While witchcraft is by no means reserved for fair gender only, we mostly tend to think about witches as women with very special powers. The magic, possessed by women, is simple: they are able to give birth. By being able to create life they have an ultimate power with which nobody can't compete.

 

For many centuries this power was respected and feared in all societies in the world. In male dominated communities this power was somehow controlled by controlling women in numerous ways, including by always making them pregnant and exhausted for non-stop taking care of children.

 

Single women were completely different. They were often condemned by other members of society, including women, and in certain eras accused of witchcraft. Witch hunt actually proved a good business for some time because inquisitors got a chance to acquire possessions of their convicts.

 

With extremely cruel methods of torturing, almost everybody confessed just about everything the inquisitor wanted. Even more. While confessing, he (or mostly she), accused his (or her) neighbors as well. The vicious circle of torturing then continued until whole villages came in possession of witch hunters ...

 

This section will be devoted to the most famous witches in history. And no, sorry, you won't find characters from Harry Potter here.