5/12/2017 History

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WhatisStregheria WhatisStregoneriavsStregheria
FAQ byPaoloGiordano
(translationbyGeorginaFrosini)
Articles
Copyright2006
CriticsCorner
Whatarethedifferencesbetweenstregoneriaand
News
stregheria,andwhatexactlyisstregoneria?Stregoneria
RavenGrimassi
isthemodernwordinItalianthatiscommonlytranslated
Raven'sLoft intoEnglishasthewordwitch.IntheItaliandictionary
VocabolariodellaLingua(NicolaZanichelli,1970)
stregoneriaisdefinedasamagicalpracticeintendedto
Copyright produceharmorillness.Stregheriaisreferencedinthis
Thiswebsiteis19952015byRaven
bookasarareusage,anditisalsodefinedaswitchcraft.
GrimassiandClanUmbrea,allrights Inthisarticlethedifferencesbetweenthetwowords,and
reserved.Reprintsofthesepagesarenot
allowedwithoutwrittenpermissionof whattheyactuallymean,willberevealed.
RavenGrimassiortheappropriateauthor.
Wetakecopyrightviolationsseriouslyand
aredismayedbytheamountofplagiarism ThestatementthatstregoneriareferstoaharmfulmagicalpracticeissupportedbyethnologistElsa
ontheweb,especiallyofRaven's
materials.
Guggino,whostatesthatwordsrelatedtostregoneriaarealwaysuseddisparaginglytodescribe
someonepracticingmalevolentmagic(Stregoneria:TheOldReligioninItalyfromHistoricalto
Disclaimers
ModernTimes,byMargueriteRigoglioso,2000).
RavenGrimassiandtheAricianTraditionof
ItalianWitchcraftisnotassociatedor Stregoneria,fromahistoricalperspective,isaformofsorceryfoundinpreChristiantimes.Withthe
affiliatedwiththefollowingindividuals,
organizations,ortraditions: establishmentoftheCatholicChurch,stregoneriawasopposedandeventuallyoutlawed.Itappears
AradiaEarth&Sky(Canada) tohavesurvivedinfragmentedformswellintothe17thcentury.AsscholarRuthMartinpointsout,
Fabrisia(Fabrisia's
allpracticessuchassortilegio,erbaria,andfattucheriawereregardedasstregoneria.Thisis
Boschetto) discussedinherbooktitledWitchcraftandtheInquisitioninVenice15501650.
Levi(Bologna,Italy)
MartinalsonotesthelastremainingvestigesofnonChristianelementsinstregoneria,which
appearinthe16thcenturytrialofElenaDraga(alsoknownasElenaCrusichi).Suchelements
demonstratetheformerpaganrootsofstregoneria.However,witheachpassingcenturythe
authenticformsofstregoneriawitheredandpassedaway.ItwasdisplacedwithChristiantraditions
mixedwithfolkmagicbeliefs,whichbearlittleifanyresemblancetotheauthenticformsof
2015RavenGrimassi. stregoneriathatonceexistedinItaly.Thisisveryoftenthefateofinnertraditionsoncetheyfallinto
Allrightsreserved. thehandsofthegeneralpopulation.
PagedesignbyBasicTemplates.com
SomemodernpractitionersofItalianfolkmagictraditionsnowclaimtobewitches.However,
professorSabinaMaglioccopointsoutthatthefolkmagicpractitionersofItalyviewthemselvesas
CatholicthereforetorefertothemaswitchesisanactofculturalviolenceagainstItalianfolk
traditionsandtheirpractitioners(Spells,Saints,andStreghe:Witchcraft,FolkMagic,andHealingin
ItalypublishedinPomegranate,August2000).ManyItalianwitchesareoffendedthatsome
peopleequatewitchcraftwiththeCatholicfolktraditionsofthenoninitiatepopulationofItaly.
ThereforethispositionisoffensivetoboththeauthenticfolkpractitionersofItalyandtheauthentic
witchesofItaly.

StregoneriacontrastssharplywiththetraditionofStregheria.TheformerisnowaquasiCatholic
orientedsorceryfoundincommonItalianfolktraditions,andthelatterisapaganorientedreligious
systemwithamagicalstructureforritualsandspells.Thewordstregheriaisanarchaicwordfor
witchcraftthatisnowappliedinplaceofthewordstregoneria.Thosewishingtodifferentiate
themselvesfromChristianstregoneria,(whichusurpedanddistortedthepreexistingtraditionof
witchcraft)nowusethetermstregheria.Theuseofthewordstregheriaisnowreclaimedbythose
whoarenotashamedorfearfuloftheirItalianpaganroots.

