The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan...

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The Triumph of the Moon: A History of...

The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft

Name: The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft
ISBN: 9780198827368

Ronald Hutton

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Here is a book that brings witchcraft out of the shadows. The Triumph of the Moon is the first full-scale study of the only religion England has ever given the world--modern pagan witchcraft, otherwise known as wicca. Meticulously researched, it provides a thorough account of an ancient religion that has spread from English shores across four continents. The book examines the nature of that religion & its development, & offers a microhistory of attitudes to paganism, witchcraft, & magic in British society since 1800. Village cunning folk & Victorian ritual magicians, classicists & archaeologists, leaders of woodcraft & scouting movements, Freemasons & members of rural secret societies, all appear in the pages of this book.

For centuries, pagan witchcraft has been linked with chilling images of blood rituals, ghostlike druids, and even human sacrifices. But while Robert Hutton explores this dark side of witchery, he stresses the positive, reminding us that devotion to art, the natural world, femininity, and the classical deities are also central to the practice of wicca. Indeed, the author shows how leading figures in English literature--W.B. Yeats, D.H. Lawrence, and Robert Graves, just to name a few--celebrated these positive aspects of the religion in their work, thereby softening the public perception of witchcraft in Victorian England.

Hutton chronicles the fascinating process by which actual wiccan practices evolved into what is now a viable modern religion. He also presents compelling biographies of wicca's principal figures, such as Gerald Gardner, who was inducted into a witch coven at the age of 53, and recorded many clandestine rituals and beliefs.

Ronald Hutton is known for his colorful, provocative, and always thoroughly researched studies on original subjects. This work is no exception. It will appeal to anyone interested in witchcraft, paganism and alternative religions.

Categories:

Religion & Spirituality - Other Religions

Content Type:

Books

Year:

2019

Edition:

2nd

Publisher:

Oxford University Press

Language:

english