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Stregoneria
''Stregoneria'' is the word in Italian that is commonly translated into English as the word witchcraft. In the Italian dictionary—''Vocabolario della Lingua'' (Nicola Zanichelli, 1970)—stregoneria is defined as a magical practice intended to produce harm or illness. The statement that stregoneria refers to a harmful magical practice is supported by ethnologist Elsa Guggino, who states that words related to stregoneria are always used disparagingly to describe someone practicing malevolent magic (''Stregoneria: The "Old Religion" in Italy from Historical to Modern Times'', by Marguerite Rigoglioso, 2000). This is also noted by scholar Gary R. Varner, in his book ''Charles G. Leland: The Man & the Myth'', in which he states that the word ''strega'' (witch) is a disparaging term used to denote those who practice black magic, and that the term "maga" is used to denote those who practice white magic and healing. Anthropologist Sabina Magliocco, in her article titled "Spells, Saints ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Benedicaria
Benedicaria, which means "''Way of Blessing''," is a relatively new term for a number of loosely related family-based folk traditions found throughout Italy, most notably in Southern Italy and Sicily. Though referred to by some as "Folk Magic" or even as "Witchcraft," the various Benedicaria Traditions are concerned almost exclusively with healing, cleansing, spirituality, and religious devotion. Benedicaria is also known as Benedicazione (Blessing) in the Cattolichese dialect, Benedica (blessed) in Catanian, and Fa Lu Santuccio (''lit.'' "do a little holy thing") in Campania. Unlike practitioners of Stregheria and some practitioners of Stregoneria, practitioners of Benedicaria consider themselves to be devout Catholics, and the practices of Benedicaria are inextricably linked with Italian popular devotions found in Traditional Catholicism. History It is difficult to figure what the origins of Benedicaria are, however, it could be speculated that it may have originated f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stregheria
Stregheria () is the root form of witchcraft originating in Southern Europe, but also includes Italian American witchcraft. Stregheria is sometimes referred to as ''La Vecchia Religione'' (" the Old Religion"). The word ''stregheria'' is an archaic Italian word for "witchcraft", the most used and modern Italian word being ''stregoneria''.''Nuovo Dizionario Italiano-Latino'', the Società Editrice Dante Alighieri (1959) "Stregoneria Italiana" is a form of stregoneria that took hold of southern Europe before the Catholic church forced practitioners to conform. Stregheria is rooted in folk magic having little if any relationship to other forms of witchcraft. Author Raven Grimassi has written on the topic. Grimassi taught what he called the Aridian tradition from 1980. He discusses elements of Italian witchcraft adopted by Gardnerian Wicca with ideas inspired by Charles G. Leland's '' Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches'' (1899). The name "Aradia" is due to Leland, who claimed that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Witches Of Benevento
The history or legend of the witches of Benevento is folklore dating from at least the 13th century. Its dissemination is one reason for the fame of this Samnite city. The popular beliefthat Benevento would be the Italian witches' gathering placehas abundant implications, blurring the border between reality and imagination. Various writers, musicians, and artists have drawn inspiration from or referred to it. Birth of the legend Many hypotheses on the birth of the witches' legend exist. It has probably been the synergy of several elements that gave Benevento lasting fame as the "city of witches." The cult of Isis For a brief period during Roman times, the cult of Isis, Egyptian goddess of the moon, proliferated in Benevento; also, the emperor Domitian had a temple erected in her honor. Within this cult Isis was part of a sort of Trimurti: she became identified with Hecate, goddess of the underworld, and Diana, goddess of the hunt. These deities were also connected with magic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Strega
{{disambiguation ...
