StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

How Evil Has Evolved from the Early Witch Craze to Contemporary Ideas on Evil - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Struggles with good and evil began in ancient and early times. As long as man has believed in some type of higher being of protection, the opposite has been created to balance the good and evil scales. Exactly where did Satan evolve?…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.7% of users find it useful
How Evil Has Evolved from the Early Witch Craze to Contemporary Ideas on Evil
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "How Evil Has Evolved from the Early Witch Craze to Contemporary Ideas on Evil"

Download file to see previous pages

Exactly where did Satan evolve? The first appearance of Satan or the concept of Satan began following the Babylonian captivity of Judah in the 4th and 5th centuries. “Shatan” became known as the evil one to the Persians, as they became fearful of the Israelites. The Israelite faith adapted to the figure God, and he became the creator of good and Satan became the evil one. In ancient times good and evil pagans were formed as early cultures began to change from hunters of food to gradual farming societies.

Gods and Goddesses of the Harvest were formed, as a way of giving thanks to what was harvested. Eastern and Western Europe were the first to see magical practices and witchcraft through all cultures shortly after. However, witchcraft, was not given the name witchcraft until the 13th century when the Anglo-Saxons formed covens. Dracula also has a history of being one from the dark side. Oblivious to some in our society, the name Dracula evolved from a Vlad Dracul who actually lived in Romania in the 14th century.

Vlad Tepes was born on December 1431 in Sighisoara, Romania and his father was the governor of Transylvania. He was inducted into the Order of Dragon, which was a military/religious society, one year before. The primary goal of the society was a crusade for good, and war against the Turks. The Boyars of Romania felt that the Order of Dragon was evil, and associated it with the Devil They dubbed Vlad’s father “Dracul”, which in Romanian means Devil. Thus, Dracula evolved from the name, which means “the son of the devil.

” The 15th century brought about the Witch Trials, which began in 1490, and these times have been called “the burning times.” England established the first and second Witchcraft Act, which made it illegal to organize covens in the 16th century. From this time forward, the covens were forced to go underground and become secret. A new and stricter law was passed in the early 16th century and was able to stay in place until the early 17th century; however, hysteria broke out in England, and tricked to the American colonies.

The Salem Witch Trails began in Massachusetts during the late 1600s. Evil at its highest point expanded to include hangings, drowning and burnings at the stake. By the 18th century, England gained some stability, and the 16th century Witchcraft Act was repealed by King George II. By the 19th century, some of the secret covens began stepping into the public eye, and many books and publications on the subject were written in England. By the 20th Century the last Witchcraft Act of England was reformed, and the Craft was no longer illegal by 1951.

Wicca was formed in 1951, which combines beliefs from folklore and mythology and was seen as a woman’s religion. In the 21st century or the “New Age,” native American beliefs become popular through TV and movies. This brings pagan beliefs to the surface as an acceptable and open religion. In 2007 the Veterans Administration approves the Pentagram’s use as a symbol acceptable on headstones in military cemeteries. From ancient times to our modern present times, good and evil have always been a part of our lives.

If there is a good, then in retrospect there has to be an evil; is this true? There are natural evil occurrences in our society, floods and earthquakes, being struck by lightning and terminal illnesses. These all bring devastation, death and despair. But there is also humanistic evil, which most psychologist would call abnormal human traits. This is a question of moral evil and how our society views good and evil. As the timeline indicates we have drastically relaxed our values to allow evil a comfortable place in our society.

