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Description:
From Iceland to Russia, witch hunting engulfed Europe, eventually spreading
to the New World. Why did Europeans believe witches flew
to Sabbats, signed pacts with Satan, practiced cannibalism, and
worked evil magic to overthrow Christian society? Why were
thousands of people persecuted, tortured, and burned for the
crime of diabolical witchcraft?
Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Western Tradition is the
definitive reference on the age of witch hunting (approximately
1430-1750), its origins, expansion, and ultimate decline.
Incorporating a wealth of recent scholarship in four richly
illustrated, alphabetically organized volumes, it offers
historians and general readers alike the opportunity to explore
the realities behind the legends of witchcraft and witchcraft
trials.
Over 170 of the world's experts provide vivid, documented
descriptions and analyses of witchcraft trials and locations,
folklore and beliefs, magical practices and deities, influential
texts, and the full range of players in this extraordinary drama
- witchcraft theorist and theologians; historians and authors;
judges, clergy, and rulers; the accused; and their prosecutors.
Concentrating of Europe and the Americas in the early modern
era, the work also covers relevant topics from the ancient Near
East (including the Hebrew and Christian Bibles), classical
antiquity, and the European Middle Ages.
Buy it from the publisher!
ISBN# 1-57607-243-6 |
