From Witch to Wicca

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Summary: A history of what people think witches are...
Review: In the introduction to this book the author writes "this book is not a history of witches or of witchcraft; there are plenty of those already. Instead, it is a history of what people think witches are. She also writes that she is "not a witch, Wiccan or Pagan" and that hers is "an outsider's view. Two themes that run throughout the book are "my religion vs. your witchcraft" and "men's magick (good) vs. women's magic (evil). the first professes the author's belief that people think of their own practices as religion while practices of "the other" are witchcraft. the second demonstrates the author's oppinion that the magic of men is seen as beneficial while women's magic is often demonized.The first chapter "In the Beginning there was Magic" discusses shamanism. chapter two "Witches in Antiquity" talks about witches in ancient greek and roman literature. chapter three the daemonic realms" discusses how deamons where split by chirstians into good angels and bad demons. with chapter four "Mabinogion, Merlin and Morgan" the title of the chapter is self-explanitory. "Burn Her"--chapter 5, is about the witchcraze (or the Burning Times) chapter six "Weird Sisters and Noble Wizards" discusses witchcraft in Shakspear's plays. "Who Needs Magic?"--chapter 7, is about the end of the witch hysteria and the rise of rationalism. chapter 8 "Witches Are So Last Century" covers gothic novels, Goethe's Faust, and Frank L. Baum's Oz books. "From Myth to Relgion", chapter nine, covers Wicca. Chapter ten "From Salem to Sunnydale" is an overview of witches in movies and on tv (including early horror films, bewitched, sabrina the teen age witch, "the wiccer man" and buffy the vampire slayer). The conclusion talks about Harry Potter and fundalmentalist christians. All in all its an enjoyable but light read.