Summary:
We make a concerted effort to mine history and folklore while attempting to discover where witches come from, and more importantly, just what they do.
Play:
Download: New World Witchery – Episode 77
-Sources-
We draw a good bit upon Aradia, by C.G. Leland, for questions about witch mythology and abilities.
For a nice rundown of different witchcraft traditions (as touched upon in this episode) I heartily recommend the post “Introduction to Traditional Witchcraft,” by Sarah Anne Lawless, and her series of posts on various witchcraft traditiosn found in that article.
The Element Encyclopedia of Witches & Witchcraft, by Judika Illes, has lots of lovely background on the history and folklore of witches. It’s out of print, but you can usually find it secondhand. You can also check her Weiser Field Guide to Witches, which covers some of the same sort of ground. I’d also recommend The Silver Bullet, by Hubert J. Davis, for some other examples of American folklore about witches.
I mention Harold Roth, a brilliant herbal alchemist and proprieter of Alchemy Works.
Since we discuss Salem and its witchcraft at a bit of length, I would definitely recommend the following books about that period of American history:
- Witches of the Atlantic World, edited by Elaine Breslaw
- Six Women of Salem, by Marilynne Roach
- In the Devil’s Snare, by Mary Beth Norton
- The Devil in the Shape of a Woman, by Carol Karlsen
- Entertaining Satan, by John Demos
- Salem Possessed, by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum
We announce the winners of our Spring Lore 2015 contest, so listen in to see if you won one of our prizes!
Upcoming Appearances
Cory will be at two upcoming events, and will likely be holding talks/discussions at both of them, which you might find interesting:
- Philadelphia Pagan Pride Day (Saturday, September 5th, 2015)
- Greater New Orleans Pagan Pride Day (Saturday, October 10th, 2015) – Featuring the luminous S.J. Tucker!
If you have feedback you’d like to share, email us or leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!
Don’t forget to follow us at Twitter! And check out our Facebook page! For those who are interested, we also now have a page on Pinterest you might like, called “The Olde Broom.”
Promos & Music
Title music: “Homebound,” by Jag, from Cypress Grove Blues. From Magnatune.
Promos:
New World Witchery - The Search for American Traditional Witchcraft 
Reblogged this on PolyMorpheus and commented:
Always worth listening to
The question of why witchcraft is practiced for different aims in different periods and cultures is a fascinating one, and I’m so glad you brought it up. The emphasis on stealing milk now seems quite funny, but it is curious that all this protective and malevolent magic involves only dairy produce and there doesn’t seem to be anything similar for eggs or poultry. Most cultures have had magic for health or love, but other subjects like treasure hunting, commercial success, gambling luck or home protection may be found in one kind of magic but not others. Why doesn’t anyone do magic to find hidden treasure anymore? This is a fascinating topic, and topic and could easily be the subject of a book.