Witches are practitioners of witchcraft, which involves the use of supernatural or magical powers. Historically, many people have been accused of witchcraft or claimed to be witches. While witchcraft was once widely persecuted, it still exists today in some belief systems, and some self-identify as witches. Witches have traditionally been described as wicked old women with wrinkled skin, pointy hats, black or purple clothing, warts on their noses, and long claw-like fingernails.