Bücher von Margaret Alice Murray

"The Witch-Cult in Western Europe" is a 1921 anthropological book by Margaret Murray. At the time of its publication, it gained attention due to the success of Frazer's "Golden Bough." However, Murray's theories were widely discredited. Her central hypothesis, known as the witch-cult hypothesis, suggests that the accusations made against "witches" in Europe were actually based on a real, though clandestine, pagan religion that worshiped a horned god.

Margaret Alice Murray's acclaimed history of European witchcraft is accompanied by descriptions of the rituals performed and concoctions made by witches centuries ago.The author's burgeoning knowledge is a service to the subject; what might otherwise be overly dry or arcane is revealed in a manner both exciting and thought-provoking. We are offered historical observations of the witchcraft tradition, with the life and times of the women accused of its practice examined in the context of the era.Readers will be left in no doubt about the traditions, ceremonies and magical rites practiced by witches. Although Murray was later found to be overstating the influence and magnitude of the witchcraft tradition - she considered it to be a popular successor to paganism - she explains its origins, growth and persecution of witches with astute narration. Murray posits that witches were thought to be worshiping the devil; a grave crime in the fervently Christian Europe of yore.

Margaret Alice Murray's acclaimed history of European witchcraft is accompanied by descriptions of the rituals performed and concoctions made by witches centuries ago.The author's burgeoning knowledge is a service to the subject; what might otherwise be overly dry or arcane is revealed in a manner both exciting and thought-provoking. We are offered historical observations of the witchcraft tradition, with the life and times of the women accused of its practice examined in the context of the era.Readers will be left in no doubt about the traditions, ceremonies and magical rites practiced by witches. Although Murray was later found to be overstating the influence and magnitude of the witchcraft tradition - she considered it to be a popular successor to paganism - she explains its origins, growth and persecution of witches with astute narration. Murray posits that witches were thought to be worshiping the devil; a grave crime in the fervently Christian Europe of yore.