The practice of Witchcraft is interesting not only because of its inherently fascinating qualities but because it does not fit into an easily discernible category when tracing it back down the timeline. It is not a religion even though it contains religious elements, and its philosophies and moral standards vary widely depending on where you look. It is characterized above all by the use of some sort of magic. The history of Witchcraft is foggy but there are a few things we know for sure.

It is ancient and dates back as far as mankind itself. Witchcraft started out as Paganism and Paganism predates even Christianity! It is a variation of the oldest religion know to man. The belief in witchcraft was widespread in the past. It was widely practiced in ancient Egypt and Babylon, for example. There are countries like Africa where the definitions for magic are so complex and the systems of thought on the subject so diverse and dense that you would have to break witchcraft into categories to get an accurate representation of their beliefs toward it.

In Europe things were much more simple. Witchcraft gained in folklore until around the middle ages when it really started to become a part of popular culture. The characteristic of witches being evil and in league with Lucifer developed over time. You have to understand that Christianity was not always the dominant religion. There was a time when it competed against Paganism. During its infancy the followers of Christianity naturally assumed the magic of their God would defeat the old Pagan magic. They saw this as something to be overcome and viewed Pagans from a purely competitive standpoint. It was more important to outdo them than to control or eliminate them.

Europe had its good moments with regards to witchcraft. In the 8th century the Emperor Charlemagne declared the burning of witches to be a Pagan custom, and as such was punishable by death. But in the coming years the country would develop an obsession for blaming bad occurrences on "witchcraft" and soon began hunting witches ceaselessly. The European governments' ties with religion only served to embolden the religious leaders of that era. The Protestant Christian establishment characterized witches as in league with Lucifer and promoted the idea heavily. They invented the notion of the "witch's sabbath", as an event where witches would murder children and perform blood sacrifices to Satan. Everything related to Witchcraft was suddenly related to Satanism.

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