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Wicca and Neo-Paganism

Twentieth Century

The Books of Gerald Gardner

The Gardnerian Book of Shadows
The Book of Shadows is a Wiccan text which is maintained by the initiated in manuscript form, and contains description of rituals, spells, and other knowledge. This tradition was carried on by Gerald Gardner, who (depending on the account) either synthesized Wicca, or took it public, during the 1950s.

The White Goddess.
Robert Graves' primary contribution to modern Neopaganism is his White Goddess.

The works of Margaret Murray.
    The Witch-Cult in Western Europe
by Margaret Murray [1921]
    God of the Witches [1933]
Were there ever real witches? If not, what were all the witch trials about? And how about those fairies? Murray tries to answer these and other questions objectively with plenty of documentary evidence. She is often cited as a primary source for Gerald Gardners' ideology.

The Golden Bough
by Sir James Frazer [1922]
This massive study of the mythological cycle of the Godesses' lover, the solar God who dies and is reborn, had a huge influence on Margaret Murray, Robert Graves and Gardner.

Victorian

Aradia, Gospel of the Witches
by Charles G. Leland [1899]

Etruscan Roman Remains in Popular Tradition
by Charles G. Leland [1893]
These books describe Stregheria, or Italian traditional witchcraft. These are considered historical source documents of the Wicca movement. Some contemporary scholars have questioned the authenticity of Lelands' scholarship. Recent publications by Raven Grimassi have also added a great deal of depth to the subject of Italian witchcraft. See www.stregheria.com [external site] for more information.



Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling
by Charles G. Leland [1891]
The above book by Leland discusses another traditional system of magic, that of the Rom, or Gypsies.

Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft
by Sir Walter Scott [1885].
This book by the 19th Century novelist covers much of the same evidence as Murry (albeit in a more popular style). Scott draws few conclusions other than that our ancestors were extremely superstitous.

The Burning Times

From the 14th to the 17th Century a hysteria spread across Europe which involved torturing and executing people based on accusations that they were witches. Whether any actual practicioners of a pre-Christian pagan tradition were persecuted as the result of a witch trial is up for debate. These books and texts are period documents which illustrate the methods, rationale (such as it was) and history of this persecution. They shouldn't be taken as illustrative of Neopaganism, but as a warning about religious tolerance and the fragile nature of justice.

The Malleus Maleficarum
[1486], translated by Montague Summers [1928]
This is the best known witch-hunt manual, a primary source of information on this chilling subject.

Dæmonology
by King James the First. [1597] With Newes from Scotland [1591]
Two texts, one an essay on demons and other denizens of the night, the second a broadside with an account of a famous witch trial from the same period.

The Witch-Persecutions
Edited by George L. Burr [1896].
A short collection of translations of historical descriptions of the witch craze.

Druids

Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions
by James Bonwick [1894].
This book reflects a scholarly perspective on the Druids. It ties together many strands of mythology and anthroplogy to shed light on Irish Paganism.

The Veil of Isis or Mysteries of the Druids
By W. Winwood Reade [1861]. 277,613 bytes
This book is fairly typical of the mid-19th Century literature about Druidry, which had some romantic misconceptions about the Druids. For instance, we now know that the construction of Stonehenge preceded the historical Celts by many centuries.

The Religion of the Ancient Celts by J. A. MacCulloch [1911]
This is an authoritative study of ancient Celtic religion, including extensive material on what is actually known about the Druids.

The Barddas of Iolo Morganwg, Vol. I [1862]
The Barddas of Iolo Morganwg, Vol. II [1874]
The author of these books was one of the first to revive Druidry in the 18th century; however, it is questionable whether these texts are as old as they claim to be. These are nevertheless considered primary source material for the modern Druid revivial.

Antiquity

The Syrian Goddess translated by Herbert A. Strong [1913]
Lucian of Samosata's late classical account, referenced by Robert Graves and other writers as a primary source of information on worship of the Ancient Near Eastern Goddess.

Miscellaneous

The Book of Hallowe'en
by Ruth Edna Kelley [1919] Learn about Halloween and its pagan roots.

Irish Witchcraft and Demonology
by John D. Seymore [1913].
This is a fascinating study of the witch-persecutions in Ireland, along with accounts of paranormal activity.