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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Alternative belief systems > Occult studies > Witchcraft
A dazzlingly inventive tale of troubled legacies, desire and unsung
power, inspired by The Scarlet Letter. Glasgow, 1829: Isobel, a
young seamstress, and her husband Edward set sail for New England,
in flight from his mounting debts and addictions. But, arriving in
Salem, Massachusetts, Edward soon takes off again, and Isobel finds
herself penniless and alone. Then she meets Nathaniel, a fledgling
writer, and the two are instantly drawn to each other: he is
haunted by his ancestors, who sent innocent women to the gallows
during the Salem witch trials - while she is an unusually gifted
needleworker, troubled by her own strange talents. Nathaniel and
Isobel grow ever closer. Together, they are dark storyteller and
muse; enchanter and enchanted. But which is which?
* MINI MORTAR AND PESTLE FOR POTIONS AND COCKTAILS: Whether you're
creating a tincture to invite creativity, or creating your own
bitters for craft cocktails, this brass-coloured, food-safe ceramic
mortar and pestle will bring a touch of magic to rituals, holistic
medicine, and at-home mixology. * DELUXE FULLY ILLUSTRATED PACKAGE:
This mini set is housed in a vibrant, full-illustrated magnetic
closure box, and includes a mortar and pestle (approx. 2" tall),
cleansing crystal, and mini book. * INCLUDES RECIPES AND DIYS: A
48-page bonus mini book includes cocktail recipes, and DIY
instructions for infusions, tinctures, and home brewed kombucha. *
A PERFECT GIFT: This beautiful set is an ideal gift for witches,
mixologists, and herbal remedy enthusiasts.
Historians as well as anthropologists have contributed to this
volume of studies on aspects of witchcraft in a variety of cultures
and periods from Tudor England to twentieth-century Africa and New
Guinea. Contributors include: Mary Douglas, Norman Cohn, Peter
Brown, Keith Thomas, Alan Macfarlane, Alison Redmayne, R.G. Willis,
Edwin Ardener, Robert Brain, Julian Pitt-Rivers, Esther Goody,
Peter Rivi re, Anthony Forge, Godfrey Lienhardt, I.M. Lewis, Brian
Spooner, G.I. Jones, Malcolm Ruel and T.O. Beidelman. First
published in 1970.
A fascinating and enlightening celebration of mushrooms and the
magic of the forest for those who revel in mushroom imagery and
lore. Mushrooms--as a decorative element, as a signifier of the
mystery of the forest, and as an adorable emblem of witchy
cottagecore dreams--have proliferated in the collective
consciousness as of late. Mushroom Magick is a whimsical collection
of mushroom facts and fables divided into three sections: first,
profiles of 22 well-known mushrooms include information on biology
and common uses as well as a rundown of their energetic properties
and suggestions for incorporating them into spellwork. Section two
provides a world-spanning collection of mushroom myths and fables.
The final section is a taste of the spells and rituals that you can
perform with common mushrooms such as creminis, shiitakes, and
portobellos--carved candles, floor washes, teas, and even some
yummy meals can improve your love life, super-charge your good
fortune, or even cast a well-deserved hex upon your most hated
enemy.
Most studies of witchcraft and magic have been concerned with the
era of the witch trials, a period that officially came to an end in
Britain with the passing of the Witchcraft Act of 1736. But the
majority of people continued to fear witches and put their faith in
magic. Owen Davies here traces the history of witchcraft and magic
from 1736 to 1951, when the passing of the Fraudulent Mediums Act
finally erased the concept of witchcraft from the statute books.
This original study examines the extent to which witchcraft, magic
and fortune-telling continued to influence the thoughts and actions
of the people of England and Wales in a period when the forces of
"progress" are often thought to have vanquished such beliefs.
"A fascinating theory about the origins of the witch hunt that is
sure to influence future historians. . . . a valuable probe of how
myths can feed hysteria." --The Washington Post Book World "An
imaginative reconstruction of what might have been Tituba's past."
