The Witches Ointment

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The Witches' Ointment

Author : Thomas Hatsis
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1620554747
Total Pages : 361 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (25 download)

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Book Synopsis The Witches' Ointment by : Thomas Hatsis

Download or read book The Witches' Ointment written by Thomas Hatsis and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-08-17 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exploration of the historical origins of the “witches’ ointment” and medieval hallucinogenic drug practices based on the earliest sources • Details how early modern theologians demonized psychedelic folk magic into “witches’ ointments” • Shares dozens of psychoactive formulas and recipes gleaned from rare manuscripts from university collections all over the world as well as the practices and magical incantations necessary for their preparation • Examines the practices of medieval witches like Matteuccia di Francisco, who used hallucinogenic drugs in her love potions and herbal preparations In the medieval period preparations with hallucinogenic herbs were part of the practice of veneficium, or poison magic. This collection of magical arts used poisons, herbs, and rituals to bewitch, heal, prophesy, infect, and murder. In the form of psyche-magical ointments, poison magic could trigger powerful hallucinations and surrealistic dreams that enabled direct experience of the Divine. Smeared on the skin, these entheogenic ointments were said to enable witches to commune with various local goddesses, bastardized by the Church as trips to the Sabbat--clandestine meetings with Satan to learn magic and participate in demonic orgies. Examining trial records and the pharmacopoeia of witches, alchemists, folk healers, and heretics of the 15th century, Thomas Hatsis details how a range of ideas from folk drugs to ecclesiastical fears over medicine women merged to form the classical “witch” stereotype and what history has called the “witches’ ointment.” He shares dozens of psychoactive formulas and recipes gleaned from rare manuscripts from university collections from all over the world as well as the practices and magical incantations necessary for their preparation. He explores the connections between witches’ ointments and spells for shape shifting, spirit travel, and bewitching magic. He examines the practices of some Renaissance magicians, who inhaled powerful drugs to communicate with spirits, and of Italian folk-witches, such as Matteuccia di Francisco, who used hallucinogenic drugs in her love potions and herbal preparations, and Finicella, who used drug ointments to imagine herself transformed into a cat. Exploring the untold history of the witches’ ointment and medieval hallucinogen use, Hatsis reveals how the Church transformed folk drug practices, specifically entheogenic ones, into satanic experiences.

The Poison Path Herbal

Author : Coby Michael
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 164411335X
Total Pages : 343 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (441 download)

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Book Synopsis The Poison Path Herbal by : Coby Michael

Download or read book The Poison Path Herbal written by Coby Michael and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-09-28 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: • Explains how to work with baneful herbs through rituals and spells, as plant spirit familiars, as potent medicines, and as visionary substances • Details the spiritual, alchemical, astrological, and symbolic associations of each plant, its active alkaloids, how to safely cultivate and harvest it, and rituals and spells suited to its individual nature and powers • Shares plant alchemy methods, magical techniques, and recipes featuring the plants, including a modern witches’ flying ointment Part grimoire and part herbal formulary, this guide to the Poison Path of occult herbalism shares history, lore, and information regarding the use of poisonous, consciousness-altering, and magical plants. Author Coby Michael explains how, despite their poisonous nature, baneful herbs can become powerful plant allies, offering potent medicine, magical wisdom, and access to the spirit realm. Detailing the spiritual, alchemical, astrological, and symbolic associations of each plant, the author explores their magical uses in spells and rituals. He focuses primarily on the nightshade family, or Solanaceae, such as mandrake, henbane, and thorn apple, but also explores plants from other families such as wolfsbane, hemlock, and hellebore. He also examines plants in the witch’s pharmacopoeia that are safer to work with and just as chemically active, such as wormwood, mugwort, and yarrow. The author shares rituals suited to the individual nature and powers of each plant and explains how to attract and work with plant spirit familiars. He offers plant alchemy methods for crafting spagyric tinctures and magical techniques to facilitate working with these plants as allies and teachers. He shares magical recipes featuring the plants, including a modern witches’ flying ointment. He also explores safely cultivating baneful herbs in a poison garden.

