Witchcraft has always fascinated many people and was a very controversial topic in North America during the 17th century. Many people believe that witchcraft involves the ability to harm or use supernatural powers to harm others. People believed that a witch represented the dark side of the female present and were more likely to embrace witchcraft than men. There are still real witches among us in Utah who believe that witchcraft is the oldest religion dealing with the occult. However, the popular conception of witch has not changed since at least the 17th century; they still caused panic, fear and a variety of other emotions in people………… Witchcraft is the most illogical and despised practice involving supernatural power. “It involves the ability to hurt others. A witch usually gains her power through an intrinsic physical factor or through the power of another witch. Witches have a special organ called a mangu, located somewhere behind the breastbone or attached to the liver. "[11] A woman/man can become a witch through the influence of another witch or contact with another witch. Witches mean no harm; they are victims of witchcraft as much as those on whom they practice it. They have innate power and often do not know what they are doing. Belief in witchcraft helps people explain the causes of illness, death and misfortune experienced by a person or group when no other explanation can be found of cases, when witches caused harm and calamity, they were punished by death, sometimes by banishment. They were also forced to admit guilt through torture, fear, or the hope of a lighter punishment of witches work at night, are able to cover long distances very quickly, time...... middle of paper......do you believe in witchcraft-in-tanzania.html3 “Witchcraft in North America” www . wikipedia.org4. Boyer, Paul and Nissenbaum, Stephen."Salem owned" the United States of America 1974.5. Knopf, Alfred. “Into the Devil's Snare” New York 2003 Pg 186. Dee, Ivan. “A Fever in Salem” New England 1999. Pg 687. Woodward, Walter “New England's Other Witch Hunt: The Hartford Witch Hunt of 1660 and Changing Patterns in Witchcraft Prosecution” OAH Magazine of History , 20038. Cavendish, Richard. “A history of magic” New York, 1977 pages 69-799. Lisa, Kelly. “Moving in the Shadows: Violence in the Lives of Minority Women and Children”10. Stonehocker, Kolbie “Witches, Wiccans and Pagans” Rita Morgan: everyday life, not religion 2012 www.cityweekly.net11. Annemaire de Waal Malefijt, “Religion and culture: an introduction to the anthropology of religion” The United States of America 1989