Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches - Softcover

Leland, Charles G.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1500780642 ISBN 13: 9781500780647

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014

Synopsis

Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches is a book composed by the American folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland that was published in 1899. It contains what he believed was the religious text of a group of pagan witches in Tuscany, Italy that documented their beliefs and rituals, although various historians and folklorists have disputed the existence of such a group. In the 20th century, the book was very influential in the development of the contemporary Pagan religion of Wicca. The text is a composite. Some of it is Leland's translation into English of an original Italian manuscript, the Vangelo (gospel). Leland reported receiving the manuscript from his primary informant on Italian witchcraft beliefs, a woman Leland referred to as "Maddalena" and whom he called his "witch informant" in Italy. The rest of the material comes from Leland's research on Italian folklore and traditions, including other related material from Maddalena. Leland had been informed of the Vangelo's existence in 1886, but it took Maddalena eleven years to provide him with a copy. After translating and editing the material, it took another two years for the book to be published. Its fifteen chapters portray the origins, beliefs, rituals, and spells of an Italian pagan witchcraft tradition. The central figure of that religion is the goddess Aradia, who came to Earth to teach the practice of witchcraft to peasants in order for them to oppose their feudal oppressors and the Roman Catholic Church.

About this title

About the Author:

Raven Starhawk Cunningham is a hereditary witch, and learned an eclectic blend of metaphysics and magick from her innovative and very popular and magickal parents. She received a fine arts education at Arizona State University, and went on to earn a degree in Metaphysics. She grew up in close proximity to the spiritual center of Sedona, and is blessed to be currently living and working on the site of a Vortex, as a professional, practicing Eclectic Wiccan White Witch.

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1500780642
• ISBN 13: 9781500780647
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 140