OneoldexampleoftheusageofstregheriaappearsinthebookApologiadellaCongresso
NotturnoDelleLamie,byGirolamoTartarotti(1751),whichalmostexclusivelyusestheword
stregheriainplaceofstregoneria.Duetomodificationsoverthecenturies,thetermsstregoneria
andstregheriamustnowbeviewedasreferringtodifferentsystems.Infact,adictionaryprintedin
theyear1900(NouveaudictionnaireitalienfrancaisetfrancaisitalienbyCostanzoFerrari)
http://www.stregheria.com/what.htm 1/2
5/12/2017 History

providesseparateentriesforstregoneriaandstregheria.Theentryforstregoneriarefersstrictlyto
sorcery,whiletheentryforstregheriareferstoorganizedwitchcraftinconnectionwiththeSabbat.
TheconnectionofthewordstregheriatotheSabbatisparticularlynoteworthy.Tartarottiincludesa
discussionofthevenerationofthegoddessDianainconnectionwithStregheria,whichfurther
demonstratesthedifferencebetweenitandstregoneria.Suchaconnectioncanbefoundinpre
ChristianwritingslikethoseofHorace(theEpodes).

SIGNSTHATATRADITIONISNOTAUTHENTICITALIANWITCHCRAFT

Overthepastdecadewehaveseentheriseofgroupsandindividualsclaimingtobewitches,but
areactuallyonlypracticingcommonfolkmagicandfolkhealingtraditionsthatbearaslight
resemblancetosomeelementsofauthenticItalianwitchcraft.InItalythemajorityofgroups(along
withwebsites)havemergedeclecticmaterialtogether,erroneouslyportrayingthisasItalian
witchcraft.InrealityitisamixtureofancientEgyptianIsisworship,hermetics,GrecoRoman
religion,andCatholicbasedfolktraditions.AuthenticItalianwitchcraftinItalyisstillanunderground
societyandcontinuestoremainintheshadows.

Somemoderngroupsandindividualsclaimingtopracticewitchcrafthaverejectedanypagan
elementsinfavoroftheCatholicrootedtraditionsofItaly.AlthoughseeninItalytoasmalldegree,
thisphenomenonislargelyfoundamongsegmentsoftheItalianAmericanpopulationseekingtheir
Europeanroots.TheirrejectionoftheauthenticformsofItalianwitchcraftinfavorofCatholicrooted
folktraditionsisasymptomoffearingtorelinquishChristianity.Inotherwordstheywanttobe
witchesbutareapparentlyafraidtobepaganforfearofdamnation(aJudeoChristianbelief).
ThereforetheyhaveinventedaChristianwitchcraftsystem,whichtheyfeelisasafeguardagainst
offendingGod.Thefollowingarenineprimarysignsofthisfaketypeofwitchcraft:

1.TheinclusionofChristiansymbols,therosary,holywater,communionwafers,saints,Jesus,and
Churchholidays.

2.ThepassingonofthepoweronChristmasEve(typicallyrelatedtohealing).

3.Claimingthatcommonfolkloreandfolktraditionsarewitchcrafttraditions.

4.Clamingthatfolkhealersandfolkmagicusersarewitches.

5.Ignoranceofthecimarutaasthewitchessymbol,andviewingitasafolkcharmforprotectionor
goodfortune.

6.IgnoranceofinnertraditionsrelatedtoBefana,thewitchgiftgiverfigure.Infakewitchcraft
traditionsBefanaislinkedtothebirthofJesusandtheappearanceoftheMagi.

7.Denialofsurvivingelementsofpaganism,anddenialofpaganrootsoforigin.

8.RelianceuponinformationfoundinpublishedbooksonItalianfolktraditions,customs,andfolk
magic(withnoaccesstoinitiatelevelmaterial).FromthisisconstructedafabricatedChristian
witchcraftsystemincorporatingItalianfolktraditionsinanattempttoappearauthentic.

9.AbeliefthatcommonItalianfamilypracticesinvolvingsaintmagic&blessings,techniques
againsttheevileyeandtheuseofcommonitemssuchasscissors,needles,redthread,salt,and
otherhouseholditemsisaformofauthenticwitchcraft.

OneoftheproblemswithChristianizedstregoneriaisitsfosteringofsuperstitions,whichare
indicativeofignoranceandlackofeducation.ThosewhopromoteChristianizedstregoneria
contributetothenegativestereotypesofItaliansasignorantandbackwards.Thisunderminesthe
effortsofotherswhowishtodemonstratehigherlevelsofspiritualitywithinItaliansystemsand
traditions.Aspreviouslynoted,claimingthatfolkmagicandfolkhealinginanItalianfolktraditionis
witchcraftalsooffendsauthenticItalianfolkpractitioners.TheharmthisisdoingtotheItalian
witchcraftcommunity,thecommunityofItalianfolktraditions,andtosincereseekersofinformation,
isyettobefullyrealized.

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