For thousands of years both those who have participated in Witchcraft and Wicca have been condemned by society. They are perceived as a single religion of Devil worshipping anti-Christians. In truth however, Witchcraft and Wicca are neither the same religion nor are they satanic cults (although many Wiccans incorrectly, according to traditional witches, call themselves witches). Today, though more widely accepted, both witches and Wiccans strive to carve their niche in society.
             Presence of witches has dated back to Biblical times. In the Old Testament, it states as one of the commandments, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" (Exodus 22:18). The Bible says how Lilith, Adam's first wife, worked with striga, the word for witch (Marshall 22).
             Fast-forward a few thousand years later to the fourteenth century. Witchcraft is still going on in Europe and several thousand people were killed because they were thought to be witches. During the 1500s, witches became very prominent roles in European literature. "Trials for witches were not unusual either, especially in England, the home of the settlers in Salem a generation before" (Chadwick 21-22).
             That brings up the year 1692. This is the year that in Salem, Massachusetts, the infamous Salem Witch Trials occurred.
             Eleven-year old Abigail Williams, who lived with her uncle, a minister in Salem, Mass., began to act strangely during the cold winter of 1692. She started by running around her house flapping her arms like a bird and whispering 'Whish! Whish!' Then she got down on her knees, in front of her family, and went into convulsions. She grabbed her throat with one hand, pushing away some unseen demon with the other, and screeched that a witch was trying to strangle her. Next, she took the irons from the fireplace and tried to fly up the chimney. (19)
             These jumbled events kicked off the Salem Witch Trials. Many other friends ...