The Witch-Cult in Western Europe (Forgotten Books) - Softcover

Railton, G. S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1605069345 ISBN 13: 9781605069340

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2008

Synopsis

The Witch-Cult in Western Europe [..] is the first of several publications wherein Margaret Murray expounded her controversial literal interpretation of the Witch trial evidence. Not for the squeamish or the linguistically challenged, the book presents extensive quotes from courtroom documents and other texts describing the alledged going-ons inside the Witch-Cult. Important Note: nothing described in this book should be taken as representative of contemporary Neopagan practice. The Witch-Cult in Western Europe has long passages in archaic English, French and German with the original spelling preserved. Readers who want to get an overview of Murrays' ideas without wading through this admittedly opaque work should start with her popularization, God of the Witches. (Quote from sacred-texts.com)

About the Author

Margaret Alice Murray (1863 - 1963)
Margaret Alice Murray (July 13, 1863 - November 13, 1963) was a prominent British anthropologist and Egyptologist. She was well known in academic circles for scholarly contributions to Egyptology and the study of folklore which led to the theory of a pan-European, pre-Christian pagan religion that revolved around the Horned God.

Her ideas are acknowledged to have significantly influenced the emergence of Wicca and reconstructionist neopagan religions. However, Margaret Murray's reputation as a witchcraft scholar was criticized by most historians because of her demonstrated tendency to subjectively interpret or otherwise manipulate evidence to conform to the theory.

Margaret Murray was born in Calcutta, India on July 13, 1863. She attended the University College of London and was a student of linguistics and anthropology. She was also a pioneer campaigner for women's rights. Margaret Murray accompanied the r

About this title

About the Author:

Margaret Alice Murray (13 July 1863 - 13 November 1963) was a prominent British Egyptologist and anthropologist. Primarily known for her work in Egyptology, which was "the core of her academic career," she is also known for her propagation of the Witch-cult hypothesis, the theory that the witch trials in the Early Modern period of Christianized Europe and North America were an attempt to extinguish a surviving pre-Christian, pagan religion devoted to a Horned God. Whilst this theory is today widely disputed and discredited by historians like Norman Cohn, Keith Thomas and Ronald Hutton, it has had a significant effect in the origins of Neopagan religions, primarily Wicca, a faith she supported. Her work in Egyptology took place largely alongside her mentor and friend, the archaeologist Sir Flinders Petrie, whom she worked alongside at University College London. One of the earliest women to "make a serious impact upon the world of professional scholarship," she was also an ardent feminist, being actively involved in the Suffragette movement.[2] From 1953 to 1955, she was the president of the Folklore Society, although since her death various members of the society have attempted to dissociate the organisation from her and the Murrayite theory of the Witch-Cult.

About this edition

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1605069345
• ISBN 13: 9781605069340
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 300