The Witch-Cult in Western Europe A History of Scottish, French and British Witchcraft, with a Guide and Notes on the Spells and Familiars of Witches

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. The appendices contain a series of subjects, such as a narration of witch trials of the 17th century, certain ointments created by witches with the desire of taking flight, and the presence of witch-like qualities in historical figures such as Joan of Arc. Although certain aspects of her history have since been proven inaccurate, Murray's account as a whole remains an engrossing and detailed anthropological examination of the subject.