Whether witchcraft is a phenomenon of hatred or healing, philosophy essay
The history of witchcraft. There is some debate about the origin of the word witch, but what is known is that the term appears in the Bible. King Saul, found in Samuel, sets out to find the. The ability to both cast and undo curses is a unique aspect of folkloric witchcraft. This duality emphasizes the moral ambiguity in these stories. As folklorist Maria Tatar notes, “The ability to curse and heal in folklore illustrates the dual nature of power and responsibility in witchcraft. This aspect emphasizes that there is power in it. The Kuranko see that practitioners of witchcraft lack the necessary qualities of humanity: straightforwardness, openness, and mindfulness of others. Witches are not one of them and therefore deserve no respect. They are not even considered people because they do not deserve the respect that comes from being considered a person. In Evans-Pritchard's story, the theme of the witch's redemption is seen as follows: the witch is supposed to stop doing injustice to the witch. bewitched, that is, stop holding grudges that lead to witchcraft. While this process only involves the witch's redemption, there may actually be a deeper theme of Zande witchcraft.