Strega, the Italian word for ''witch'', may refer to: *Strega, a group of pagan magic users who are part of the protectors of Venice in the Heirs of Alexandria series by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint, and Dave Freer *Stregheria, or the Strega tradition of modern Italian witchcraft Other * Characters of Persona 3#Strega, a fictional group of Persona Users in the game ''Persona 3'' *Strega (liqueur) * ''Strega'' (novel), by Andrew Vachss *Strega Prize, an Italian literary award *Strega (aircraft), a P-51 Mustang that races at the Reno Air Races The Reno Air Races, officially known as the STIHL National Championship Air Races from 2016, is a multi-day event tailored to the aviation community that takes place each September at the Reno Stead Airport a few miles north of Reno, Nevada. A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Folk Magic
In religious studies and folkloristics, folk religion, popular religion, traditional religion or vernacular religion comprises various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized religion. The precise definition of folk religion varies among scholars. Sometimes also termed popular belief, it consists of ethnic or regional religious customs under the umbrella of a religion, but outside official doctrine and practices. The term "folk religion" is generally held to encompass two related but separate subjects. The first is the religious dimension of folk culture, or the folk-cultural dimensions of religion. The second refers to the study of syncretisms between two cultures with different stages of formal expression, such as the melange of African folk beliefs and Roman Catholicism that led to the development of Vodun and Santería, and similar mixtures of formal religions with folk cultures. Chinese folk religion, folk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical region. Italy is also considered part of Western Europe, and shares land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. It has a territorial exclave in Switzerland, Campione. Italy covers an area of , with a population of over 60 million. It is the third-most populous member state of the European Union, the sixth-most populous country in Europe, and the tenth-largest country in the continent by land area. Italy's capital and largest city is Rome. Italy was the native place of many civilizations such as the Italic peoples and the Etruscans, while due to its central geographic location in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, the country has also historically been home ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Folk Christianity
In religious studies and folkloristics, folk religion, popular religion, traditional religion or vernacular religion comprises various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized religion. The precise definition of folk religion varies among scholars. Sometimes also termed popular belief, it consists of ethnic or regional religious customs under the umbrella of a religion, but outside official doctrine and practices. The term "folk religion" is generally held to encompass two related but separate subjects. The first is the religious dimension of folk culture, or the folk-cultural dimensions of religion. The second refers to the study of syncretisms between two cultures with different stages of formal expression, such as the melange of African folk beliefs and Roman Catholicism that led to the development of Vodun and Santería, and similar mixtures of formal religions with folk cultures. Chinese folk religion, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raven Grimassi
Gary Charles Erbe (April 12, 1951 – March 10, 2019), known as Raven Grimassi, was an American author of over 20 books, including topics on Wicca, Stregheria, witchcraft and neo-paganism. He popularized Stregheria, the religious practice of witchcraft with roots in Italy. Grimassi presented this material in the form of neo-paganism through his books. Raven had been a practitioner of witchcraft for over 45 years and was the co-director of the Ash, Birch and Willow tradition. He died of pancreatic cancer on March 10, 2019. Early life and education Grimassi was born Gary Charles Erbe in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His father was Herbert Erbe Jr. (1922–2004), who was of German and Scots heritage, and who served as a sergeant in the United States Army in World War II. His mother was Flora Gemma Erbe (1915–2011), born in Pagani, Campania. Herbert and Flora met in Italy during his military service, and they married in 1944. Flora's father was Giovanni Rescigno, a train station master ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cornicello
A cornicello (), cornetto (; ), corno (Italian for "horn"), or corno portafortuna (literally "horn that brings luck" in Italian) is an Italian amulet or talisman worn to protect against the evil eye (or ''malocchio'' in Italian) and bad luck in general, and, historically, to promote fertility and virility. In Neapolitan, it is called or variants thereof. The amulet is also sometimes referred to as the Italian horn. Origins and styles A cornicello is a twisted horn-shaped charm often made of gold, silver, plastic, bone, terracotta, or red coral. Cornicelli are thought to be modeled after an eland horn, to represent fertility, virility, and strength. The shape and colour of the red cornicelli are reminiscent of a chili pepper. The evil eye is believed to harm nursing mothers and their babies, bearing fruit trees, milking animals, and the sperm of men - the forces of generation. In addition to being worn as jewelry, cornicelli are sometimes hung from the rearview mirrors of cars ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Traditional Medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the era of modern medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines traditional medicine as "the sum total of the knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness". Traditional medicine is often contrasted with scientific medicine. In some Asian and African countries, up to 80% of the population relies on traditional medicine for their primary health care needs. When adopted outside its traditional culture, traditional medicine is often considered a form of alternative medicine. Practices known as traditional medicines ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malocchio
The Evil Eye ( grc, ὀφθαλμὸς βάσκανος; grc-koi, ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός; el, (κακό) μάτι; he, עַיִן הָרָע, ; Romanian: ''Deochi''; it, malocchio; es, mal de ojo; pt, mau-olhado, olho gordo; ar, عين الحسد, ; fa, چشم زخم, ; prs, چشم مهره ; tr, Nazar boncuğu; Kazakh: Көз) is a supernatural belief in a curse, brought about by a malevolent glare, usually given to a person when one is unaware. The evil eye dates back about 5,000 years. In the 6th century BC it appeared on '' Chalcidian'' drinking vessels, known as 'eye-cups', as a type of apotropaic magic. It is found in many cultures in the Mediterranean region as well as Western Asia and Central Asia with such cultures often believing that receiving the evil eye will cause misfortune or injury, while others believe it to be a kind of supernatural force that casts or reflects a malevolent gaze back-upon those who wish harm upon others (especially innoce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cunning Folk
Cunning folk, also known as folk healers or wise folk, were practitioners of folk medicine, helpful folk magic and divination in Europe from the Middle Ages until the 20th century. Their practices were known as the cunning craft. Their services also included thwarting witchcraft. Although some cunning folk were denounced as witches themselves, they made up a minority of those accused, and the common people generally made a distinction between the two. The name 'cunning folk' originally referred to folk-healers and magic-workers in Britain, but the name is now applied as an umbrella term for similar people in other parts of Europe. Names given to folk-healers and magic-workers in Europe include: * the French ''devins-guérisseurs'' ("soothsayer-healers") and ''leveurs de sorts'' ("curse-lifters") * the Italian '' fattucchiere'' ("fixers"), '' guaritori'' ("healers") or ''benandanti'' ("good walkers") * the Dutch ''toverdokters'' ("magic-doctors") or ''duivelbanners'' ("devil-bann ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
