Thousand years Quote by Rossell Hope Robbins
““The words witch and witchcraft, in everyday usage for over a thousand years, have undergone several changes of meaning; and today witchcraft, having reverted to its original connotation of magic and sorcery, does not convey the precise and limited definition it once had during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. If witchcraft had never meant anything more than the craft of "an old, weather-beaten crone..." Europe would not have suffered, for three centuries from 1450 to 1750, the shocking nightmare, the foulest crime and the deepest shame of western civilization, the blackout of everything that homo sapiens, the reasoning man, has ever upheld. This book is about that shame...degradation stifled decency, the filthiest passions masqueraded under the cover of religion, and man's intellect was subverted to condone bestialities that even Swift's Yahoos would blush. Never were so many wrong, so long...””
About This Quote
Source Book: Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700, 1968
The term “witchcraft” shifted meanings over centuries, and its modern sense masks the historical atrocities and moral decay linked to its misuse.
In simple terms: Witchcraft's meaning changed, hiding past horrors.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how language can obscure history.
Themes
history
language
morality
power
religion
Mood
reflective
somber
Type
historical
analytical
When to use this quote
- academic study
- public discourse
- museum exhibit
- education curriculum
Key Concepts
semantic shift
social control
cultural memory
Questions to Reflect On
- How does language shape our view of history?
- What responsibilities do we have to remember past injustices?
A Different Perspective
Modern usage may downplay the severity of past persecutions.