This is not to say that good is better or evil is

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“How Evil Has Evolved from the Early Witch Craze to Contemporary Ideas Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/environmental-studies/1419371-witchcraft-and-magic
(How Evil Has Evolved from the Early Witch Craze to Contemporary Ideas Essay)
https://studentshare.org/environmental-studies/1419371-witchcraft-and-magic.
“How Evil Has Evolved from the Early Witch Craze to Contemporary Ideas Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/environmental-studies/1419371-witchcraft-and-magic.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF How Evil Has Evolved from the Early Witch Craze to Contemporary Ideas on Evil

How the Influence of Historical Designers Affects Today Contemporary Interior Designs

The earliest designers emerged from the Roman Empire, however, were not given the label professional designers during that historical period.... ?? This exhibition brought about design reform from the organizers of the exhibition itself.... Donna Purcell Order 536204 15 May 2011 How the Influence of Historical Designers Affects Todays' contemporary Interior Designs How exactly did the profession of Interior Design begin?... The history of interior design has a definite influence on the contemporary designs of today....
12 Pages (3000 words) Assignment

Vampirism and Religion in Literature

Bram Stoker's Dracula is an undead count who rises from the dead; his parable If often compared with the myth of Jesus Christ.... Bram Stoker's Dracula is an undead count who rises from the dead; his parable If often compared with the myth of Jesus Christ.... Their clash is a typical example of a classic battle between Good and evil or the devil vs.... The main premise of the novel covers the basic concepts regarding the promise of Christian salvation; according to which strong faith in God will help them combat evil and will ensure their safety in this world and the world after it....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Enrique Chagoya: Painter and Print-maker

The Nahua are considered to be the original indigenous peoples of Mexico, descendents of the Toltecs and the Aztecs among other early civilizations, so it is likely Chagoya's early childhood bedtime stories included many of the myths and legends of these ancient people (Lockhart, 1996).... His interest in art was also started early thanks to his father, who relaxed in the evenings with his painting and taught his son the basics of drawing and color theory....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

Birth of the Modern Age

Third, our knowledge and observations of what historians call the modern age allow us to identify distinguishing characteristics that mark a transition from the old or ancient world to the new or modern one: the way humans performed their activities of learning, earning, governing, and looking at the world around them.... These so-called modern ways - the scientific method of learning, the transition from feudalism to the rule of law, democratic government and free market economics, and a widening focus from the local and regional to the international and the universal world - are facets of the human character and culture that we witness in ourselves now and that we see as taking root in the hearts and souls of the writers whose written works we are to analyze....
13 Pages (3250 words) Essay

A delusion of Satan by Frances Hill

He looked for evil everywhere but in his own life and heart.... He looked for evil everywhere but in his own life and heart.... Being wholly convinced that this "evil practice" consisted of "entering into a compact with the devil in exchange for certain powers to do evil" (Boyer, Paul S.... Then, by paralleling the events at Salem with more recent incidents of apparent mass hysteria, she attempts to argue that this mania is still a very much present element within contemporary society....
15 Pages (3750 words) Book Report/Review

History According to Neo-Conservative Historians

Invariably, according to Strauss and Neo-Cons, the devolved masses give rise to Hitler-like evil.... The media has often decried the obvious combative, angry, and mean-spirited nature of Americas contemporary political discourse.... As a Jew who lived through Hitlers time, Strauss philosophy was… In a nutshell, Strauss viewed Hitlers rise as not having resulted from Germanys post- world war one socio-economic predicament- the view held by most experts and historians- but rather as the result of Europes evolution towards liberalized labor Strauss believed liberal government policies were providing the masses with rights, power, and leisure that their simple minds neither deserved, nor were capable of responsibly wielding....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

The Role of Religious Strife in the Witch Hunts in Switzerland

One of the debates among several scholars and historians is from the witch hunts of early, modern Europe.... More importantly, the case studies are analyzed from the viewpoint of the author and are looked into specifically through the results in the community.... The debates that have taken place are based… More importantly, there are different questions over why it happened and the results that have occurred in history as a result of the witch hunts....
11 Pages (2750 words) Book Report/Review

Versions of Jason and the Argonauts

Made for a modern audience, this film diverges from the original myth in order to tell a story that is more satisfying to the contemporary audience.... The coat of arms of that city has a dragon that is derived from the story of Jason.... he oral traditions of epic poems and tales are the foundation from which the story originates.... The story is Greek in origin and uses the traditional Greek gods as the moral compasses from which the story is guided....
16 Pages (4000 words) Literature review
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us