Witchcraft Medicine

Author : Claudia Müller-Ebeling
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 159477661X
Total Pages : 518 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (947 download)

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Book Synopsis Witchcraft Medicine by : Claudia Müller-Ebeling

Download or read book Witchcraft Medicine written by Claudia Müller-Ebeling and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2003-10-01 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth investigation of traditional European folk medicine and the healing arts of witches • Explores the outlawed “alternative” medicine of witches suppressed by the state and the Church and how these plants can be used today • Reveals that female shamanic medicine can be found in cultures all over the world • Illustrated with color and black-and-white art reproductions dating back to the 16th century Witch medicine is wild medicine. It does more than make one healthy, it creates lust and knowledge, ecstasy and mythological insight. In Witchcraft Medicine the authors take the reader on a journey that examines the women who mix the potions and become the healers; the legacy of Hecate; the demonization of nature’s healing powers and sensuousness; the sorceress as shaman; and the plants associated with witches and devils. They explore important seasonal festivals and the plants associated with them, such as wolf’s claw and calendula as herbs of the solstice and alder as an herb of the time of the dead--Samhain or Halloween. They also look at the history of forbidden medicine from the Inquisition to current drug laws, with an eye toward how the sacred plants of our forebears can be used once again.

LSD — The Wonder Child

Author : Thomas Hatsis
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1644112574
Total Pages : 443 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (441 download)

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Book Synopsis LSD — The Wonder Child by : Thomas Hatsis

Download or read book LSD — The Wonder Child written by Thomas Hatsis and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-06-29 with total page 443 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: • Explores the different groups--from research labs to the military--who were seeking how best to utilize LSD and other promising psychedelics like mescaline • Reintroduces forgotten scientists like Robert Hyde and Rosalind Heywood • Looks at the CIA’s notorious top-secret mind-control program MKUltra • Reveals how intellectuals, philosophers, artists, and mystics of the 1950s used LSD to bring ancient rites into the modern ageExploring the initial stages of psychedelic study in Europe and America, Thomas Hatsis offers a full history of the psychedelic-fueled revolution in healing and consciousness expansion that blossomed in the 1950s--the first “golden age” of psychedelic research. Revealing LSD as a “wonder child” rather than Albert Hofmann’s infamous “problem child,” the author focuses on the extensive studies with LSD that took place in the ’50s. He explores the different groups--from research labs to the military to bohemian art circles--who were seeking how best to utilize LSD and other promising psychedelics like mescaline. Sharing the details of many primary source medical reports, the author examines how doctors saw LSD as a tool to gain access to the minds of schizophrenics and thus better understand the causes of mental illness.The author also looks at how the CIA believed LSD could be turned into a powerful mind-control weapon, including a full account of the notorious top-secret program MKUltra. Reintroducing forgotten scientists like Robert Hyde, the first American to take LSD, and parapsychologist Rosalind Heywood, who believed LSD and mescaline opened doors to mystical and psychic abilities, the author also discusses how the infl uences of Central American mushroom ceremonies and peyote rites crossbred with experimental Western mysticism during the 1950s, turning LSD from a possible madness mimicker or mind weapon into a sacramental medicine. Finally, he explores how philosophers, parapsychologists, and mystics sought to use LSD to usher in a new age of human awareness.

Psychedelic Mystery Traditions

Author : Thomas Hatsis
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1620558017
Total Pages : 377 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (25 download)

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Book Synopsis Psychedelic Mystery Traditions by : Thomas Hatsis

Download or read book Psychedelic Mystery Traditions written by Thomas Hatsis and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-09-11 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive look at the long tradition of psychedelic magic and religion in Western Civilization • Explores the use of psychedelics and entheogens from Neolithic times through Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance to the Victorian era and beyond • Reveals how psychedelics were integrated into pagan and Christian magical practices and demonstrates how one might employ a psychedelic agent for divination, sex magic, alchemy, communication with gods, and more • Examines the role of entheogens in the Mysteries of Eleusis in Greece, the worship of Isis in Egypt, the Dionysian mysteries, and the magical practices of the Thessalian witches as well as Jewish, Roman, and Gnostic traditions Unbeknownst--or unacknowledged--by many, there is a long tradition of psychedelic magic and religion in Western civilization. As Thomas Hatsis reveals, the discovery of the power of psychedelics and entheogens can be traced to the very first prehistoric expressions of human creativity, with a continuing lineage of psychedelic mystery traditions from antiquity through the Renaissance to the Victorian era and beyond. Describing how, when, and why different peoples in the Western world utilized sacred psychedelic plants, Hatsis examines the full range of magical and spiritual practices that include the ingestion of substances to achieve altered states. He discusses how psychedelics facilitated divinatory dream states for our ancient Neolithic ancestors and helped them find shamanic portals to the spirit world. Exploring the mystery religions that adopted psychedelics into their occult rites, he examines the role of entheogens in the Mysteries of Eleusis in Greece, the worship of Isis in Egypt, and the psychedelic wines and spirits that accompanied the Dionysian mysteries. The author investigates the magical mystery traditions of the Thessalian witches as well as Jewish, Roman, and Gnostic traditions. He reveals how psychedelics were integrated into pagan and Christian magical practices and demonstrates how one might employ a psychedelic agent for divination, magic, alchemy, or god and goddess invocation. He explores the use of psychedelics by Middle Eastern and medieval magicians and looks at the magical use of cannabis and opium from the Crusaders to Aleister Crowley. From ancient priestesses and Christian gnostics, to alchemists, wise-women, and Victorian magicians, Hatsis shows how psychedelic practices have been an integral part of the human experience since Neolithic times.

Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth

Author : E. L. Konigsburg
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1416948295
Total Pages : 132 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (169 download)

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Book Synopsis Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth by : E. L. Konigsburg

Download or read book Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth written by E. L. Konigsburg and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2007-06 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two fifth-grade girls, one of whom is the first black child in a middle-income suburb, play at being apprentice witches.

The Witch of Eye

Author : Kathryn Nuernberger
Publisher : Sarabande Books
ISBN 13 : 1946448710
Total Pages : 143 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (464 download)

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Book Synopsis The Witch of Eye by : Kathryn Nuernberger

Download or read book The Witch of Eye written by Kathryn Nuernberger and published by Sarabande Books. This book was released on 2021-02-16 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This amazingly wise and nimble collection investigates the horrors inflicted on so-called “witches” of the past. The Witch of Eye unearths salves, potions, and spells meant to heal, yet interpreted by inquisitors as evidence of evil. The author describes torture and forced confessions alongside accounts of gentleness of legendary midwives. In one essay about a trial, we learn through folklore that Jesus’s mother was a midwife who cured her own son’s rheumatism. In other essays there are subtle parallels to contemporary discourse around abortion and environmental destruction. Nuernberger weaves in her own experiences too. There’s an ironic look at her own wedding, an uncomfortable visit to the Prague Museum of Torture, and an afternoon spent tearing out a garden in a mercurial fit. Her researched material is eye-opening, lively, and often funny. An absolutely thrilling collection.

Veneficium

Author : Daniel A. Schulke
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781945147203
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (472 download)

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Book Synopsis Veneficium by : Daniel A. Schulke

Download or read book Veneficium written by Daniel A. Schulke and published by . This book was released on 2018-01-30 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In many esoteric traditions, there exists an iconic or linguistic corollary between the concepts of 'poisoner' and 'sorcerer', suggesting a sinistral magical kinship often interchangeable with witchcraft or maledictive magic. Indeed, the use of plant, animal and mineral toxins is a strand of magic originating in remotest antiquity and reaching the present day. Beyond its mundane function as an agent of corporeal harm, poison has also served as a gateway of religious ecstasy, occult knowledge, and sensorial aberration, as well as the basis of healing cures. Allied with Samael, the serpent of Eden whose Hebrew name in some translations is 'Venom of God', this facet of magic wends through the rites of ancient Sumer and Egypt, penetrating European Necromancy. Alchemy, the arcane the rites of the Witches' Sabbath, and modern-day folk magic survivals. This second edition of Veneficium, newly expanded, examines the intersection of magic and poison, collecting the authors early essays on this magical kinship, and exploring the toxicological dimensions of occult power

The Witches' Sabbath

Author : Kelden
Publisher : Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN 13 : 0738767174
Total Pages : 192 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (387 download)

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Book Synopsis The Witches' Sabbath by : Kelden

Download or read book The Witches' Sabbath written by Kelden and published by Llewellyn Worldwide. This book was released on 2022-01-08 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the Hidden Depths of the Sabbath Take flight for a mesmerizing exploration of an event long shrouded in fear and mystery—the Witches' Sabbath. Kelden presents an in-depth examination of the Sabbath's historical and folkloric development as well as its re-emergence within the modern practice of Witchcraft. From discussions on the folklore of flight and the events of nocturnal gatherings to enchanting rituals and recipes, you'll find everything you need to not only understand the nature of the legendary Sabbath, but also journey there yourself. Offering impressive research and compelling stories from across Europe and the early American colonies, this book is the ultimate resource for discovering an oft misunderstood and overlooked aspect of Witchcraft. Includes a foreword by Jason Mankey, author of The Horned God of the Witches

How Do Witches Fly?

