ges ▁saw ▁words ▁for ▁these ▁pract ition ers ▁of ▁harm ful ▁mag ical ▁acts ▁appear ▁in ▁various ▁European ▁languages : ▁sor ci ère ▁in ▁French , ▁H exe ▁in ▁German , ▁st reg a ▁in ▁Italian , ▁and ▁bru ja ▁in ▁Spanish . ▁The ▁English ▁term ▁for ▁male vol ent ▁pract ition ers ▁of ▁magic , ▁w itch , ▁derived ▁from ▁the ▁earlier ▁Old ▁English ▁term ▁w ic ce . ▁ ▁Early ▁modern ▁Europe ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁early ▁modern ▁period , ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁magic ▁under w ent ▁a ▁more ▁positive ▁re ass ess ment ▁through ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁mag ia ▁natural is ▁( natural ▁magic ). ▁This ▁was ▁a ▁term ▁introduced ▁and ▁developed ▁by ▁two ▁Italian ▁human ists , ▁Mars ilio ▁F ic ino ▁and ▁Giovanni ▁P ico ▁della ▁Mir and ola . ▁For ▁them , ▁mag ia ▁was ▁viewed ▁as ▁an ▁element al ▁force ▁per v ading ▁many ▁natural ▁processes , ▁and ▁thus ▁was ▁fund ament ally ▁distinct ▁from ▁the ▁main stream ▁Christian ▁idea ▁of ▁demon ic ▁magic . ▁Their ▁ideas ▁influenced ▁an ▁array ▁of ▁later ▁philosoph ers ▁and ▁writers , ▁among ▁them ▁Par ac els us , ▁Gi ord ano ▁Bruno , ▁Johannes ▁Re uch lin , ▁and ▁Johannes ▁Tr ith em ius . ▁According ▁to ▁the ▁historian ▁Richard ▁K ieck he fer , ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁mag ia ▁natural is ▁took ▁" f irm ▁hold ▁in ▁European ▁culture " ▁during ▁the ▁four teenth ▁and ▁fif teenth ▁centuries , ▁attract ing ▁the ▁interest ▁of ▁natural ▁philosoph ers