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The Inquisition was first founded in 1232. During the Inquisition, few, if any, real, verifiable, witches were ever discovered or tried. Often the very accusation was enough to see one branded a witch, tried by the Inquisitors' Court, and burned alive at the stake. Estimates of the death toll during the Inquisition worldwide range from 600,000 to as high as 9,000,000; this is a chilling number when one realizes that nearly all of the accused were women. Those accused were: outcasts, midwives, poets, handicapped, gypsies, herb gatherers, widows and spinsters. Women who had no man to supervise them were of course highly suspicious. Anyone who did not fit within the contemporary view of pieous Christians were suspect, and easily branded 'Witch'. The crime of Witchcraft was not the only crime of which one could be accused during the Inquisition. By questioning any part of Catholic belief, one could be branded a 'heretic'. Scientists were branded heretics by virtue of repudiating certain tenets of Christian belief. Writers who challenged the Church were arrested for heresy. Anyone who questioned the validity of any part of Catholic belief did so at their own risk.
It is important to remember that the 'Malleus Maleficarum' was a work of its time; a result of the surroundings. Science had only just begun to make any real advances. At that time nearly any unexplainable illness or malady would often be attributed to magic, and thus the activity of witches. It was a way for ordinary people to make sense of the world around them. Because of the misconceptions and fears heaped upon minority religions by the Inquisition, we must remember those who suffered because of it. And perhaps, by our awareness, we can make certain that history does not repeat itself.
Here in the US we have had our share of witch trails...beginning in the late 1600's in Salem, Massachusetts. Most witches here in the US are not as open as you might think. There are some areas that are better suited to being a witch than others. And we do need to be careful about who knows we are witches.
The Old Religion of Italy first began to form around the beliefs of early, pre-Etruscan Italians. The mystery teachings and the magickal practices were further developed and refined by the Etruscans, who appeared in Italy around 1000 B.C.E., establishing the great Etruscan Empire. The Etruscans were known historically for their great magickal and mystical knowledge. With the rise of the Roman Empire, other factors began to influence Italian religion.
The Etruscans cared a great deal more about the afterworld than about life on this earth, so they built magnificent tombs which they sometimes decorated with exquisitely detailed wall paintings and sometimes stocked with a lifetime supply of household goods. The burial items accompanying the dead person in the tomb consisted of objects related to clothing, personal ornaments, weapons and table services; those objects that survivors wanted to place in the burial in order to indicate the dead's social status. They believed that the pleasures of life on earth could continue after death and felt it essential that the living gain the good-will of the Gods in order to enjoy their afterlife. The 'stories' about the gods were unimportant; religion's function in the Etruscan times was to maintain a stable relationship between their gods and their community.
Central to the Etruscan idea of deity was the notion of 'manus' or 'numen', or power, which they believed to underlie all of creation and which manifested itself to humans as the gods. Manus became concentrated in certain places and could be harnessed to assist humans. Those who could discern the motions of this power, who could tap into it, would be in touch with the divine and would be favored in their lives. This is a principle in many philosophies and religions. Consciousness of this power is not enough: one must possess the wisdom to become a conduit for it.
The Etruscans were the most god-fearing people of their time. All ritual and religious observances were based on the division of the heavens. This division enabled the priests to decipher and understand the signs the gods had sent. The division of the universe also was used in the planning of cities and temples. Each segment of the Etruscan universe was identified with a chief god or goddess, who had a specific area of influence. Their universe was divided into three major forces: the heavens, the earth and the underworld. In the North, East and NorthEast dwelled the highest deities, those Gods most favorable to man. These were the most powerful and advisory gods. In the East also dwelled the Gods of Wisdom. In the South the Gods of earth and nature ruled. In the West dwelled the Gods of the Underworld and misfortune.
With the overthrow of Paganism at the hand of the Christians, magickal practices and Dianic cults such as that of the King of the Woods at Nemi were outlawed. Priestesses of Diana took refuge in isolated villages near Lake Nemi and the temple of Diana fell into ruins. The lake and the grove were sometimes known as the Lake and Grove of Aricia. But the town of Aricia (the modern town of La Riccia) was situated about three miles away. According to some stories, Diana did not reign alone in her Grove at Nemi. Two lesser divinities shared her forest sanctuary: one was the Etruscan goddess called Egeria; the other was Virbius.