Author : Alexander Kuklin
Publisher : Acen Press
ISBN 13 : 9780966402704
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (27 download)

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Book Synopsis How Do Witches Fly? by : Alexander Kuklin

Download or read book How Do Witches Fly? written by Alexander Kuklin and published by Acen Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you not always wondered as a child if witches really flew during the night on their brooms? And what was their destination? "How Do Witches Fly?" is an answer to these questions. It shows that witches anointed themselves with the "flying" ointment before they flew to their gatherings on special nights of the year. The book scientifically dissects the ointment and reveals its herebal and animal ingredients and biochemical components. It is a popular science treatise on alkaloids and their action, spiced with curious stories about Mediaeval witchcraft rituals. It offers recipes of the ointment and advances a biochemical theory on the mechanisms of the ointment action on human senses and perception. The book features the art of the world-renowned artist Barbara Broughel, which bridges the history of New England witchcraft trials and contemporary American society. "How Do Witches Fly?" is a charming reference book for students of herbalism, biochemistry, Mediaeval history and occultism of various ages and education. What a great Halloween reading! But Halloween is every night according to the author.

The Encyclopedia of Aphrodisiacs

Author : Christian Rätsch
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1620552701
Total Pages : 1260 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (25 download)

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Book Synopsis The Encyclopedia of Aphrodisiacs by : Christian Rätsch

Download or read book The Encyclopedia of Aphrodisiacs written by Christian Rätsch and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-02-03 with total page 1260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most comprehensive guide to the botany, pharmacology, cultural, ritual, and personal use of erotically stimulating substances from antiquity to the present day • Details the use, preparation, and dosage of more than 400 plant, animal, mineral, and synthetic substances, both common and exotic, as well as their botany, science, and legal status • Explores the historical and present use of aphrodisiacs and their role in sexual practices, culture, and art • Richly illustrated throughout with more than 800 color photographs The culmination of more than 30 years of cultural, anthropological, and scientific research, this encyclopedia examines the botany, pharmacology, history, preparation, dosage, and practical use of more than 400 erotically stimulating substances from antiquity to the present day. From plants and animals that enhance fertility and virility, like celery, snails, or oysters, to substances that induce arousal, like ephedra, opium, or cannabis, the encyclopedia is richly illustrated with more than 800 color photographs--many of which are from the authors’ extensive fieldwork around the world. Exploring individual, medicinal, and ritual use through historic and contemporary artwork, personal accounts, and literature as well as ayurvedic, tantric, shamanic, and European folklore practices and recent pharmacological research, the authors look at the revolving cycle of acceptance and condemnation of aphrodisiacs, the qualities that incur the label of “aphrodisiac,” the role of mind and setting, and the different ways aphrodisiacs stimulate desire--either physically, through the senses and vital organs, or mentally, through heightened awareness and altered consciousness. This comprehensive guide reveals these “remedies of the love goddess” as holy remedies whose proper use can help reestablish harmony with oneself, one’s partner, and the universe.

A Brief History of Witchcraft

Author : Lois Martin
Publisher : Robinson
ISBN 13 : 1849018049
Total Pages : 141 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (49 download)

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Book Synopsis A Brief History of Witchcraft by : Lois Martin

Download or read book A Brief History of Witchcraft written by Lois Martin and published by Robinson. This book was released on 2010-10-14 with total page 141 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The witch in history is very different from the image of Harry Potter or the modern day Pagan. A Brief History of Witchcraft sets out to explore how the witch phenomenon began in medieval Europe and how it has continued to haunt us for the next 500 years. In her fascinating history Lois Martin's looks at how folk tradition and religion clashed with devastating effect - one of the greatest conspiracy theories of all and the most brutal regime of persecution ever seen. From early theories of the Devil, a new cosmology of demons and dark arts evolved; deluded old women were transformed into instruments of evil. This culminated in the Witch craze of the 16th and 17th century, which may have claimed the lives of up to 40,000 people.

