things. They can fly, forged spells and brew potions. Some may even see the longer term. These witches and wizards aren’t real, but are based on people who find themselves.

Calling someone a witch or a wizard wasn't at all times nice. In many cultures, the practice of magic was looked down upon or considered evil. Many countries have passed laws prohibiting use magic. This meant that these were often individuals who were thought to practice magic punishedeven in the event that they didn't actually do anything mistaken.

Ancient world

Thousands of years ago, in places like Greece and Rome, it wasn't illegal to make use of magic unless you hurt someone with it.

For example, in Rome, it was illegal to make use of magic to steal a neighbor's crops. We know this because two Roman writers, Pliny and Seneca, mention it after they speak about 12 original Roman laws.

We also found many records showing that the Greeks and Romans had witches and wizards, including a whole book of spells called Greek magical papyri. This book comprises instructions for creating and casting every kind of spells.

Some of those spells were carved on lead and will be present in museums today.

Read also: Curious kids: Are mermaids real?

Witch hunts and wizard towers

The situation has modified in Medieval AND Early modern European periods. The use of magic became related to devil worship, so it was seen not only as illegal, but in addition as heresy – or sin against God.

This meant that anyone suspected or convicted of using magic was in trouble not only with the law, but in addition with the Church.

After all, books have been written on methods to discover and punish witches. The most famous of them is the so-called Pendulum (Hammer of witches). It was written by two German priests, Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, around 1486.

It was also a time when people began to consider that witches had amazing powers, a few of which were written about in Gavel. People thought that witches rubbed themselves or their brooms with ointment to fly to gatherings at night where they cooked and ate. kids. They also thought that witches had the facility to rework people into Animals.

These powers eventually made their way into folklore, which was then written down in fairy tales corresponding to Hansel and Gretel.

In other places, magic was less persecuted. John Dee (1527-1608) was the court astronomer to Queen Elizabeth I. He was also a mathematician, astrologer, occultist and alchemist. Although most of his research bridged the gap between magic and science, Dee wouldn't see much of a difference between the 2.

All of his research was about understanding the world around him.

Just as persecuted witches became the witches of fairy tales, Dee and other people like him contributed to the concept that wizards were clever men living in towers, a bit like JK Rowling Albus dumbledore.

À lire aussi: Curious children: why don't people grow wings?

Witches and wizards today

Nowadays, wizards are mostly assigned to fantasy or performing artists who often call themselves magicians. But witches have change into more common than ever.

In the Nineteen Forties and Fifties, a brand new religious movement, the so-called Wicca. Wicca, or pagan witchcraft, will likely be related to the cult of the Goddess and God. Magical rituals could also be a part of Wiccan practice, but this will not be at all times needed.

In the late Nineteen Sixties, many ladies's activist groups called themselves using the acronym WITCH. There have been many variations of this acronym, corresponding to “Women Inspired to Tell Their Collective Story” or “Women Outraged by Phone Company Harassment.” These witches used their platform to fight women's rights.

The 2011 UK Census found 11,766 people identified themselves as Wiccan and 1,276 identified themselves as practicing witchcraft.

The sort of person we would call a witch or wizard is always changing. So even when the witches and wizards of fairy tales and fantasy aren’t real, the people they’re based on are.