Aradia or The Gospel of the Witches

[RandallS]

Aradia or The Gospel of the Witches
Author: Charles Leland
Published 2010 by The Witches Almanac, Ltd.
ISBN-10: 0982432356
ISBN-13: 978-0982432358
Paperback, 178 Pages
List: $16.95 (U.S.)
View this Book on Amazon

Reviewer: Mike Gleason

The back cover of this book pretty much says it all: "If Gerald Brosseau Gardner is the father of the religion that calls itself Wicca, then Charles Godfrey Leland is the grandfather of Witchcraft as a religion in the English-speaking world, and his small book Aradia, is that religion's birth announcement. This 1899 classic has become a foundational document of modern Wicca and is the first work in English in which Witchcraft is portrayed as an underground old religion, surviving in secret from ancient Pagan times." That statement sums up the importance of Aradia, and that importance has not diminished during the past 112 years.

That importance has, unfortunately (in my opinion), become more theoretical since there are large numbers of modern practitioners who know OF this book, but who have never bothered to actually read it. This, in spite of the fact that have been several reprints of it throughout the past 50 years or so. Part of the problem may be that, to the modern reader, it is a somewhat difficult book. It was, after all, written in a time and a culture with a very different emphasis and perception of how things should be presented. That is compounded by the fact that most reprints were rendered from an incomplete copy of the original work (it was missing the final page).

This edition contains all of the original work which includes material not included by the original informant, as well as being followed by commentaries by some highly-respected members of the Witchcraft community. It is these modern, original, commentaries which add so much to the value of this edition.

It is important to realize several important facts about the author and the work itself. Most importantly, Leland was an American folklorist. His interest in Witchcraft was minimal, while his interest in collecting and recording folk-tales was primary. Secondly, there were questions raised about the authenticity of his informant (which have been somewhat settled over the intervening years), and her sources of information. Finally, this work was intended for a somewhat scholarly audience who had NO interest in Witchcraft, since there was no (known) Witch community in the United States, and thus was unlikely to stir up too much controversy.



I cannot speak to the accuracy of Leland's translations from the original Italian, but since Italian is not a dead (or unknown) language, I will assume that any inaccuracies would have been caught and commented upon, if not corrected, before this edition went to press.

Some of the instructions contained within this book have caused a certain amount of consternation among modern practitioners of the Old Religion, since they advocate behavior which is deemed unacceptable under the precept of "An it harm none..." Because of that, there are those individuals who feel that this seminal work should be disavowed by every "real" Wiccan. Such a decision must be reached by each person for themselves. Considering that this book was published half a century before Gardner's contributions to the Craft it is not unusual that there are disagreements with more modern thinking.

Because of the fact that this book was written well before the modern Craft revival, it should be viewed as a snapshot of the thinking prevalent at the time, not as a reflection of modern sensibilities. Much like the use of the "N" word in Mark Twain's works, it reflects how things were perceived and presented at the time of writing. It falls to the commentaries to reflect the changes which have become obvious between then and now.

Even if you have read Aradia before, take the time to re-read it, so that the commentaries which comprise the final 30 pages of this book will be more easily understood.

[Marilyn/Absentminded]

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Is this the same guy who writes reviews for the newsletter? I've always found him very helpful.

I was wondering - we used to have a deal where if you ordered something from Amazon through The Cauldron, TC got a few cents from the order. Is this still in effect and, if so, will the link in the blurb go to the right place? I've always liked Aradia and am considering ordering a new copy (especially because of the commentaries) and would feel extra special virtuous if I used the TC link.

Absent

[RandallS]

Is this the same guy who writes reviews for the newsletter? I've always found him very helpful.

Yes, it's the same person.

I was wondering - we used to have a deal where if you ordered something from Amazon through The Cauldron, TC got a few cents from the order. Is this still in effect and, if so, will the link in the blurb go to the right place?

Yes to both!

[Micheál]

Aradia or The Gospel of the Witches
Author: Charles Leland
Published 2010 by The Witches Almanac, Ltd.
ISBN-10: 0982432356
ISBN-13: 978-0982432358
Paperback, 178 Pages
List: $16.95 (U.S.)
View this Book on Amazon

Reviewer: Mike Gleason

That importance has, unfortunately (in my opinion), become more theoretical since there are large numbers of modern practitioners who know OF this book, but who have never bothered to actually read it.

Well said. This should be a must read to every Wiccan, as it is essential in understanding some of its influences.

[Wrynn]

Aradia or The Gospel of the Witches
Author: Charles Leland

RandallS, do you consider this book to be demonstrative of how much wicca/witchcraft has evolved to present day in the mindset of those who practice?

[RandallS]

RandallS, do you consider this book to be demonstrative of how much wicca/witchcraft has evolved to present day in the mindset of those who practice?

Note that I did not write this review. I only posted it. I have Mike's permission to use his reviews (which he posts on USENET when many people never see them) in our newsletters and web site

That said, I think it is pretty obvious that Leland's Aradia was one of books that had a major influence on Gardner and others involved in the early days of Wicca. I can't say much beyond that. Personally I have a lot of problems with Aradia just as I do with many other such books from that time period.

[SassyWitchin]

Note that I did not write this review. I only posted it. I have Mike's permission to use his reviews (which he posts on USENET when many people never see them) in our newsletters and web site

That said, I think it is pretty obvious that Leland's Aradia was one of books that had a major influence on Gardner and others involved in the early days of Wicca. I can't say much beyond that. Personally I have a lot of problems with Aradia just as I do with many other such books from that time period.

It seems more relevant to strega than any other religion. doesn't it?

[Micheál]

It seems more relevant to strega than any other religion. doesn't it?

It definitely is to people like Grimassi&the like, but in Wicca as we know its' early days as well since many lines from the text were borrowed and inspired some other important Charges used in Wiccan rituals.