The Witch-cult in Western Europe: A Study in AnthropologyMurray, Margaret Alice
Religion
The Witch-cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology
Murray, Margaret Alice
Ethnology; Witchcraft -- Great Britain
That there was a strong connexion between witches and fairies has been
known to all students of fairy lore. I suggest that the cult of the fairy
or primitive race survived until less than three hundred years ago, and
that the people who practised it were known as witches. I have already
pointed out that many of the witch-beliefs and practices coincide with
those of an existing dwarf race, viz. the Lapps. The Devil and the witches
entered freely into the fairy mounds, the Devil is often spoken of as a
fairy man, and he consorts with the Queen of Elfhame; fairy gold which
turns to rubbish is commonly given by the Devil to the witches; and the
name Robin is almost a generic name for the Devil, either as a man or as
his substitute the familiar. The other name for the fairy Robin Goodfellow
is Puck, which derives through the Gaelic Bouca from the Slavic Bog, which
means God.
The evidence given below shows the close connexion between the fairies and
the witches, and shows also the witches' belief in the superiority of the
fairies to themselves in the matter of magic and healing powers.
1431. Joan of Arc. Not far from Domremy there is a certain tree that is
called the Ladies' Tree [Arbor Dominarum], others call it the Fairies' Tree
[Arbor Fatalium, gallice _des Faées_], beside which is a spring [which
cured fevers]. It is a great tree, a beech [fagus], from which comes the
may [unde venit mayum, gallice _le beau may_]. It belongs to Seigneur
Pierre de Bourlemont. Old people, not of her lineage, said that
fairy-ladies haunted there [conversabantur]. Had heard her godmother
Jeanne, wife of the Mayor, say she had seen fairy-women there. She herself
had never seen fairies at the tree that she knew of. She made garlands at
the tree, with other girls, for the image of the Blessed Mary of Domremy.
Sometimes with the other children she hung garlands on the tree, sometimes
they left them, sometimes they took them away. She had danced there with
the other children, but not since she was grown up. She had sung there more
than she had danced. She had heard that it was said 'Jeanne received her
mission at the tree of the fairy-ladies'.[915] The saints [Katharine and
Margaret] came and spoke to her at the spring beside the Fairies' tree, but
she would not say if they came to the tree itself.[916]
Denied having a mandrake, but knew there was one near the Fairies'
tree.[917]
My godmother, who saw the fairy-ladies, was held as a good woman, not a
diviner or a witch.[918]
Refused to say if she believed fairies to be evil spirits.[919]
She did not put chaplets on the Fairies' tree in honour of SS. Katharine
and Margaret.[920]
Had never done anything with, or knew anything of, those who came in the
air with the fairies [gallice _en l'erre avec les faées_]. Had heard they
came on Thursdays, but considered it witchcraft.[921]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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