Aradia:

the creation of a witch messiah in “the Gospel of the Witches” by Charles G. Leland

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23925/1677-1222.2021vol21i2a5

Keywords:

Wicca, Modern witchcraft, Stregheria, mythology

Abstract

This paper aimed to study Charles G. Leland’s Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, one

of the founding texts of Neopaganism and modern witchcraft. Leland’s narrative served as the founding myth for Wicca and Stregheria, a sacred book that also influenced other texts in these two religions. In particular, this study analyzed the figure of the goddess Aradia, described in the book as the messiah of the witches, sent by her mother, the goddess Diana herself, to teach witchcraft to the oppressed poor people. This paper was divided into three moments. First, it is introduced the historical context of the production of the book. In the second section, the structure and characteristics of the sacred book are discussed. Finally, the figure of Aradia is presented.

Author Biography

Fábio L. Stern, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo

Doutor em Ciência da Religião (PUC-SP).
Mestre em Ciência da Religião (PUC-SP).
Especialista em Ciências da Religião (PUC-SP).
Graduando em Ciências da Religião (UFSM).

Bolsista PNPD/CAPES pelo PEPG em Ciência da Religião da PUC-SP.
Coordenador do grupo de pesquisa NEO: Novas Espiritualidades (PUC-SP).

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Published

2021-08-31

Issue

Vol. 21 No. 2 (2021): Textos e livros sagrados

Section

Seção Temática

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