--Times Literary Supplement "A fine example of readable
scholarship." --Baltimore Sun In this important book, Elaine
Breslaw claims to have rediscovered Tituba, the elusive,
mysterious, and often mythologized Indian woman accused of
witchcraft in Salem in 1692 and immortalized in Arthur Miller's The
Crucible. Reconstructing the life of the slave woman at the center
of the notorious Salem witch trials, the book follows Tituba from
her likely origins in South America to Barbados, forcefully
dispelling the commonly-held belief that Tituba was African. The
uniquely multicultural nature of life on a seventeenth- century
Barbadan sugar plantation--defined by a mixture of English,
American Indian, and African ways and folklore--indelibly shaped
the young Tituba's world and the mental images she brought with her
to Massachusetts. Breslaw divides Tituba's story into two parts.
The first focuses on Tituba's roots in Barbados, the second on her
life in the New World. The author emphasizes the inextricably
linked worlds of the Caribbean and the North American colonies,
illustrating how the Puritan worldview was influenced by its
perception of possessed Indians. Breslaw argues that Tituba's
confession to practicing witchcraft clearly reveals her savvy and
determined efforts to protect herself by actively manipulating
Puritan fears. This confession, perceived as evidence of a
diabolical conspiracy, was the central agent in the cataclysmic
series of events that saw 19 people executed and over 150
imprisoned, including a young girl of 5. A landmark contribution to
women's history and early American history, Tituba, Reluctant Witch
of Salem sheds new light on one of the most painful episodes in
American history, through the eyes of its most crucial participant.
Elaine G. Breslaw is Adjunct Professor of History at the University
of Tennessee, Knoxville, and author of the acclaimed Tituba,
Reluctant Witch of Salem: Devilish Indians and Puritan Fantasies
(also available from NYU Press).
Men and masculinities are still inadequately incorporated into the
historiography of early modern witch trials, despite the fact that
20-25% of all accused 'witches' were male. This book redresses this
imbalance by making men the focus of the gender analysis and also
covers the issue of regional variation in the gendering of witch
persecution.
This book is about other worlds and the supernatural beings, from
angels to fairies, that inhabited them. It is about divination,
prophecy, visions and trances. And it is about the cultural,
religious, political and social uses to which people in Scotland
put these supernatural themes between 1500 and 1800. The
supernatural consistently provided Scots with a way of
understanding topics such as the natural environment, physical and
emotional wellbeing, political events and visions of past and
future. In exploring the early modern supernatural, the book has
much to reveal about how men and women in this period thought
about, debated and experienced the world around them. Comprising
twelve chapters by an international range of scholars, The
supernatural in early modern Scotland discusses both popular and
elite understandings of the supernatural. -- .
Fascinating and highly informative, The Appearance of Witchcraft
explores how visual representations of witchcraft contributed to
the widespread acceptance of witch beliefs in sixteenth-century
Europe and helped establish the preconditions for the widespread
persecution of witches.
Focusing on the visual contraction, or figure of the witch, and
the activity of witchcraft, Zika places the study in the context of
sixteenth-century withcraft and demonological theory, and in the
turbulent social and religious changes of the period.
Zika argues that artists and printers used images to relate
witchcraft theories, developed by theologians and legitimated by
secular authorities, to a whole range of contemporary discourses on
women and gender roles, sexuality, peasant beliefs and medical
theories of the body. He also examines the role of artist as
mediators between the ideas of the elite and the ordinary
people.
For students of medieval history or anyone interested in the
appearance of witchcraft, this will be an enthralling and
invaluable read.
A perfect entry point for anyone interested in green magick, this
all-in-one guide explains everything you need to know before
beginning your own nature-inspired practice. Author Annabel
Margaret runs the popular YouTube channel, The Green Witch, where
she teaches everyday tools and techniques for leading a more
magickal life. In this must-have handbook, she'll guide your on
your green witchcraft journey from embracing intent and intuition
to creating and casting spells, all utilizing easy-to-find items
and simple methods. Ward the home with protective herbs; bake love,
abundance or luck into tasty treats; create purpose-infused spell
bags or craft soothing salves, energizing sprays and cleansing
infusions. With clear instruction, straightforward information on
foundational principles and tons of witchy wisdom, the magickal
opportunities are endless.
