
Embracing the Darkness
A Cultural History of Witchcraft
John Callow(Author)
I.B. Tauris (Publisher)
Published on 30. October 2017
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-84511-469-5 (ISBN)
Description
As dusk fell on a misty evening in 1521, Martin Luther - hiding from his enemies at Wartburg Castle - found himself seemingly tormented by demons hurling walnuts at his bedroom window. In a fit of rage, the great reformer threw at the Devil the inkwell from which he was preparing his colossal translation of the Bible. A belief - like Luther's - in the supernatural, and in black magic, has been central to European cultural life for 3000 years. From the Salem witch trials to the macabre novels of Dennis Wheatley; from the sadistic persecution of eccentric village women to the seductive sorceresses of TV's Charmed; and from Derek Jarman's punk film Jubilee to Ken Russell's The Devils, John Callow brings the twilight world of the witch, mage and necromancer to vivid and fascinating life. He takes us into a shadowy landscape where, in an age before modern drugs, the onset of sudden illness was readily explained by malevolent spellcasting. And where dark, winding country lanes could terrify by night, as the hoot of an owl or shriek of a fox became the desolate cries of unseen spirits.Witchcraft has profoundly shaped the western imagination, and endures in the forms of modern-day Wicca and paganism.
Embracing the Darkness is an enthralling account of this fascinating aspect of the western cultural experience.
Embracing the Darkness is an enthralling account of this fascinating aspect of the western cultural experience.
Reviews / Votes
Its eccentric breadth and listless weirdness will appeal to any curious reader. * Times Literary Supplement * Wide-ranging, well-researched and highly persuasive. * Revenant *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Illustrations
43 bw in 32pp plates
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
620 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84511-469-5 (9781845114695)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
10/2017
1st Edition
I.B. Tauris
€45.49
Available for download

E-Book
10/2017
I.B. Tauris
€45.49
Available for download
Person
John Callow is a Research Fellow in History at Lancaster University and Director of the Marx Memorial Library in London. He is the author of The Making of King James II , of King in Exile: James II as Warrior, King and Saint , and - with Geoffrey Scarre - of Witchcraft and Magic in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Europe.
Content
Introduction
The Figure of the Witch
Out of the Shadows
From Delusion to Demonic Pact
Patterns of Belief 1: The Hedge-witch, the Healer and the Cunning Man
Patterns of Belief 2: The Alchemist, the Necromancer and the Mage
The Witch Hunters
Women and Witchcraft
The Nightmare Given Form
'A Thing Grown Most Common': Crisis and Conformity
The Decline of Belief?
The Witch and the Children
The Witch as Muse
Old Magic in the New World
Conclusion: The Freedom to Dream
Bibliography
Index
The Figure of the Witch
Out of the Shadows
From Delusion to Demonic Pact
Patterns of Belief 1: The Hedge-witch, the Healer and the Cunning Man
Patterns of Belief 2: The Alchemist, the Necromancer and the Mage
The Witch Hunters
Women and Witchcraft
The Nightmare Given Form
'A Thing Grown Most Common': Crisis and Conformity
The Decline of Belief?
The Witch and the Children
The Witch as Muse
Old Magic in the New World
Conclusion: The Freedom to Dream
Bibliography
Index