Witches: Hunted Power or a Tool for Ruling Fear?

In ancient Egypt, priests kept spell books, clay figures, and formulas meant to heal, protect the living, or curse an enemy. The British Museum Magazine describes bound clay figures, human hair attached to figures, and rituals built on the belief that an object once touching a person remained connected to that person. These were real objects made and used in a real society.

Across the centuries, the same kind of knowledge was renamed. In a palace it was ritual. In the hands of a priest supported by a king it was protection. When a rural woman, midwife, or healer used it outside church control, it became "witchcraft". People were not always hunted because they possessed supernatural power. They were hunted because they held knowledge and influence that authorities did not want outside their control.