Witchcraft

Witchcraft (from Old English wiccecræft "sorcery, necromancy"), in various historical, anthropological, religious and mythological contexts, is the use of certain kinds of alleged supernatural or magical powers.

A witch (from Old English masculine wicca, feminine wicce, see Witch (etymology)]While mythological] Witchcraft still exists in a number of belief systems, and indeed there are many today who self-identify with the term "witch" (see below, under Neopaganism).

While the term "witchcraft" can have positive or negative connotations depending on cultural context (for instance, in post-Christian European cultures it has historically been associated with evil and the Devil), most contemporary people who self-identify as witches see it as beneficent and morally positive.

The majority of people identified as practitioners of witchcraft in history were women.citation needed]dubious ] Likewise, in legends and popular culture the stereotype is female. The term witch is typically feminine: masculine equivalents include wizard, sorcerer, warlock, and magician.