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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Alternative belief systems > Occult studies > Witchcraft
A fascinating examination of how Americans think about and write
about witches, from the 'real' witches tried and sometimes executed
in early New England to modern re-imaginings of witches as pagan
priestesses, comic-strip heroines and feminist icons.
The first half of the book is a thorough re-reading of the original
documents describing witchcraft prosecutions from 1640-1700 and a
re-thinking of these sources as far less coherent and trustworthy
than most historians have considered them to be.
The second half of the book examines how these historical
narratives have transformed into myths of witchcraft still current
in American society, writing and visual culture. The discussion
includes references to everything from Increase Mather and Edgar
Allan Poe to Joss Whedon (the writer/director of Buffy the Vampire
Slayer, which includes a Wiccan character) and The Blair Witch
Project.
Witchcraft: The Basics is an accessible and engaging introduction
to the scholarly study of witchcraft, exploring the phenomenon of
witchcraft from its earliest definitions in the Middle Ages through
to its resonances in the modern world. Through the use of two case
studies, this book delves into the emergence of the witch as a
harmful figure within western thought and traces the representation
of witchcraft throughout history, analysing the roles of culture,
religion, politics, gender and more in the evolution and enduring
role of witchcraft. Key topics discussed within the book include:
The role of language in creating and shaping the concept of
witchcraft The laws and treatises written against witchcraft The
representation of witchcraft in early modern literature The
representation of witchcraft in recent literature, TV and film
Scholarly approaches to witchcraft through time The relationship
between witchcraft and paganism With an extensive further reading
list, summaries and questions to consider at the end of each
chapter, Witchcraft: The Basics is an ideal introduction for anyone
wishing to learn more about this controversial issue in human
culture, which is still very much alive today.
Best known as the Saducismus triumphatus (1681), Joseph Glanvill's
book on witchcraft is among the most frequently published from the
seventeenth century, and its arguments for the reality of diabolic
witchcraft elicited passionate responses from critics and
supporters alike. Davies untangles the intricate development of
this text and explores how Glanvill's roles as theologian,
philosopher and advocate for the Royal Society of London converge
in its pages. Glanvill's broader philosophical method and unique
approach to the supernatural provide a case study that enables the
exploration of the interaction between the rise of experimental
science and changing attitudes to witchcraft.
Contents: Preface 1. Introduction 2. Approaches to witchcraft 3. Feminists and witches 4. Feminists and the Goddess 5. Researching witches: Becoming enchanted 6. Feminist witchcraft in New Zealand: Origins and development 7. The attraction of witchcraft 8. The attraction of the Goddess: Witches' worldview 9. What witches do 10. Ritual as artefact 11. How magic works 12. Re-membering the witch and the Goddess References
Contents: Preface 1. Introduction 2. Approaches to witchcraft 3. Feminists and witches 4. Feminists and the Goddess 5. Researching witches: Becoming enchanted 6. Feminist witchcraft in New Zealand: Origins and development 7. The attraction of witchcraft 8. The attraction of the Goddess: Witches' worldview 9. What witches do 10. Ritual as artefact 11. How magic works 12. Re-membering the witch and the Goddess References
A lavishly illustrated celebration of green witchcraft—romance,
mythology, and folklore that are sure to enchant your inner witch!
 In these trying times, couldn’t we all use more magic in
our lives? Equal parts practical guide and beautiful keepsake, The
Green Witch’s Guide to Magical Plants & Flowers shows you how
to bring more love and contentment into your life using elements of
nature. In this little grimoire, Chris Young and Susan Ottaviano, 2
Green Witches, unlock the secrets hiding in your garden,
transforming everyday flowers, fruits, and plants into bath salts,
herbal infusions, soaps, sachets, tinctures, and more. Â
Enchanting all-natural recipes illuminate pathways to love, health,
peace, prosperity, and harmony. Learn how a rose petal bath can
stoke your sense of desire, how meadowsweet flowers on your
nightstand can restore peace between two lovers, and how facial oil
made from tulip petals can protect you from heartbreak. Â
Celebrate green witchcraft and the magical properties of the
natural world with The Green Witch’s Guide to Magical Plants
& Flowers.
