Initiating readers within the fascinating and complex history of witchcraft, from the goddess mythologies of ancient cultures to the recent embrace of the craft by up to date artists and activists, this expansive tome conjures up a breathtaking overview of an age-old tradition, archetype of the witch has evolved from the tales of Odysseus and Circe, the Celtic seductress Cerridwen, and the myth of Hecate, fierce ruler of the moonlit night. In Witchcraft we survey her many incarnations since, as she shape-shifts throughout the centuries, alternately transforming into mother, nymph, and crone-seductress and destroyer. Edited by Jessica Hundley, and co-edited by creator, scholar, and practitioner Pam Grossman, this enthralling visual chronicle is the primary of its kind, a deep dive into the complex symbologies in the back of witchcraft traditions, as explored throughout the history of art itself. The witch has played muse to great artists All the way through time, from the dark seductions of Francisco José de Goya and Albrecht Dürer to the elegant paean to the magickal feminine as re-imagined by the Surrealist circle of Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Leonor Fini. The witch has spellbound through folktales and dramatic literature as well, from the poison apples of The Brothers Grimm, to the Weird Sisters gathered at their black cauldron in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, to L. Frank Baum’s iconic Wicked Witch of the West, cackling over the fate of Dorothy. All the way through this entrancing visual voyage, we’ll also bear witness to the witch as she endures persecution and evolves into empowerment, a recent symbol of bold defiance and potent nonconformity. Featuring enlightening essays by up to date practitioners like Kristen J. Sollée and Judika Illes, as well interviews with authors and scholars such as Madeline Miller and Juliet Diaz, Witchcraft features a vast range of cultural traditions that embrace magick as spiritual exploration and creative catharsis. Concerning the series.
Category: Wicca, Witchcraft & Paganism
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