Money, magic and the theatre were powerful forces in early modern
England. Money was acquiring an independent, efficacious agency, as
the growth of usury allowed financial signs to reproduce without
human intervention. Magic was coming to seem Satanic, as the
manipulation of magical signs to performative purposes was
criminalized in the great 'witch craze.' And the commercial, public
theatre was emerging - to great controversy - as the perfect medium
to display, analyse and evaluate the newly autonomous power of
representation in its financial, magical and aesthetic forms. Money
and Magic in Early Modern Drama is especially timely in the current
era of financial deregulation and derivatives, which are just as
mysterious and occult in their operations as the germinal finance
of 16th-century London. Chapters examine the convergence of money
and magic in a wide range of early modern drama, from the anonymous
Mankind through Christopher Marlowe to Ben Jonson, concentrating on
such plays as The Alchemist, The New Inn and The Staple of News.
Several focus on Shakespeare, whose analysis of the relations
between finance, witchcraft and theatricality is particularly acute
in Timon of Athens, The Comedy of Errors, Antony and Cleopatra and
The Winter's Tale.
Historians as well as anthropologists have contributed to this
volume of studies on aspects of witchcraft in a variety of cultures
and periods from Tudor England to twentieth-century Africa and New
Guinea. Contributors include: Mary Douglas, Norman Cohn, Peter
Brown, Keith Thomas, Alan Macfarlane, Alison Redmayne, R.G. Willis,
Edwin Ardener, Robert Brain, Julian Pitt-Rivers, Esther Goody,
Peter Riviere, Anthony Forge, Godfrey Lienhardt, I.M. Lewis, Brian
Spooner, G.I. Jones, Malcolm Ruel and T.O. Beidelman. First
published in 1970.
Katharine Briggs enjoys an unchallenged reputation in the world of
folklore studies. The theme of this volume, the witch figure as a
malevolent intermediary in folk belief, was chosen to reflect that
aspect of Briggs's scholarship exemplified in her study of
witchcraft, Pale Hecate's Team. The contributors draw on the
disciplines of archaeology, comparative religion, sociology and
literature and include: Carmen Blacker, H.R. Ellis Davidson,
Margaret Dean-Smith, L.V. Grinsell, Christina Hole, Venetia Newall,
Geoffrey Parrinder, Anne Ross, Jacqueline Simpson, Beatrice White,
John Widdowson. Originally published in 1973.
Containing ten essays by anthropologists on the beliefs and
practices associated with witches and sorcerers in Eastern Africa,
the chapters in this book are all based on field research and new
information which is studied within its wider social context. First
published in 1963.
Gathering together the vast literature on witchcraft related issues published in the last decade, this six-volume set focuses on issues such as gender, government and law, the culture of religion and the occult. Using approaches from several disciplines, including anthropology and sociology, this source provides a sweeping overview of the occult.
A powerfully poignant tale of one of the most turbulent moments in
Scotland's history: the North Berwick Witch Trials. IT'S THE 4TH OF
DECEMBER 1591. On this, the last night of her life, in a prison
cell several floors below Edinburgh's High Street, convicted witch
Geillis Duncan receives a mysterious visitor - Iris, who says she
comes from a future where women are still persecuted for who they
are and what they believe. As the hours pass and dawn approaches,
Geillis recounts the circumstances of her arrest, brutal torture,
confession and trial, while Iris offers support, solace - and the
tantalising prospect of escape. Hex is a visceral depiction of what
happens when a society is consumed by fear and superstition,
exploring how the terrible force of a king's violent crusade
against ordinary women can still be felt, right up to the present
day. 'This series has already produced two works of note and
distinction. It raises the question - if a country cannot re-tell
its history, will it be stuck forever in aspic and condemned to be
nothing more than a shortbread tin illustration? Hex and Rizzio are
showing the way towards a reckoning, and about time too' - Stuart
Kelly, Scotland on Sunday
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