Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological

Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...

, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural

Supernatural

The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...

 or magical powers. A witch (from Old English wicca masculine, wicce feminine

Witch (etymology)

The word witch derives from the Old English nouns wicca "sorcerer, wizard" and wicce "sorceress, witch". The word's further origins in Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European are unclear.-Germanic etymology:...

) is a practitioner of witchcraft. Historically, it was widely believed in early modern

Early modern period

In history, the early modern period of modern history follows the late Middle Ages. Although the chronological limits of the period are open to debate, the timeframe spans the period after the late portion of the Middle Ages through the beginning of the Age of Revolutions...

 Christian Europe that witches were in league with the Devil

Devil

The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...

 and used their powers to harm people and property. Particularly, since the mid-20th century, "bad" and "good" witchcraft are sometimes distinguished, the latter often involving healing.