What do witches do?

The story of the witch can be traced back to a long time ago. Many goddesses or mythical figures in Greek mythology have the characteristics of witches. For example, Medea, the daughter of King Kerkus and the wife of hero Eisson (who later became the wife of King Egos of Athens, probably without bigamy at that time), mastered a lot of witchcraft. Circe, the daughter of the sun god written in Homer's epic Odyssey in 600 BC, was directly called a witch-she sang with the siren, picked herbs and herbs with magical witchcraft effects, lured people to drink poisoned wine, and turned them into pigs with wands (the witch of WC3 probably learned from her). In ancient Roman myths and legends, Diana, the goddess in charge of women's childbirth and related to the moon and water, is also known as the "witch god".

These witchcraft and wizards only appear as a kind of folklore and belief. Generally speaking, a witch refers to a woman who can change the fate of others through spells, sacrifices or other rituals. Their common method of casting spells is casting spells. However, as the supporter of good and evil, Yahweh, was divided into God and Satan, witchcraft was gradually branded as the devil, and it was no longer just a simple folk belief-the wizard's magic was clearly pointed out to come from the devil.

The true record of witchcraft dates back to 12 century. Verdaud, a businessman in Lyon, France, preached the idea that poverty is happiness, and was denounced as heresy by the Pope. His disciples had to flee to the mountains and valleys to live in seclusion-so they became the first wizards in the wave of pursuing heresy. They were woven into all kinds of crimes by the inquisition-they deviated from Christianity, they cursed God, the Trinity, the Virgin Mary, they trampled on the cross ... they made the fields barren, they spread the plague, they killed people.

In this way, with the efforts of theologians and inquisitions, witchcraft moved from secularism to theory and became a part of medieval social consciousness-they rode brooms or animals at night and flew from windows or chimneys to the wild to attend wizards' parties.

About witchcraft

According to the different means and purposes of witchcraft, witchcraft is generally divided into the following three categories:

White witchcraft: also known as medical witchcraft (in fact, the division of witchcraft into white and black has long been clearly stipulated in Roman law, and this simple division in two still occupied a very important position until the end of 15). White witchcraft is beneficial to society, such as using spells or witchcraft to treat diseases, divination, and helping people find lost things. -This should be the predecessor of witchcraft and magic in today's games.

Black witchcraft: Also called curse witchcraft. Refers to the use of witchcraft to summon evil forces to intentionally hurt others. For example, controlling other people's bodies through chanting, making others sick through special rituals and so on. -These things have become black magic and black magic in today's games. (This classmate, you are right! The witch fire wall in Diablo, the frozen ball, the Lei Yun storm ... here it is. That classmate is also right, the witchcraft and magic used by PK are all black witchcraft ...! )

Devil's Covenant: This type of witchcraft began to appear in15th century, and was generally accepted by people in 16 and17th century. By making a secret contract with the devil, the devil gives the wizard who believes in him material benefits and related magic. The main contents of the devil's Covenant include reaching a contract with the devil, the wizard's midnight party and paying tribute to the devil. It is said that Satan will appear at the midnight party as a goat-interested friends can pay attention to it. In many European and American works of art, wizards, goblins and demons are all accompanied by goats.

How do witches do witchcraft-of course, you can't do it by pressing the shortcut key and reaching into the sky. The cost is 25 mana! First of all, in such a social environment, people believe in witchcraft; Then, it depends on the degree of compatibility between wizards and wizards. Now we can understand some of them as psychological hints, but there are still many parts that we can't understand. For example 1650, Alison Patterson of dumfries took several bags of cloth from Edward Owen. When Edward Owen asked her for money, Alison claimed that it was bold to ask her for money. So Edward was very ill and miserable that night. He stayed in bed for nine weeks. Finally, at Edward's repeated request, Alison knelt by his bed and prayed that God would give Edward health. Soon, Edward recovered-there are many such cases. If we understand some of them as coincidences, then in the face of so many coincidences, we seem to have to accept the answer that witchcraft is really useful, at least once.

Author: Xiaoyun Release Date: May 5, 2005

Witch persecution

Corresponding to the infinite scenery of witches in today's literature, movies and games, the fate of witches in the Middle Ages is quite tragic. They are considered social freaks. They are the source of evil, they cause diseases and deaths of people and animals, they wither crops, dry rivers, they rebel against God, they try to subvert society-they are evil, they are ominous-they must die. In fact, there are clear provisions in many laws to punish witches. For example, in 1532, the Carolina criminal law promulgated by Charles stipulated that witches should be sentenced to death; Witchcraft was incorporated into British statute law in 1542; Before 1563, the Christian church law and the common law also stipulated witchcraft as a crime.

