| Edition |
2nd ed. |
| Description |
216 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (p. 203-207) index. |
| Contents |
pt. I. Sorcery and historical witchcraft -- 1. Sorcery -- Sorcery world wide -- Sorcery in ancient times -- Sorcery and religion -- 2. The roots of European witchcraft -- Interpretations of European witchcraft -- Sorcery, folklore, and religion in pagan Europe -- The legal status of sorcery -- 3. Witchcraft, heresy, and inquisition -- The dualist heresies -- From sorcery to witchcraft -- 4. The witch-craze on the continent of Europe -- The growth of the witch-craze -- The climax of the witch-craze -- 5. Witchcraft in Britain and America -- Witchcraft in the British isles -- Witchcraft in the American colonies -- 6. Witchcraft and society -- Witchcraft and women -- The Salem trials -- 7. The decline of witchcraft -- The romantic revival -- pt. II. Modern witchcraft -- 8. Survivals and revivals -- Modern sorcery -- 9. Neopagan witchcraft : the sources -- Witchcraft as paganism : Jarcke, Mone, and Michelet -- The forerunners : Leland, Murray, and Graves -- Gerald Gardner : father of modern witchcraft -- Describing modern witchcraft -- 10. Neopagan witchcraft : the movement -- The re-visioning of Wicca ; Doreen Valiente to Alex Sanders -- Burgeoning diversity : witchcraft in America -- Cyber-culture, pop-culture, and the rise of the paganoids -- Witchcraft and the interfaith interface -- Looking forward : growth, validation, and change -- 11. The role of witchcraft. |
| Summary |
Drawing comparisons between modern sorcery and that of the ancient world, the authors show how the European witch craze in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries developed out of a combination of ancient sorcery and medieval Christian heresy, paganism, folklore, scholastic theology, and inquisitorial trials. Whether the diabolical witchcraft for which men and women went to the stake ever existed is open to question. What matters more is that it was believed to exist by intellectuals and peasants alike. 110 illustrations. |
| Subject |
Witchcraft -- History.
|
| Added Author |
Alexander, Brooks, 1936-
|
| Spine Title |
History of witchcraft |
| ISBN |
9780500286340 |
|
0500286345 |
|
