|
|
Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Alternative belief systems > Occult studies > Witchcraft
This sourcebook provides the first systematic overview of
witchcraft laws and trials in Russia and Ukraine from medieval
times to the late nineteenth century. Witchcraft in Russia and
Ukraine, 1000-1900 weaves scholarly commentary with
never-before-published primary source materials translated from
Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian. These sources include the earliest
references to witchcraft and sorcery, secular and religious laws
regarding witchcraft and possession, full trial transcripts, and a
wealth of magical spells. The documents present a rich panorama of
daily life and reveal the extraordinary power of magical words.
Editors Valerie A. Kivelson and Christine D. Worobec present new
analyses of the workings and evolution of legal systems, the
interplay and tensions between church and state, and the prosaic
concerns of the women and men involved in witchcraft proceedings.
The extended documentary commentaries also explore the shifting
boundaries and fraught political relations between Russia and
Ukraine.
In this sensitive and personal investigation into Benin's occult
world, Douglas J. Falen wrestles with the challenges of
encountering a reality in which magic, science, and the Vodun
religion converge into a single universal force. He takes seriously
his Beninese interlocutors' insistence that the indigenous
phenomenon known as aze ("witchcraft") is an African science,
credited with fantastic and productive deeds, such as teleportation
and supernatural healing. Although the Beninese understanding of
aze reflects positive scientific properties in its use of
specialized knowledge to harness nature's energy and realize
economic success, its boundless power is inherently ambivalent
because it can corrupt its users, who dispense death and
destruction. Witches and healers are equivalent to supervillains
and superheroes, locked in epic battles over malevolent and
benevolent human desires. Beninese people's discourse about such
mystical confrontations expresses a philosophy of moral duality and
cosmic balance. Falen demonstrates how a deep engagement with
another lived reality opens our minds and contributes to
understanding across cultural difference.
|
|