3 Review(s)

"The Witch-Cult in Western Europe," Murray presents a controversial theory about the historical origins of witchcraft trials and the existence of a pre-Christian witch-cult that survived into the Middle Ages. She argues that the witch trials of the Early Modern period were not merely persecutions of innocent individuals but were, in fact, an attempt to suppress the remnants of an ancient pagan religion.Murray proposes that a prehistoric fertility cult, centered around a horned god and a triple goddess, existed in Western Europe and that this cult was suppressed by the Christian Church as it spread across the continent. According to her theory, the persecuted witches were the remnants of this pagan cult, and their practices and beliefs survived in secret through the centuries.Murray's book generated significant interest and debate when it was first published. Some scholars and readers embraced her theory, seeing it as a groundbreaking interpretation of witchcraft history. Others criticized her work for lacking solid historical evidence and for relying on speculative and controversial sources.