Includes bibliographical references (pages 314-315)
Contents:
Spellbound: foreword / Pam Grossman -- We are all witches: preface / Jessica Hundley -- I. The initiation: Conjuring the craft. The key of Hekate: a brief history of witchcraft in the Western world -- Transmutation of the witch: Persecution into empowerment -- Magickal cultures: Reconciling witchcraft & global folk traditions -- Beyond oppression: the power of the witch -- A world bewitched: a timeline of witchcraft -- II. The Invocation: Manifesting the feminine. From the Island of Aeaea: The witch in myth & religion -- The poisoned apple: The witch in literature, fairy tales, & folktales -- Shape-shifter: The many faces of the witch -- III. Casting the circle: Cycles of ritual & renewal. Ring of power: The magick circle in witchcraft -- Drawing down the moon: Covens in witchcraft -- Daughters of the night: The witches' sabbath -- The turning of the spokes: The sacred days of the Wicca -- Shadows and light: The witch & the moon -- Elemental protection: The pentagram in witchcraft -- IV. Calling in the elements: The tools of the craft -- The spell is cast: Types of magick. Air ; Fire ; Water ; Earth ; Spirit -- V. The Offering: The craft of creation. Surrealism's sorceresses: A creative coven -- Art is a spell: Visual magick & its makers -- Haute macabre, haute couture: witchcraft in fashion -- Spellbinding: The witch in pop culture -- For the seekers: A final note on the Library of Esoterica -- Bibliography, image credits, acknowledgments, & resources
Summary:
Initiating readers in the fascinating and complex history of witchcraft, from the goddess mythologies of ancient cultures to the contemporary embrace of the craft by modern artists and activists, this expansive tome conjures up a breathtaking overview of an age-old tradition. Rooted in legend, folklore, and myth, the archetype of the witch has evolved from the tales of Odysseus and Circe, the Celtic seductress Cerridwen, and the myth of Hecate, fierce ruler of the moonlit night. In Witchcraft we survey her many incarnations since, as she shape-shifts through the centuries, alternately transforming into mother, nymph, and crone--seductress and destroyer. Edited by Jessica Hundley, and co-edited by author, scholar, and practitioner Pam Grossman, this enthralling visual chronicle is the first of its kind, a deep dive into the complex symbologies behind witchcraft traditions, as explored through the history of art itself. The witch has played muse to great artists throughout time, from the dark seductions of Francisco JosĖ de Goya and Albrecht D er to the elegant paean to the magickal feminine as re-imagined by the Surrealist circle of Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Leonor Fini. The witch has spellbound through folktales and dramatic literature as well, from the poison apples of The Brothers Grimm, to the Weird Sisters gathered at their black cauldron in Shakespeare's Macbeth, to L. Frank Baum's iconic Wicked Witch of the West, cackling over the fate of Dorothy.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.