The history of witchcraft and sorcery has attracted a great deal of interest and debate, but until now studies have been largely from the Anglo-Saxon perspective. This book shows how what has hitherto been seen as peculiar to Britain was in fact characteristic of much of northern Europe. In ending the Anglo-Saxon monopoly of witchcraft studies, this book takes into account major new developments in the historiography of witchcraft.
An immense amount of archival work by all the contributors has furnished a volume rich in new material and ideas, which will be of considerable interest not only to historians, but also to anthropologists, criminologists, psychologists, and sociologists. Themes treated include the relationship between witchcraft, law, and theology; the origins and nature of the witches' sabbath; the sociology and criminology of witch-hunting; and the comparative approach to European witchcraft. This book will be an indispensable guide to the study of witchcraft.
List of figures; List of maps; List of tables; Introduction; I: Witchcraft, Law, and Theology: Witchcraft and Catholic theology; Protestant demonology: Sin, superstition, and society (c.1520-c.1630); Inquisitorial law and the witch; II: Origins of the Witches' Sabbath: Deciphering the Sabbath; Satanic myths and cultural reality; 'Fantastical and Devilishe Persons': European witch-beliefs in comparative perspective; 'The Ladies from Outside': An archaic pattern of the Witches' Sabbath; III: Witch-Hunting in Scandinavia and other Peripheries: Hungary: The accusations and the universe of popular magic; Estonia I: Werewolves and poisoners; Estonia II: The crusade against idolatory; Sweden: The mass burnings (1668-76); Finland: The male domination; Denmark: The Sociology of accusations; Norway: The criminological context; Iceland: Sorcerers and Paganism; Portugal: A scrupulous inquisition; IV: Conclusions: Scandinavian witchcraft in Anglo-American context; The comparative approach to European witchcraft; Notes on contributors; Bibliography of secondary works; Index