Speaking of witchcraft persecution, this specific term first appeared in the United States in the last century. Although there was a record of searching for witches in ancient Europe a long time ago (note that this is not the same thing as searching for the witch Booker in online games), the real witch persecution broke out in the14th century, mainly in France, Germany and Italy. By the end of15th century, with the development of witchcraft theory, the persecution of witchcraft was no longer a regional raid, but a crusade by the whole society. It was not until the18th century that this panic gradually cooled down. During the witch persecution, except Spain and parts of southern Italy, the whole European continent was drowned in the cries of witch hunting, especially Germany, Scotland, France and Switzerland.

In order to search for witches, the authorities set up some special committees, and local governments, local churches, nobles and landlords also set up corresponding organizations. Even because of the reward system, there is a profession called "witch hunter"-by the way, Jonathan in the computer game "Blair Witch Project: Town Ghosts".

That's what Prye did. They are professional witch hunters-they wander around looking for witches. There are also witch hunters and torturers, and their method of identifying witches is also very simple:

Looking for the devil's sign: this kind of BT behavior is quite common in Scotland and other places. It is said that Satan left a very subtle trace on the wizard, which is considered as evidence that the devil's Covenant happened. As a result, a profession called "economic man" came into being. People brought the wizard to him, stripped him naked, so as to check whether there were "devil's marks" on him, and if there were marks, they stabbed them with tools such as pins or knives-people thought that because these marks were left by the touch of the devil, the subjects should not feel pain or leave blood. However, quite a few people are numb to stabbing because of cruel interrogation, and then they are considered witches.

Swimming: This kind of BT behavior is quite common in England and other places. This is not to let witches take part in swimming competitions, but to tie them tightly and put them face down in the water. If they rise, it proves that they are guilty, because it is blessed by the devil. If they sink, they are innocent-whether they are guilty or not, they will die. Isn't that cruel enough?

Search for goblins used by witches (that is, summoners and pet babies! ):

This goblin is a humanoid demon in animal form. In one case, a witch was convicted of a black cat running outside her house and was sentenced to death after a severe trial.

Of course, there are many strange ways to identify witches, many of which contain torture. Because before the execution of the death penalty, we should try our best to interrogate her accomplices in order to start a new round of trial-therefore, many inaccurate statements show that during the whole witch persecution period, the number of people accused of being "witches" in European countries was as high as 50,000 to100,000 or even more. The number of victims who have suffered losses in property, status and spirit is as high as one million!

Most witches were burned to death, including Joan of Arc. Others were lynched by the people, or stoned to death, or hanged, or drowned ... The last death penalty case occurred in Poland in 1793.

Author: Xiaoyun Release Date: May 5, 2005

Today's witches

Why is there such a witchcraft panic? At that time, the European continent was on the eve of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. Through religious reform, Christianity has become a political ideology. Witches, on the other hand, represent the most heretical behavior: they refuse to be baptized, sell their bodies and souls to the devil through contracts, meet at midnight and plot against God, church, country and people ... so they become political and ideological criminals. Therefore, there is no place for them in Germany, France, Sweden, Russia, Scotland and Switzerland.

At the same time, due to the turmoil and disasters in the European continent at that time-the Hundred Years War between Britain and France, the epidemic of the Black Death, crop failure, poverty and famine ... the whole society was in a state of serious tension, and the society under the feudal system and manor economy system was on the verge of anxiety, and people generally lacked a sense of security and distrust each other. Therefore, various reasons may become the fuse of witchcraft persecution, and then add fuel to the fire. Witch persecution gradually disappeared with the gradual separation of Christianity from politics and the prevalence of ideas such as freedom, fraternity and inviolability of personal property.

Then, due to the rise of romanticism and related works of art, slowly, the witch's dark experience was portrayed as resistance to the persecution of the church. They are no longer frightening women, but spiritual women who are familiar with medicine, life and nature. Today, witches are even designed to protect the balance of the world in various literary works and become enemies of the devil-I am afraid that witches who are tied to the cross and burned to death as servants of the devil can't imagine it.