Christianized Romans looked down upon the country dwellers, whom they viewed as simpletons. Yet it was here in these rural villages that the Old Religion of Italy was maintained, separate and independent of Christianity. This still holds true in modern day Italy.
The persecution of Witches in Italy did not become violent until the late fourteenth century, and even then the Church struck out mainly against organized groups. Solitary village witches were generally tolerated, continuing the roles of village healer, herbalist, midwife and counselor; thus Italian Witchcraft remained relatively intact throughout the Middle Ages.
In Italian, there are different words for witch/magickian/sorcerer: Strega (stray-gah); Stregone (stray-go-nay) ; Mago (mah-joh); and Maga (mah-jah). Strega means female Witch; Stregone means male Witch; Mago means magician and Maga means sorceress. The Italian words for Witchcraft are Stregheria (stray-gare-e-ah); Stregoneria (stray-go-neer-ee-ah) and Magia (mah-jee-ah). The Italian word for coven is Boschetto (boss-ket-oh), which means grove; Selva, which means forest; or Congrega.
Today, there are many traditions of Stregheria: Silvani (found in Naples, Florence, Palmero and Messina), Benandanti (found in the Fruili region and in north and northeast Italy), Luperci, Cavellini, Italian Fairy, Sicilian, Nemaic, and Trinacrian (found in the US).
What we call the Lare today, were, in early Etruscan times called the Lasa. In Stregheria, the Lare represent not only ancient family ties, but the spirits who protect and preserve the Old Religion and its followers. The Lasa were the spirits of the West (ancestral ties) and the Lare were spirits of the East (preservation of Ways). The Lare are centered on the family and its doings and have strong ties to actual ancestors. The Lare would be included in birthdays and other family events. The Lasa are less 'domestic' and their roots are in all of humanity.
The Magickal focus is largely upon spells, omens and natural objects. These are used as amulets, talismans, charms and divinations. Ritual circles are seldom used for spell casting or other works of Magick. As in most Craft traditions, the basic elemental forces are revered and living entities are associated with the Magickal properties of the elements. Italian folklore also extends to inanimate objects, which are believed to contain power. Among the most common are keys made of gold or silver, scissors, horseshoes, pearls, red ribbon and salt.
There are a lot of differences between USA Witches and Italian Witches. These differences are due to the different history, the different traditions, and different beliefs. We in the US live 2,500 miles from Italy. As I understand it, the 'Wiccan Rede' was never part of the Italian Witches belief, and was not part of the Witchery born in Italy. As I am also given to understand, in Italy some Strega do not follow the Law of 3 or the Rede. It was not part of the Strega beliefs IN Italy hundreds of years ago, therefore it is not included now. There are some groups in Italy who have adopted the Law and Rede. I believe they in Italy view the Law and Rede as Wiccan...something more NEW. In Italy I am told you will not hear a witch talk about 'karma', because that concept is an Oriental concept that arrived in Italy in the current century. In a similar way, you will never hear of 'tantra', 'i ching', 'chakra', 'yoga', or any other concept that was not present in Italy in the 13th century. There appear to be 180-200 different dialects in Italy and each dialect has its own spells, beliefs, traditions, and clans.
The Strega's presence in Italy left traces in geographical names as 'pontesel de le strie' (small streghe's bridge) in Besagno (Trentino); 'sedile delle streghe' (streghe's seat) in Siusi (Trentino); 'monte delle streghe' (streghe's mountain) in Bagni di Lucca (Tuscany).
In 1101 the Countess Matilda of Tuscany had the 'Ponte della Maddalena' or 'The Devil's Bridge' (spanning the river Serchio) built to make the therapeutic waters more accessable.
The meadows of the Prato Fiorito, (also known as the Witches Mountain) was so named for the variety of rare and unusual medicinal plants which can be found there. Bagni di Lucca, nestled in the green valley of the river Lima at the foot of the Apennines, is blessed with a wealth of thermal springs.
Some Sources:
The Etruscans, by Werner Keller, 1974;
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Fifth Edition, Columbia University Press, 1993
The Etruscans: The Emergence of Man, Time Life Books, 1975
The Golden Bough, by Sir James George Frazer, 1922
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000