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.
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.
Contents: Megged, Amos. 'Magic, Popular Medicine and Gender in Seventeenth-Century Mexico: The Case of Isobel de Montoya.' Social History 19 (1994) Klaniczay, Gábor. 'Shamanistic Elements in Central European Witchcraft.' In Mihály Hoppál, ed., Shamanism in Eurasia (G öttingen, Germany: 1984). de Blécourt, Willem. 'Witch Doctors, Soothsayers and Priests on Cunning Folk in European Historiography and Tradition.' Social History 19 (1994). O'Neil, Mary. 'Magical Healing, Love Magic and the Inquisition in Late Sixteenth-Century Modena.' In Stephen Haliczar, ed., Inquisition and Society in Early Modern Europe (Totowa, NJ: Barnes and Noble, 1987). Davies, Owen. 'Healing Charms in Use in England and Wales, 1700-1950.' Folklore 107 (1996). Sebald, Hans. 'Shaman, Healer, Witch. Camparing Shamanism with Franconian Folk Magic.' Ethnologica Europaea 14 (1984). Alver, Bente Gullveig and Torunn Selberg. 'Folk Medicine as Part of a Larger Concept Complex.' Scandinavian Yearbook of Folklore 43 (1987). Cassar, P. 'Healing by Sorcery in 17th and 18th Century Malta.' St. Lukes Hospital Gaz. (Guardamangia) 11 (1976). Gentilcore, David. 'The Church, the Devil and the Healing Activities of Living Saints in the Kingdon of Naples After the Council of Trent.' In Ole Peter Grell and Andrew Cunningham, eds., Medicine and the Reformation (London, UK: Routledge, 1993). Fox, Sylvia. 'Witch or Wise-Woman? Women as Healers Throughout the Ages.' Jaarboek Liturgie Onderzoek 8 (1992). Cave, Alfred A. 'Indian Shamens and English Witches in Seventeenth-Century New England.' Essex Institute Historical Collections 128 (1992). Hicks, David. 'On Syphilis and Witchcraft.' Current Anthropology 36 (1985). Waardt, Hans de, 'From Cunning Man to Natural Healer.' In J.M.W. Binneveld and Rudolf Decker, eds., Curing and Insuring. Essays on Illness in Past Times: The Netherlands, Belgium, England and Italy, 16th-20th Centuries (Hilversum, the Netherlands: Verloren, 1992). Harley, David. 'Historians as Demonologists: The Myth of the Midwife Witch.' Social History of Medicine 3 (1990). Rubinger, Catherine. 'Witch or Saint: Absolutes in the French 18th Century Novel.' Atlantis 11 (1986).
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.
'Magical Interpretations, Material Realities brings together many of today's best scholars of contemporary Africa. The theme of "witchcraft" has long been associated with exoticizing portraits of a "traditional" Africa, but this volume takes the question of occult as a point of entry into the moral politics of some very modern African realities.' - James Ferguson, University of California, USA
'These essays bear eloquent testimony to the ongoing presence and power of the occult imaginary, and of the intimate connection between global capitalism and local cosmology, in postcolonial Africa. A major contribution to scholarship that aims to rework the divide between modernity and tradition.' - Charles Piot, Duke University, USA
This volume sets out recent thinking on witchcraft in Africa, paying particular attention to variations in meanings and practices. It examines the way different people in different contexts are making sense of what 'witchcraft' is and what it might mean. For example: the State in Cameroon; Pentecostalism in Malawi; the university system in Nigeria and the IMF in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Tanzania. The editors provide a timely overview and reconsideration of longstanding anthropological debate about 'African witchcraft, while simultaneously raising broader concerns about the theories of the western social sciences. eBook available with sample pages: 0203398254
'Magical Interpretations, Material Realities brings together many of today's best scholars of contemporary Africa. The theme of "witchcraft" has long been associated with exoticizing portraits of a "traditional" Africa, but this volume takes the question of occult as a point of entry into the moral politics of some very modern African realities.' - James Ferguson, University of California, USA
'These essays bear eloquent testimony to the ongoing presence and power of the occult imaginary, and of the intimate connection between global capitalism and local cosmology, in postcolonial Africa. A major contribution to scholarship that aims to rework the divide between modernity and tradition.' - Charles Piot, Duke University, USA
This volume sets out recent thinking on witchcraft in Africa, paying particular attention to variations in meanings and practices. It examines the way different people in different contexts are making sense of what 'witchcraft' is and what it might mean. Using recent ethnographic materials from across the continent, the volume explores how witchcraft articulates with particular modern settings for example: the State in Cameroon; Pentecostalism in Malawi; the university system in Nigeria and the IMF in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Tanzania. The editors provide a timely overview and reconsideration of long-standing anthropological debates about 'African witchcraft', while simultaneously raising broader concerns about the theories of the western social sciences.
