A witch's image development in the culture of modern era and contemporary times

The study identifies the features of developing the image of a witch in culture from the 15th century till present; the periods of this process are presented. It is assumed that there is no unified image of a modern witch, as it has all kinds of characteristics attributed to it at different times. The research emphasized that occult teachings (astrology, alchemy, spiritualism, fortune-telling) had a great impact on the image of witches in Modern Era. However, at that period, witches managed to avoid the social hostility to them, the magic was regarded as a philosophy, the insight was available to any person. When people lost interest in witches in the 18th century and witchcraft was similar to superstition, the romanticists paid attention to them considering witchcraft as the artistic, literary, musical element. Nowadays, Wicca, a special form of witchcraft and a new religious movement, becomes very popular in the West. The author identifies the common features of witch communities such as the supreme deity and the witches’ sabbath.