Witchcraft

=== Accusations of witchcraft ===
[[File:There is a flock of yellow birds around her head.jpg|thumb|Alleged witches being accused in the [[Salem witch trials]]]]

Throughout the world, accusations of witchcraft are often linked to social and economic tensions. Females are most often accused, but in some cultures it is mostly males. In many societies, accusations are directed mainly against the elderly, but in others age is not a factor, and in some cultures it is mainly adolescents who are accused.{{r|HuttonFear|p=15}} 

[[Éva Pócs]] writes that reasons for accusations of witchcraft fall into four general categories. The first three of which were proposed by [[Richard Kieckhefer]], and the fourth added by [[Christina Larner]]:{{r|Pocs|p=9-10}}
# A person was caught in the act of positive or negative [[Sorcery (goetia)|sorcery]]
# A well-meaning sorcerer or healer lost their clients' or the authorities' trust
# A person did nothing more than gain the enmity of their neighbors
# A person was reputed to be a witch and surrounded with an aura of witch-beliefs or [[occultism]].