There has been some disagreement as to the beginnings of Wicca; where and when it started. Orginally, the myth of the Unbroken Tradition, an unbroken line to pre-Christian times was embraced by most. After all, that's what all the gurus said, and they had the theories of Margaret Murray to back their claims up.
Unfortunately, Murray's theories have been disproven. And studies have been done into the real history of Wicca. It comes out to essentially one thing: Wicca is a 20th century phenomenon.
Wicca was, more or less, created by Gerald Gardner around 1940. Where he gained his inspiration from is still up for debate, but that still comes mostly from modern sources, liberally sprinkled onto what we think pre-Christian traditions were like. (Unfortunately, not too much, in terms of historical documents, has survived to the 20th century.)
Why the myth in the first place? Well, it lended credibility. To say that you were part of something that was several thousand years old gave a degree of credibility. Perhaps, the founders thought that people would ignore it if they knew that it was "new."
But, really, it doesn't matter now. Estimates say that there are approximately 400,000 pagans in the US alone. While not all of them are Wiccans, many are. It no longer matters whether Wicca is 2,000 years old or 2 seconds old. What matters is that it is a valid religious path that has called to many. It has a lineage that is, in reality, short; however, in spirit, it has a long and rich lineage, drawing from a variety of mystical and religious traditions. By drawing on those two pasts, we can gain inspiration, but we do not need to be tied to falsehoods out of insecurity. Not only does it give our opponents something to use against us, but it simply isn't needed. We have the power to create our own future.
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