Contents: Barstow, Anne Llewellyn. 'On Studying Witchcraft as Women's History. A Historiography of the European Witch Persecutions.' Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 4 (1988). Purkiss, Diane. 'Women's Stories of Witchcraft in Early Modern England: the House, the Body, the Child.' Gender and History 7 (1995). Jackson Louise. 'Witches, Wives and Mothers: Witchcraft Persecutions and Women's Confessions in Seventeenth-Century England.' Women's History Review 4 (1995). Maluf, Sônia Weidner. 'Witches and Witchcraft: A Study About Representations of Female Power on Santa Catarina Island.' International Sociology 7 (1992). Roper, Lyndal. 'Stealing Manhood: Capitalism and Magic in Early Modern Germany.' Gender and History 3 (1991). Roper, Lyndal. 'Witchcraft and Fantasy in Early Modern Germany.' History Workshop 32 (1991). Briggs, Robin. 'Women as Victims? Witches, Judges and the Community.' French History 5 (1991). Clark, Stuart. 'The 'Gendering' of Witchcraft in French Demonology: Misogyny or Polarity?' French Studies 5 (1991). Holmes, Clive. 'Women: Witnesses and Witches.' Past and Present 140 (1993). Whitney, Elspeth. 'The Witch 'She' / The Historian 'He': Gender and the Historiography of the European Witch-Hunts.' Journal of Women's History 7 (1995). Ross, Eric B. 'Syphilis, Misogyny, and Witchcraft in 16th-century Europe.' Current Anthropology 36 (1995). Horsley, Ritta and Richard. 'On the Trail of the Witches: Wise Women, Midwives and the European Witch-Hunts.' Women in Germany Yearbook 3 (1986). Gaskill, Malcolm. 'The Devil in the Shape of a Man: Witchcraft, Conflict and Belief in Jacobean England.' Historical Reseach 71 (1998). Behar, Ruth. 'Sexual Witchcraft, Colonialism, and Women's Powers: Views from the Mexican Inquisition.' In Asunción Lavrin ed., Sexuality and Marriage in Colonial Latin America (Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press: 1989). Zika, Charles. 'Fears of Flying: Representations of Witchcraft and Sexuality in Early Sixteenth-Century Germany.' Australian Journal of Art 8 (1989-90). Scully, Sally. 'Marriage or a Career? Witchcraft as an Alternative in Seventeenth-Century Venice.' Journal of Social History 28 (1995). Accati, Louisa. 'The Spirit of Fornication: Virtue of the Soul and Virtue of the Body in Friuli, 1600-1800.' In Edward Muir and Guido Ruggiero, eds., Sex and Gender in Historical Perspective (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990). Dresen-Coenders, Lène. 'Witches as Devils' Concubines: On the Origin of Fear of Witches and Protection against Witches.' In Lène Dresen-Coenders and Petty Bange, eds., Saints and She-Devils: Images of Women in the 15th and 16th Centuries (London, UK: Rubicon Press, 1987). Sharpe, J.A. 'Witchcraft and Women in Seventeenth-Century England: Some Northern Evidence.' Continuity and Change 6 (1991). Kamensky, Jane. 'Words, Witches and Women Trouble: Witchcraft, Disorderly Speech, and Gender Boundaries in Puritan New England.' Essex Institute Historical Collections 128 (1992). Kivelson, Valerie A. 'Through the Prism of Witchcraft: Gender and Social Change in Seventeenth-Century Muscovy.' In B.E. Evans, B.A. Egnel, and C.D. Worobec, eds., Russia's Women: Accommodation, Resistance, Transformation (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1991). Griffin, Wendy. 'The Embodied Goddess: Feminist Witchcraft and Female Divinity.' Sociology and Religion 56 (1995).
