The book of shadows is not something that is too deep in the Pagan and magical world, the community used to gather and to learn and communicate between tribes. However,  when the time of witch prosecution the need to hide all evidence from those who may have had the power to accuse them of Witch Craft.  We all should know about now that in most cases the witch hunts were political in the way that people would place the blame on others they might have had a feud with or just didn’t like them in general.  However,  even if this was the case witches,  pagans, and heathens could not risk this.  Many covens took to splitting up,  and only meeting each other in the shadows.  So the Book Of Shadows was born.  Although,  it was not that easy.  The first time a BOS entered history was when Gerald Gardner,  the “father of Wicca”, first introduced the Book of Shadows to people that he had initiated into the craft through his Bricket Wood coven in the 1950s.

Prior to the BOS storytellers in many forms which may include bards,  and poets would travel around spreading local myths,  and news.  There was also mentions that a few of them would gather in one place to go over everyone’s stories to see which one was in the majority so that one tale would be the one to tell from now on.   

After such times the new ritual of the Book Of Shadows remained in the Craft,  leading each Coven copying it and recopying it as it was passed down to future Priests and Priestesses.  This would make the BOS the Coven’s book,  which tended to be large and full of all previous knowledge.  The coven members would make their own books to keep notes on their own specialties for examples herbal lore,  astrology,  healings,  and so many more.  The Coven leader would hold on to and protect the BOS which held the rituals and rights to protect themselves.  The member’s books were sometimes called a witch’s book.