Common Traits Among Different Types of Witchcraft

            Several groups including the Fore and the Azande believe that their misfortune is caused by witchcraft. The Fore use a form of divination to find who the sorcerer or witch is that is plaguing them with what they call kuru (Stein 2011:8). In order to find the one responsible, they would perform a divination ritual in order to identify the sorcerer responsible. Friend or foe. The Azande are similar in searching for an evil doer among their foes. Witchcraft was considered a common cause of misfortune. The Azande also consult oracles when looking for clear judgment when dealing with witchcraft (Evans-Pritchard 1976: 35). Having an oracle or a healer, that acts as the authority regarding witchcraft, is another trait among societies that practice witchcraft as an integral part of their society. Popular culture has skewed impressions of some older groups that do not have much left in the way of original texts. The Druids are most often misconstrued when talked about. When one considers a Druid, one thinks of a man dressed in strange robes that is part of a religious sect worshipping strange and dangerous gods through archaic ceremony at something like the Stonehenge. Some have stated they were tall men dressed in white. In reality Druids “are engaged in things sacred, conduct the public and the private sacrifices, and interpret all matters of religion” (Caesar 53 BCE: 13). If anything, they reflected priest like characteristics more than cultist characteristics. They were probably figures for the Ancient Celtics much like the oracles are the authority for other groups that practice witchcraft.

            Ritual is a significant factor in most religions that involve witchcraft. The methods are often quite old and strict. They adhere to specific guidelines laid by the founders of the religion or base their rituals off of ancient texts. Ceremonial Magic is a massive field of research all on its own. Each individual group has specific rituals they adhere to.  For example, the practice of necromancy, or raising of the dead through magic or ritualistic practice, is a commonality that spans several societies. Necromancy has been documented in Greece, Rome, Israel, Mesopotamia, Celtic regions and several others. Necromancy is often associated specifically with the occult and is considered a dark form of witchcraft. The art of necromancy was not simply invented out of thin air, but careful crafted and based off of the principles of pseudo-Agrippa. Infernal Necromancy is a type of necromancy involving a specific spirit and requires one go to the tomb at precisely midnight and chant a certain verse demanding the obedience of the spirit.  An apparition has been said to appear if the ceremony is properly performed. The understanding is the Infernal Necromancy versus regular necromancy involves a specific summon and it brings forth a spirit or apparition and not a corpse.

References

Caesar, Julius

 1869 [53 BCE] The Works of Julius Caesar: Gallic Wars Book Six. W.A. McDevitte and

    W.S. Bohn, trans. New York: Harper & Brothers

Evans-Pritchard, E. E.

 1976 Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic among the Azande. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Stein, Rebecca L. and Philip L. Stein

 2011 The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witch Craft Third Edition. Upper Saddle

    River: Prentice Hall

Waite, Arthur Edward

 The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts: Including the Rites and Mysteries of Goëtic Theurgy,

    Sorcery, and Infernal Necromancy.