Devil's Stones and Midnight Rites: Megaliths, Folklore, and Contemporary Pagan Witchcraft

During the middle years of the twentieth century, British pioneers of Wicca, the neopagan witchcraft religion, adopted prehistoric megaliths as 'sacred sites' and appropriated the folklore that surrounded them for their own magico-religious purposes. In turn, Wiccan interpretations of such...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Folklore (London) 2014-04, Vol.125 (1), p.60-79
Main Author: Doyle White, Ethan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
20th century
Analysis
Archaeology
Cognitive problems, arts and sciences, folk traditions, folklore
Covens
Devils
Druids
England
Ethnology
Folk literature
Folklore
Generalities
History
Holy places
Magic
Megalithic monuments
Megaliths
Monuments
Neopaganism
Paganism
Paganism & animism
Religion
Religious aspects
Religious rituals
Rites & ceremonies
Ritual
Stone circles
United Kingdom
Wicca
Witchcraft
Witches
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Description
Summary:During the middle years of the twentieth century, British pioneers of Wicca, the neopagan witchcraft religion, adopted prehistoric megaliths as 'sacred sites' and appropriated the folklore that surrounded them for their own magico-religious purposes. In turn, Wiccan interpretations of such sites resulted in the creation of a new 'alternative archaeological' megalithic folklore.
ISSN:0015-587X
1469-8315
DOI:10.1080/0015587X.2013.860766