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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Alternative belief systems > Occult studies > Witchcraft
'A groundbreaking work . . . Federici has become a crucial figure
for . . . a new generation of feminists' Rachel Kushner, author of
The Mars Room A cult classic since its publication in the early
years of this century, Caliban and the Witch is Silvia Federici's
history of the body in the transition to capitalism. Moving from
the peasant revolts of the late Middle Ages through the European
witch-hunts, the rise of scientific rationalism and the
colonisation of the Americas, it gives a panoramic account of the
often horrific violence with which the unruly human material of
pre-capitalist societies was transformed into a set of predictable
and controllable mechanisms. It Is a study of indigenous traditions
crushed, of the enclosure of women's reproductive powers within the
nuclear family, and of how our modern world was forged in blood.
'Rewarding . . . allows us to better understand the intimate
relationship between modern patriarchy, the rise of the nation
state and the transition from feudalism to capitalism' Guardian
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.
Belief in magic and particularly the power of witchcraft was once a
deep and enduring presence in popular culture. "Diving into Brian
Hoggard's Magical House Protection is a remarkable experience...
[It] provides an immersive and fascinating read."-Fortean Times
People created and concealed many objects to protect themselves
from harmful magic. Detailed are the principal forms of magical
house protection in Britain and beyond from the fourteenth century
to the present day. Witch-bottles, dried cats, horse skulls,
written charms, protection marks and concealed shoes were all used
widely as methods of repelling, diverting or trapping negative
energies. Many of these practices and symbols can be found around
the globe, demonstrating the universal nature of efforts by people
to protect themselves from witchcraft. From the introduction: The
most popular locations to conceal objects within buildings are
usually at portals such as the hearth, the threshold and also voids
or dead spaces. This suggests that people believed it was possible
for dark forces to travel through the landscape and attack them in
their homes. Whether these forces were emanations from a witch in
the form of a spell, a witch's familiar pestering their property,
an actual witch flying in spirit or a combination of all of those
is difficult to tell. Additional sources of danger could be ghosts,
fairies and demons. People went to great lengths to ensure their
homes and property were protected, highlighting the fact that these
beliefs and fears were visceral and, as far as they were concerned,
literally terrifying.
Demonology - the intellectual study of demons and their powers -
contributed to the prosecution of thousands of witches. But how
exactly did intellectual ideas relate to prosecutions? Recent
scholarship has shown that some of the demonologists' concerns
remained at an abstract intellectual level, while some of the
judges' concerns reflected popular culture. This book brings
demonology and witch-hunting back together, while placing both
topics in their specific regional cultures. The book's chapters,
each written by a leading scholar, cover most regions of Europe,
from Scandinavia and Britain through to Germany, France and
Switzerland, and Italy and Spain. By focusing on various
intellectual levels of demonology, from sophisticated demonological
thought to the development of specific demonological ideas and
ideas within the witch trial environment, the book offers a
thorough examination of the relationship between demonology and
witch-hunting. Demonology and Witch-Hunting in Early Modern Europe
is essential reading for all students and researchers of the
history of demonology, witch-hunting and early modern Europe.
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.
* 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.
"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).
Witches and Warlocks of New York is a collection of legends and
historical accounts about witches and warlocks from the Empire
State. This will be the second in a series (the first being
Massachusetts publishing September 1, 2021). New York has a
surprisingly rich history of witches and witchcraft. These stories
are known locally in the towns where they occurred but have never
been collected into one book before. Included are a history and
origins of witchcraft in New York State and historical tales of
"witches" across the state including Hulda and the thirteen Witches
of the Catskills.
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.
Women come to the fore in witchcraft trials as accused persons or
as witnesses, and this book is a study of women's voices in these
trials in eight countries around the North Sea: Spanish
Netherlands, Northern Germany, Denmark, Scotland, England, Norway,
Sweden, and Finland. From each country, three trials are chosen for
close reading of courtroom discourse and the narratological
approach enables various individuals to speak. Throughout the
study, a choir of 24 voices of accused women are heard which reveal
valuable insight into the field of mentalities and display both the
individual experience of witchcraft accusation and the development
of the trial. Particular attention is drawn to the accused women's
confessions, which are interpreted as enforced narratives. The
analyses of individual trials are also contextualized nationally
and internationally by a frame of historical elements, and a
systematic comparison between the countries shows strong
similarities regarding the impact of specific ideas about
witchcraft, use of pressure and torture, the turning point of the
trial, and the verdict and sentence. This volume is an essential
resource for all students and scholars interested in the history of
witchcraft, witchcraft trials, transnationality, cultural
exchanges, and gender in early modern Northern Europe.
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.
This is the first published edition of a fascinating manuscript on
witchcraft in the collection of the British Library, written by an
unknown sixteenth-century scholar. Responding to a pre-publication
draft of Reginald Scot's sceptical Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584),
the treatise represents the most detailed defence of witchcraft
belief to be written in the early modern period in England. It
highlights in detail the scriptural and theological justifications
for a belief in witches, covering ground that may well have been
considered too sensitive for print publications and presenting
learned arguments not found in any other contemporary English work.
Consequently, it offers a unique insight into elite witchcraft
belief dating from the very beginning of the English witchcraft
debate. This edition, which includes a comprehensive analytical
introduction, presents the treatise with modernised spelling and
relevant excerpts from Scot's book. -- .
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