ON BEING A WITCH AND A MAGICIAN TODAY
ON BEING A WITCH AND A MAGICIAN TODAY
Author(s): Kamila VelkoborskáSubject(s): Cultural history, Customs / Folklore, Recent History (1900 till today), Theology and Religion, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Present Times (2010 - today)
Published by: Akadémiai Kiadó
Keywords: witch; witchcraft; magic; magician; pagan; paganism; Wicca; Dionysian; Apollonian; ritual;
Summary/Abstract: The concepts lying behind the words “witch” and “magician” have undergone a significant change in the past 60 years. While keeping much of the traditional connotations, the labels have attained new meanings in the new context of contemporary pagan and magical practice, which correspond with the actual needs, lifestyles and lifeviews of their contemporary bearers. The goal of the paper is first to describe the traditional concepts lying behind the terms “witch” and “magician” and second, to trace, capture and describe the transformation of these concepts in the last half of a century. The fieldwork data used in the paper come from my long-term research of neo-paganism and magical practice in the Czech Republic.
Journal: Acta Ethnographica Hungarica
- Issue Year: 56/2011
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 119-127
- Page Count: 9
- Language: English
- Content File-PDF
