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#Post#: 30--------------------------------------------------
Witchcraft and Magic in Europe by Karren Jolly
By: Alfred Raeburne Date: October 27, 2014, 11:36 am
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"WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC IN EUROPE: THE MIDDLE AGES is the third
book I've read in this series of six books edited by Bengt
Ankarloo and Stuart Clark. So far my favorite has been the first
(chronologically) which focused on "Biblical and Pagan
Societies" although "The Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries"
was equally well written. In November 2002, the fourth book in
the chronology "The Period of the Witch Trials" is scheduled for
publication and I can hardly wait to read it. "The Middle Ages"
volume ends just as the wicked Malleus Maleficarum is published
1487 and if you've studied this topic you know what comes next.
Historians participating in the 'Witchcraft' project are
university scholars and experts in their respective topics.
Their research is intensive and exhaustive. At times, sections
read like a thriller novel and at times only a scholar could
love the work. Topics and authors in this volume include (in
addition to Peters below) 'Medieval Magic: Definitions, Beliefs,
Practices' by Karen Jolly of the University of Hawaii, and
'Trolldomr Rituals' by Catherina Rudvere of Lund University.
Jolly suggests the concept/phenomena of magic is difficult to
identify and describe, let alone explain. She tracks
developments in the early Middle Ages and discovers magic for
the devout Christian serf or aristocrat was not at all
comparable to notions depicted in some fanciful modern films and
books. No green-faced wart-covered old hags lived in Europe in
the old days. Those biddies bloomed in the art of the
Renaissance. Jolly suggests Christian beliefs, rituals and
medical practices merged with local native traditions and formed
something different from the religion preached in the Levant by
early Church fathers. Rudvere's work is incredible. She deals
with material that is over 1,000 years old from the Scandanavian
cultures.
Part 3 of the book, 'The Medieval Church and State on
Superstition, Magic, and Witchcraft From Augustine to the
Sixteenth Century' by Edward Peters of the University of
Pennsylvania takes the reader up to the end of the Middle Ages
in Europe when the Malleus Maleficarum was published in 1487. To
their credit, many Roman Catholic leaders and clergy thought the
Malleus Maleficarum was "over the top" and the work of a
crackpot. Sadly, interest in the book was renewed during the
Protestant Reformation when "Christians" used the book to
"purify the church" -- the period to be covered by the "Witch
Trials" mentioned above.
Peters essay attempts to explain why persecution of "witches"
and "heretics" evolved after the 12th Century. Certainly a
renewed interest in the writings of the Romans, Greeks, and
Egyptians and the emergence of groups like the Cathars and
Waldensians stirred the pot. However, Peters suggests the real
reason persecution took such a decidely evil turn had to do with
politics and land grabs. A handy way to rid yourself of someone
you envied or whose goods you coveted was to accuse them of
witchcraft. The clergy became involved because they felt a need
to root out the devil, but sometimes they were connected to
greedy princes who needed churchly approval.
As has been the case with the other books in the serieis, all
the essays in this book are informative. If you have an interest
in the topic of Wicca, witchcraft, or paganism and want to learn
more about what probably happened in the Middle Ages in Western
Europe, read the book."
Dianne Foster
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