This is the first major study of the most famous Reclaiming witch community, founded in 1979 in San Francisco, written by an author who herself participated in a coven for ten years. Jone Salomonsen describes and examines the communal and ritual practices of Reclaiming, asking how these promote personal growth and cultural-religious change.
Do you ever find that the earth stills and you suddenly feel
acutely alive? Have you ever looked into an animal's eyes and felt
the pull of a more primal world? Do you sometimes feel panic rise,
or isolation sink upon you, or simply feel out of kilter with the
modern world? 'Inside my cauldron is a thick fistful of paper, old
diary entries, work "to do" lists, notes I wrote while I was in a
bad place and feeling trapped in a life that was keeping my mind
small and narrow; thoughts and feelings that are holding me back,
keeping me tied to a time I want to let go of. These papers are
flashes of lightning across a darkened room and I want them gone.
As they curl and burn, twisting in their black spirals like the
farewell flourish of a travelling cloak, a sense of calm sweeps
through my chest and shoulders. I feel it so strongly, like a blast
of ice to my system, shivering out the old thoughts. I'm burning a
path for something new to come in.' One winter, Jennifer Lane
reached breaking point in her fast-paced office life. In the year
that followed her stress-related illness, she set out to rediscover
the solace and purpose that witchcraft had given her as a teenager.
The Wheel is an immersive, engaging read - exploring the life-long
draw of witchcraft and our vulnerability to toxic working
environments and digital demands. In her year-long journey Jennifer
explores ancient festivals and rituals, and visits fellow pagans
and wild landscapes, in search of wisdom and peace. For those who
are sick at heart of noise, anger and disconnection, The Wheel is
full of wise words, crackling rituals and natural beauty. This is a
quest to discover how to live fully connected to the natural world
while firmly in the twenty-first century.
In this original study of witchcraft, Gibson explores the stories told by and about witches and their 'victims' through trial records, early news books, pamphlets and fascinating personal accounts. The author discusses the issues surrounding the interpretation of original historical sources and demonstrates that their representations of witchcraft are far from straight forward or reliable. Innovative and thought-provoking, this book sheds new light on early modern people's responses to witches and on the sometimes bizarre flexibility of the human imagination.
Reading Witchcraft explores the stories told by and about `witches' and their `victims', and questions what can be recovered from their trial records, early news books, pamphlets and personal accounts. In her wide-ranging selection of original sources, Marion Gibson seeks to discover the truthfulness of stories of witchcraft. Who told them and why? How were they recorded? And how they might have been distorted or stereotyped? Reading Witchcraft looks closely at these legal documents and printed pamphlets and shows that their representations of witchcraft are far from straightforward. Even the simplest story can mask a complex creative process which sometimes led to the deaths of innocent people. We are left with a challenging record of the power of the human imagination. Reading Witchcraft is an exciting and invaluable study of witchcraft stories. It offers innovative, nuanced discussion of original historical sources and the issues which surround their interpretation.
This is a regional and comparative study of early modern
witchcraft. The history of witchcraft continues to attract
attention with its emotive and contentious debates. The methodology
and conclusions of this book have impacted not only on witchcraft
studies but on the approach to social and cultural history with its
quantitative and anthropological approach. The book provides a case
study on Essex as well as drawing comparisons with other regions of
early modern England. The second edition adds a historiographical
introduction, placing the book in context in the late 1990s.
Though it is clearly an exceptionally important part of popular
culture, witchcraft has generated a variety of often contradictory
interpretations, starting from widely differing premises about the
nature of witchcraft, its social role and the importance of higher
theology as well as more popular beliefs. This work offers a
conspectus of historical work on witchcraft in Europe, and shows
how many trends converged to form the figure of the witch, and
varied from one part of Europe to another.
