Witchcraft & the Papacy

Witchcraft & the Papacy
Author: Rainer Decker
Publisher:
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2008
Genre: History
ISBN:

In 1996 Decker was one of the first of a small group of scholars allowed access. Originally published as Die Papste und die Hexen, Witchcraft and the Papacy is based on these newly available materials and traces the role of the papacy in witchcraft prosecutions from medieval times to the eighteenth century. Decker found that although the medieval church did lay the foundation for witch hunts of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, the postmedieval papacy, and the Roman and Spanish Inquisitions, played the same kind of skeptical, restraining role during the height of the witch-hunting frenzy in Germany and elsewhere in Europe as it had in the trial that was the initial focus of his research.

A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches
Author: Deborah Harkness
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 593
Release: 2011-02-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1101475692

Book one of the New York Times bestselling All Souls series, from the author of The Black Bird Oracle. “A wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter and Twilight” (People). Look for the hit series “A Discovery of Witches,” now streaming on AMC+, Sundance Now, and Shudder! Deborah Harkness’s sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches, has brought her into the spotlight and galvanized fans around the world. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont. Harkness has created a universe to rival those of Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and Elizabeth Kostova, and she adds a scholar's depth to this riveting tale of magic and suspense. The story continues in book two, Shadow of Night, book three, The Book of Life, and the fourth in the series, Time’s Convert.

Encounters with Witchcraft

Encounters with Witchcraft
Author: Norman N. Miller
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2012-04-26
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1438443595

Encounters with Witchcraft is a personal story of a young man's fascination with African witchcraft discovered first in a trek across East Africa and the Congo. The story unfolds over four decades during the author's long residence in and many trips to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. As a field researcher he learns from villagers what it is like to live with witches, and how witches are seen through African eyes. His teachers are healers, cult leaders, witch-hunters and self-proclaimed "witches" as well as policemen, politicians and judges. A key figure is Mohammadi Lupanda, a frail village woman whose only child has died years before. In her dreams, however, she believes the little girl is not dead, but only lost in the fields. Mohammadi is discovered wandering at night, wailing and calling out for the child. Her neighbors are terror-stricken and she is quickly brought to a village trial and banished as a witch. The author is able to watch and listen to the proceedings and later investigate the deeper story. He discovers mysteries about Mohammadi that are only solved when he returns to the village three decades later. Today, witch-hunting and witchcraft-related crimes are found in more than seventy developing countries. Epidemics of violence against alleged witches, mainly women, but including elders of both genders, and even children is on the increase in some parts of the world. Witchcraft beliefs may lie behind vigilante murders, political assassinations, revenge killings and commercial murders for human body parts. Through African voices the author addresses key questions. Do witchcraft powers exist? Why does witchcraft persist? What are its historic roots? Why is witchcraft-based violence so often found within families? Does witchcraft serve as a hidden legal and political system, a mafia-like under-government? The author holds up a mirror for us to think about religious beliefs in our own experience that rely heavily on myth and superstition.

John Stearne's Confirmation and Discovery of Witchcraft

John Stearne's Confirmation and Discovery of Witchcraft
Author: Scott Eaton
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2020
Genre: Witchcraft
ISBN: 9780367894047

"Between 1645-7, John Stearne led the most significant outbreak of witch-hunting in England. As accusations of witchcraft spread across East Anglia, Stearne and Matthew Hopkins were enlisted by villagers to identify and eradicate witches. After the trials finally subsided in 1648, Stearne wrote his only publication, A confirmation and discovery of witchcraft, but it had a limited readership. Consequently, Stearne and his work fell into obscurity until the 1800s, and were greatly overshadowed by Hopkins and his text. This book is the first study which analyses Stearne's publication and contextualises his ideas within early modern intellectual cultures of religion, demonology, gender, science, and print in order to better understand the witch-finder's beliefs and motives. The book argues that Stearne was a key player in the trials, that he was not a mainstream 'puritan', and that his witch-finding availed from contemporary science. It traces A confirmation's reception history from 1648 to modern day and argues that the lack of research focusing on Stearne has resulted in misrepresentations of the witch-finder in the historiography of witchcraft. This book redresses the imbalance and seeks to provide an alternative reading of the East Anglian witch-hunt and of England's premier witch-hunter, John Stearne"--