Introduction to Magic

Author : Julius Evola
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1620558572
Total Pages : 584 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (25 download)

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Book Synopsis Introduction to Magic by : Julius Evola

Download or read book Introduction to Magic written by Julius Evola and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-07-13 with total page 584 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rites, practices, and texts collected by the mysterious UR group for the use of aspiring mages. • Rare Hermetic texts published in English for the first time. • Includes instructions for developing psychic and magical powers. In 1927 Julius Evola and other leading Italian intellectuals formed the mysterious UR group. Their goal: to bring their individual egos into a state of superhuman power and awareness in which they could act "magically" on the world. Their methods: the practice of ancient Tantric and Buddhist rituals and the study of rare Hermetic texts. So successful were they that rumors spread throughout Italy of the group's power, and Mussolini himself became quite fearful of them. Now for the first time in English Introduction to Magic collects the rites, practices, and knowledge of the UR group for the use of aspiring mages. Included in Introduction to Magic are instructions for creating an etheric double, speaking words of power, using fragrances, interacting with entities, and creating a "magical chain." Among the arcane texts translated are the Tibetan teachings of the Thunderbolt Diamond Path, the Mithraic mystery cult's "Grand Papyrus of Paris," and the Greco-Egyptian magical text De Mysteriis. Anyone who has exhausted the possibilities of the mundane world and is ready to take the steps necessary to purify the soul in the light of knowledge and the fire of dedication will find a number of expert mentors here.

Ecstasies

Author : Carlo Ginzburg
Publisher : Penguin Mass Market
ISBN 13 : 9780140158588
Total Pages : 339 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (585 download)

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Book Synopsis Ecstasies by : Carlo Ginzburg

Download or read book Ecstasies written by Carlo Ginzburg and published by Penguin Mass Market. This book was released on 1991 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Weaving early accounts of witchcraft-trial records, ecclesiastical tracts, folklore, and popular iconography-into new and startling patterns, Carlo Ginzburg presents in Ecstasies compelling evidence of a hidden shamanistic culture that flourished across Europe and in England for thousands of years.

The Hammer of Witches

Author : Christopher S. Mackay
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 110739371X
Total Pages : 957 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (73 download)

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Book Synopsis The Hammer of Witches by : Christopher S. Mackay

Download or read book The Hammer of Witches written by Christopher S. Mackay and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009-05-28 with total page 957 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Malleus Maleficarum, first published in 1486–7, is the standard medieval text on witchcraft and it remained in print throughout the early modern period. Its descriptions of the evil acts of witches and the ways to exterminate them continue to contribute to our knowledge of early modern law, religion and society. Mackay's highly acclaimed translation, based on his extensive research and detailed analysis of the Latin text, is the only complete English version available, and the most reliable. Now available in a single volume, this key text is at last accessible to students and scholars of medieval history and literature. With detailed explanatory notes and a guide to further reading, this volume offers a unique insight into the fifteenth-century mind and its sense of sin, punishment and retribution.

Witches

Author : Tracy Borman
Publisher : Clipper Audio
ISBN 13 : 9781471248030
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (48 download)

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Book Synopsis Witches by : Tracy Borman

Download or read book Witches written by Tracy Borman and published by Clipper Audio. This book was released on 2014-01-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: September 1613. In Belvoir Castle, the heir of one of England's great noble families falls suddenly and dangerously ill. Within a few short weeks he will suffer an excruciating death. Soon the whole family will be stricken with the same terrifying symptoms. The second son, the last male of the line, will not survive. It is said witches are to blame. And so the Earl of Rutland's sons will not be the last to die.

The Night Battles

Author : Carlo Ginzburg
Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 1421409933
Total Pages : 238 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (214 download)

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Book Synopsis The Night Battles by : Carlo Ginzburg

Download or read book The Night Battles written by Carlo Ginzburg and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2013-10-15 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A remarkable tale of witchcraft, folk culture, and persuasion in early modern Europe. Based on research in the Inquisitorial archives of Northern Italy, The Night Battles recounts the story of a peasant fertility cult centered on the benandanti, literally, "good walkers." These men and women described fighting extraordinary ritual battles against witches and wizards in order to protect their harvests. While their bodies slept, the souls of the benandanti were able to fly into the night sky to engage in epic spiritual combat for the good of the village. Carlo Ginzburg looks at how the Inquisition's officers interpreted these tales to support their world view that the peasants were in fact practicing sorcery. The result of this cultural clash, which lasted for more than a century, was the slow metamorphosis of the benandanti into the Inquisition's mortal enemies—witches. Relying upon this exceptionally well-documented case study, Ginzburg argues that a similar transformation of attitudes—perceiving folk beliefs as diabolical witchcraft—took place all over Europe and spread to the New World. In his new preface, Ginzburg reflects on the interplay of chance and discovery, as well as on the relationship between anomalous cases and historical generalizations.