So, what is the real world of contemporary witches like? They pay attention to harmony with nature, they respect their own gods, but they don't despise the beliefs of others. They love life and are helpful-at least that's what they claim-and of course, some of them have embarked on the road of commercialization. For example, there are some "wizard" clinics in Russia, and the advertisements say that cataracts can be removed painlessly, which can help people grow taller and even give women breast implants. (Khan)

Author: Xiaoyun Release Date: May 5, 2005

Witch (wizard) in the game

In the game, witches are almost invariably set as a long-range magic attack race, and their physical strength, defense ability, vitality and other data related to physical attacks are generally low, while their skill tree, qualifications and IQ are generally high. Because of different games, the attributes that affect their witchcraft ability are also called spirit, witchcraft, mana and psychic power accordingly. ...

-Although the settings of each game are different, there are basically the following things (props) to be a good witch:

Have a wand: In today's computer games, all the characters such as witches, wizards and wizards must put a wand in the equipment bar. In addition to circe's wand mentioned above, the source of the wand in the game should come from the witch persecution in the Middle Ages-in the theory of the devil's Covenant, people believe that witches can sit on a stick coated with special grease and then fly quickly to the forest to meet the devil. I thought I was unhappy for a wand for a long time when I was playing legend ...

There is a flying machine: that is, the origin of wand, a small stick. But later, I don't know why, the stick slowly evolved into a broom, probably because the broom is a little cooler than the stick. Later, this thing evolved from a broom to an aircraft made of corn stalks. This thing is not common in games. In the game, wizards usually master teleportation and other spells, and the game also provides places such as "portal" to provide convenience for players. However, in literary works and film and television works, flying machines frequently appear-this is what Harry Potter rode, but it is no longer a corn stalk.

Keep a pet: that is, summon a beast (in fact, in some ancient legends in Europe, witches can transform themselves into raptors-in the game, this ability has become the druid's specialty). It is said that using pets will make spells more powerful. In witchcraft legends, this kind of pet is mostly a cat, and it is a black cat. As for why it is black, it is estimated that it is because the devil is black. Of course, whether you want a spider, a crow, a lizard, a python, a mouse, a bat … or a toad depends on your personal hobby. Skull? Baby skeleton? Summon the beast? Well ... these things can also be counted. Remember to take good care of babies-pay attention to improving their attributes. Attack, defense, Jin Mu, fire, water, earth, oh, that's beside the point.

Find a notebook: you can call it the book of the moon shadow-that is, the spell book in Heroes Invincible. You must pay 500 gold coins before entering the Wizarding Guild. In more games, it appears in the form of a magic scroll, which is said to be used to record witches' witchcraft. This thing is more important than the witch's life. It records the essence of witchcraft in a witch's life, and it is a treasure that witches should guard all their lives. In the game, its use is very simple. You don't need to remember any strange spells at all. You just need to double-click your left mouse button, and then the game system will remind you that you have mastered some kind of witchcraft (magic).

Rings, necklaces and bracelets: The legend of rings is true. In the16th century, more than one witch doctor boasted that there was a devil in her ring. She can summon it through the mirror and let it predict the future-now you know why it is called The Lord of the Rings, not the king of earrings, necklaces and bracelets ...? Hey hey.

As for the crystal ball, the magic robe and the five-pointed star ceremony, I won't go into details one by one to save space. And other legendary props related to the dead, corpses (such as manipulating corpses-this is a trick often used by Blizzard) and dead babies. It was also saved because extreme nausea affected appetite, hehe. ^^

It should be noted that due to the rise of romanticism and its related literature, the horrible image and tragic fate of witches in the Middle Ages were gradually forgotten-they became omnipotent witches and magical wizards. They devote themselves to practice, and they maintain the harmony of nature-some of them have become evil dark wizard, and you can also understand her as BOSS. Most wizards have become alchemists (except, of course, our "alchemist Mary") and bright and sacred wizards. Today, witchcraft is presented to us as a unique cultural phenomenon. Especially Blizzard's Diablo and Ad & amp； D "series and other European and American games will carry forward this culture to the fullest. And based on ad &；; Magical literature developed under the D rule, such as Frozen Valley, Chronicle of Dragon Gun and its series of related literature, and other magical literature, such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, also played a great role in promoting it. With the popularity of movies and TV series with magical themes such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, this culture has reached unprecedented popularity and height. Other witches' cartoons, novels, movies, games ... also rolled in.

-So when you direct Sorcorcess to turn enemies into cute little sheep in warcraft 3, when you look at witches flying on the screen, when you loudly sell wizards' equipment in town ... don't envy those witches-in fact, they have never been so beautiful.