Book

Sollée, Kristen J., author.

Witch hunt : a traveler's guide to the power and persecution of the witch / Kristen J. Sollée.

Newburyport, MA Weiser Books, 2020.

244 pages ; 23 cm

"Part history, part 'armchair' travelogue, Witch hunt is a captivating guide to the historic witch hunts and how their legacy continues to impact us today. Traveling through cities and sites across Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Kristen J. Sollée, a second generation witch herself, explores the witch as a figure of female power and persecution. By infusing an adventurous first-person narrative with extensive research and imaginative historical fiction. Witch hunt captures the magic of travel to make an often-overlooked period of history come alive. Between the 15th-17th centuries, a confluence of political, economic, and religious factors inspired witch hysteria to ignite like wildfire across Europe, and later, parts of America. At the heart of the witch hunts were often dangerous misconceptions about femininity and female sexuality and women were disproportionately punished as a result. Today, this lineage of oppression remains an important reference point through which we can contemplate women's rights, and human rights, in the Western world and beyond. Witch hunt isn't only an exploration of the horrors of history, but also uncovers how the archetype of the witch has been rehabilitated. For witches are not just haunting figures of the past: the witch is also a liberatory icon and identity of the present"--Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references.

Blood, stregoneria, sex, magic (Florence, Italy) -- Divination nation (Florence and Bologna, Italy) -- Saints and sorceresses (Siena, Italy) -- Midsummer in Liguria (Triora and Genoa, Italy) -- A witch's guide to the Vatican (Vatican City) -- The iron maiden (Rouen, France) -- Necromance in the City of Lights (Paris, France) -- The German witchscape (Harz Mountains, Germany) -- Terror and transformation in Bavaria (Bamberg, Germany) -- Pagan past and pagan presence (Kilkenny, Ireland) -- Sowing seeds, altered states (London, England) -- The passion of King James (Edinburgh, Scotland) -- Witches of America (Williamsburg and Jamestown, Virginia) -- Maritime Maleficia (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware) -- Rituals of remembrance (Hartford, Connecticut) -- Halloween in Witch City (Salem, Massachusetts) -- Re-enchanting travel (Brooklyn, New York) -- Travel resources.

Sollée, Kristen J. -- Travel.

Witch hunting -- History.

Witchcraft -- History.

Witches -- History.

Women -- History.

Women -- Social conditions.

Historic sites -- Description and travel.

9781578636990

157863699X

1873512