巫術也稱黑魔法，是巫師，尤其是女巫施行的法術。西方人曾相信女巫具有超自然的力量，可呼喚妖魔協助她們作惡。跟隨她們的妖魔稱為“巫使”，通常以貓、蛇、貓頭鷹和狗形式出現。
有人認為女巫也可變化為動物，所以她們可以四處遊蕩而不為人所知。據說女巫能夠飛翔。飛行時或騎在掃帚或耙子上，或騎在某種有魔力的動物背上。女巫懂得如何煎制魔藥、製作符錄，以蠱惑他人。女巫也有預卜未來的本領。據說她們還有魔眼，即用目光傷害或殺死他人的能力。在中世紀，每當莊稼欠收、馬匹走失、牛群遭瘟、車輛損壞、婦女流產或風暴摧毀房舍，總要找一個女巫承擔罪責。有人還認為某些女巫每年舉行一次女巫安息日聚會。與會者有十二個女巫及魔鬼本人。
幾乎所有被懷疑行巫術的人都是婦女，特別是些年老、瘦削、畸形、面色蒼白而憂鬱的婦女。驗證女巫的通常做法是看身上是否長有魔鬼授予的“女巫標記”，如痣、疣、胎記、痘痕、丘疹、肉瘤、囊腫等。女人或有返祖特徵，如長有多餘的乳房，也被視為女巫，理由是她們用多餘的乳房哺育巫使。不會哭泣的女人也有行巫術的嫌疑。在17世紀的歐洲和北美殖民地，有女巫嫌疑的人往往被捆綁起來，投入水中，如果她下沉，就證明清白，如果浮在水面，就被斷定為女巫，處以死刑。
早期歐洲基督教會曾對巫術較寬容，但到了中世紀末，人們開始將使用魔法為人治病的婦女視為女巫，或魔鬼的門徒。許多女人被控行巫術，遭受拷打後被施以火刑。其中大多數顯然是無辜的。
自18世紀啟蒙運動始，人們開始對巫術持懷疑態度，對巫術的迷信不再流行。
原文
Witchcraft, also called black magic, is the power or practices of witches.Western people used to believe that witches had supernatural powers.
They were supposed to be able to call up spirits and make them do evil things. Their special helping spirits are called “familiars”, who take the form of animals, particularly cats, snakes, owls, and dogs.
Some people believed witches had the power to change into animals.This power enabled them to travel about secretly. Witches also were said to be able to fly. They flew by riding brooms or rakes, or riding magical animals. Witches had great knowledge of how to make magical potions and charms, which were used to change people’s behavior. Witches were
believed to be able to see into the future.
They were also believed to have the evil eye – that is, the ability to harm or kill by looking.when crops failed, horses ran away, cattle sickened, wagon broke, women miscarried,or storms destroyed house, a witch was always found to blame.
Some of these reputed witches were thought to hold yearly ceremonies called Witches’Sabbath, a midnight meeting of 12 witches and the Devil.
Nearly all those who were suspected of practicing witchcraft were women, especially old women who were lean and deformed, looking pale and melancholy, or with red hair. People used to identify witches by examining the suspects’ bodies to see whether they have “witch marks” made by the Devil, such as moles, warts, birthmarks, pockmarks, cysts,
or wens on their bodies. Women with additional breasts were believed to be witches, because their additional breasts were supposed to be used to suckle familiars. A woman was also found guilty of witchcraft if she was unable to weep. In many witch trials of the 17th century in Europe and colonial America , a suspected witch was tied up and thrown into water. If she sank, she was considered a witch -- and was executed.
In the early Christian centuries, the church was relatively tolerant of magical practices. But in the late Middle Ages European people began to look upon those women who tried to cure diseases by using magic as witches, or the followers of Satan. Many women accused of practicing witchcraft were tortured or even burned to death. Most of them were obviously innocent.
The belief in witchcraft declined at the beginning of the 18th century when people began to examine their old beliefs again with a skeptical eye.
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