Media To Blame For False View Of Witchcraft

An old woman standing over a smouldering cauldron is what most of us associate with the concept of witchcraft today. Thanks to mainstream media, including films, television and books, ancient practices of witchcraft have been turned into a cultural mockery.

Traditional forms of witchcraft, currently present in mostly African and Caribbean countries, have been commercialized and stereotyped by popular characters like Maleficent in Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty, the three witches of Hocus Pocus and others.

However, to some extent, novels like the Harry Potter series and television shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch have worked to counter the traditional stereotypes, by portraying witches as normal human beings with abnormal powers.

Still, it seems that traditional stereotypes prevail. Full Story

Related: religion, wicca, pagan, spells