The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft and Magic
Edited by Owen Davies
From Our Blog
From The Wizard of Oz to Harry Potter, witchcraft is a linchpin of contemporary fantasy writing'with each writer applying their own twist. Referencing The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft and Magic, we've put together a timeline of pop-culture's most well-known depictions of witchcraft.
Posted on November 12, 2017
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Witchcraft dates back 5,000 years to the beginning of writing. Its history offers glimpses into the human psyche and has excited the minds of artists, playwrights, and novelists for centuries. Referencing The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft and Magic, we've pulled together a slideshow of six fascinating facts about the history of witchcraft.
Posted on October 22, 2017
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Throughout modern history, witchcraft has been predominately practiced by women. Historically, women were considered more likely than men to partake in magic due to their inherent moral weakness and uncontrolled sexual nature. Unsurprisingly, as witchcraft spread throughout the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, it captured the interest of the growing feminist movement.
Posted on October 12, 2017
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In modern British and American popular culture, Halloween is the night most associated with the nocturnal activities of witches and the souls of the dead. But in much of Europe the 30 April or May Eve, otherwise known as Walpurgis Night, was another moment when spirits and witches were thought to roam abroad. The life and death of Saint Walpurga, who was born in Dorset, England, in the eight century, has nothing to do with witchcraft or magic, though.
Posted on April 30, 2017
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