The Discovery of Witches

The Discovery of Witches
Author: Matthew Hopkins
Publisher: Graphic Arts Books
Total Pages: 14
Release: 2021-02-09
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1513276468

Starting in the 15th century, a fear of witchcraft and alternative practices grew into a hysteria. Because witches were suspected to be devil worshippers, they were considered heretics to the Christian church. Consequently, the Christians launched a crusade against these women and men. Matthew Hopkins was not only among the greatest supporters of this crusade, but also one of the most active participants. In just over a year, Matthew Hopkins, a self-proclaimed “Witchfinder General”, killed over one hundred people. While the witch hunt hysteria infected much of the 17th century society in England, there were still those who opposed the accusations and discrimination against witches. After being criticized for his work, Hopkins decided to publish a guide to witch hunting, including methods to discover a witch, how to torture them into a confession, and how to prosecute them. Along with outlines of torture methods, such as sleep deprivation and forced physical activity, The Discovery of Witches also addressed the questions and concerns raised by those who did not support Hopkins. Under the guise of being a man of God, Hopkins claimed to have been sent on a divine mission to manipulate other religious groups into joining his cause. As Hopkin’s practices brought him lucrative success, he rose to a short-lived power, but his published doctrine spread his influence for years after his death. The Discovery of Witches by Matthew Hopkins is a short text of immeasurable insight. Though now recognized as zealot propaganda, The Discovery of Witches depicts a chilling perspective of a heinous time in history, including the concerns of those who opposed it. While Hopkin’s work immortalizes a fascinating yet repulsive historical movement, it also invites readers to reflect on the ways the spirit of his manipulation is still present in modern society. This edition of The Discovery of Witches by Matthew Hopkins features an eye-catching cover deign and is printed in an easy-to-read font, making it both readable and modern.

Witchcraft Discovered

Witchcraft Discovered
Author: Josephine Winter
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2023-10-08
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 0738770140

Now is the Time to Do Witchcraft, Not Just Read About It Packed with hands-on exercises, inspiring journal prompts, and confidence-boosting activities, this book helps build your magical foundation and eases any concerns you have about getting started in witchcraft. Whether you live in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere, Josephine Winter provides easy ways to celebrate not only your spiritual practice, but the seasons as well. This comprehensive, accessible book introduces you to: Sabbats • Elements • Witchy Tools • Divination • Plant Magic • Rituals • Spellcasting • Deities and Spirit • Planetary Magic • Meditation • Altar Work • Talismans • Magic Circles • Hearth Magic Witchcraft Discovered encourages you to examine what it means to be a modern practitioner (witchcraft of the head), work with magical energy (witchcraft of the hands), and dance to your own drumbeat as you work (witchcraft of the heart). Josephine teaches you about witchcraft's history, traditions, and terminology, shares some kitchen witch recipes, and offers additional resources at every turn.

The Discovery of Witches

The Discovery of Witches
Author: Montague Summers
Publisher: Pantianos Classics
Total Pages: 92
Release: 1928
Genre: History
ISBN:

Occult historian and scholar Montague Summers offers his narration of The Discovery of Witches, an essay written by the notorious witch hunter Matthew Hopkins. Working in the 1640s, Hopkins was the driving force behind the execution of more than a hundred alleged witches. The Discovery of Witches was designed as a guide to finding, interrogating and executing suspected witches. Various marks upon the body are mentioned as devilish, while tests of witchcraft such as swimming - whereby a woman was forcibly immersed in water - were devised as a means of determining a person's affinity to illicit magic. Summers offers an extensive introductive commentary, describing characteristics of various cases found in historic court records from Medieval times onward. Both male and female individuals were accused of possessing magical powers, and were hauled before local magistrates or barons to face punishment. On some occasions, maladies suffered by locals or livestock were attributed to destructive curses placed by the purported magic user. Such cases were frequent until the early 18thcentury, when laws involving illicit wizardry and witching were removed from England's statutes.

The Discovery of Witches and Witchcraft

The Discovery of Witches and Witchcraft
Author: Matthew Hopkins
Publisher: Puckrel Publishing
Total Pages: 98
Release: 2007
Genre: Witchcraft
ISBN: 0955635012

Scholarly reprint of the writings of the Witchfinder General and his accomplice.

The Discovery of Witches

The Discovery of Witches
Author: Matthew Hopkins
Publisher: DigiCat
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2022-09-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Discovery of Witches" by Matthew Hopkins. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.