What is wiccaphobia?

Wiccaphobia is the fear of witches and witchcraft. The word combines “Wicca,” a modern pagan religious tradition, with “phobia,” meaning an intense or irrational fear.

The term is commonly used in discussions of hostility, suspicion, or discrimination directed at witches, Wiccans, and other modern pagans. Depending on context, it can describe a personal fear of witchcraft or a broader social prejudice against people associated with pagan beliefs and magical practices.

Wiccaphobia is not the same as Wicca. Wicca is a modern pagan religion that developed prominently in Britain during the 20th century, while wiccaphobia refers to fear or rejection of witches and witchcraft. It is also distinct from general anxiety about the supernatural, which may not focus specifically on witchcraft.

Historical witch hunts and witch trials helped shape many modern cultural associations between witches and danger. Today, witches may appear in Halloween imagery, folklore, fantasy films, and horror stories, even though those fictional depictions do not represent the beliefs or practices of all modern Wiccans.