The truth can be dangerous in the wrong hands... 1661, North
Berwick, Scotland One stormy night, healer Honor Seton and her
daughter Alice are summoned to save the town lord's wife - but
they're too late. A vengeful crusade against the Seton women leads
to whispers of witchcraft all over town. Honor hopes her
connections can protect them from unproven rumours and dangerous
accusations - but is the truth finally catching up with them?
Present day, North Berwick, Scotland After an explosive scandal
lands her husband in prison, Tess Blyth flees Edinburgh to start
afresh in Thistle Cottage. As she hides from the media's
unforgiving glare, Tess is intrigued by the shadowy stories of
witchcraft surrounding the women who lived in the cottage centuries
ago. But she quickly discovers modern-day witch hunts can be just
as vicious: someone in town knows her secret - and they won't let
Tess forget it... A hauntingly compelling timeslip novel from the
author of The Girl in the Picture, perfect for fans of The
Forgotten Village and The Witchfinder's Sister. Readers LOVE The
Secrets of Thistle Cottage! 'A beautifully written book and a
gripping tale, frightening at times, funny at times, but a most
enjoyable read.' - NetGalley Reviewer, 5 Stars 'I loved this book!
Historical fiction and a thriller to boot!' - NetGalley Reviewer, 5
Stars 'Great stories of witchcraft... unexpected turns along the
way... This has everything.' - NetGalley Reviewer, 5 Stars 'The
Secrets of Thistle Cottage offers the reader a trip to a lovely
coastal location and then pulls you in to a time warp... a great
book... but be prepared to read it in one go.' - NetGalley Reviewer
'I enjoyed the different timelines. This has some witchcraft added
in the mix and was so dang good!' - NetGalley Reviewer 'An
enjoyable read... The author sets the scene with eerie and
atmospheric detail.' - NetGalley Reviewer
This volume draws on a range of ethnographic and historical
material to provide insight into witchcraft in sub-Saharan Africa.
The chapters explore a variety of cultural contexts, with
contributions focusing on Cameroon, Central African Republic,
Ghana, Mali, Ethiopia and Eritrean diaspora. The book considers the
concept of witchcraft itself, the interrelations with religion and
medicine, and the theoretical frameworks employed to explain the
nature of modern African witchcraft representations.
The fourth edition of The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe,
written by one of the leading names in the field, is the ideal
resource for both students and scholars of the witch-hunts.For
those starting out in their studies of witch-beliefs and witchcraft
trials, Brian Levack provides a concise survey of this complex and
fascinating topic, while for more seasoned scholars the scholarship
is brought right up to date. The Witchcraft Sourcebook, now in its
second edition, is a fascinating collection of documents
illustrating the development of ideas about witchcraft from ancient
times to the eighteenth century along with commentary and
background by Brian Levack. Including trial records, demonological
treatises and sermons, literary texts, narratives of demonic
possession and artistic depiction of witches, the documents show
how notions of witchcraft have changed over time, and consider the
connection between gender and witchcraft and the nature of the
witch's perceived power. Available to purchase as a bundle,
together these two books make the perfect collection for students
and lecturers of witchcraft and witch-hunts in the early modern
period.
Witchcraft: The Basics is an accessible and engaging introduction
to the scholarly study of witchcraft, exploring the phenomenon of
witchcraft from its earliest definitions in the Middle Ages through
to its resonances in the modern world. Through the use of two case
studies, this book delves into the emergence of the witch as a
harmful figure within western thought and traces the representation
of witchcraft throughout history, analysing the roles of culture,
religion, politics, gender and more in the evolution and enduring
role of witchcraft. Key topics discussed within the book include:
The role of language in creating and shaping the concept of
witchcraft The laws and treatises written against witchcraft The
representation of witchcraft in early modern literature The
representation of witchcraft in recent literature, TV and film
Scholarly approaches to witchcraft through time The relationship
between witchcraft and paganism With an extensive further reading
list, summaries and questions to consider at the end of each
chapter, Witchcraft: The Basics is an ideal introduction for anyone
wishing to learn more about this controversial issue in human
culture, which is still very much alive today.
First published in 1984. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor &
Francis, an informa company.
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