OPERATIVE
WITCHCRAFT
“In our postmodern world, appearances often upstage matters of real substance, and people freely adopt new personae as they please—witness the plethora of contemporary witches, many of whom share little in common with the sorts of rural figures that bore the name in earlier times. Nigel Pennick’s Operative Witchcraft is an unromanticized ‘warts and all’ survey of the real history and lore of witchcraft in his native England and elsewhere. This treasure trove of seldom-seen material encompasses topics ranging from toadmen and horsemen to weird plants and darker folk traditions, including a fascinating chapter on the syncretic links between British witchcraft and West Indian Obeah religion. One could not ask for a more knowledgeable and sympathetic guide through these shadow-filled realms than Nigel Pennick.”
MICHAEL MOYNIHAN, COAUTHOR OF LORDS OF CHAOS AND COEDITOR OF THE JOURNAL TYR: MYTH—CULTURE—TRADITION
“Operative Witchcraft is a fascinating, wide-ranging, and detailed work that acknowledges and tackles the complex nature of British witchcraft. The book discusses the powers of the witch, how witches have been portrayed, and the persecution of them through legislation and unofficial violence borne of ancient fears. The comparison with West Indian Obeah highlights the repetition of old patterns of persecution in Britain’s former colonies. Nigel Pennick has long been a leading authority on this subject, and Operative Witchcraft is another excellent work, shining new light not only on the history of witchcraft but also on how it has been practiced over the centuries. This beautifully written and authoritative work, which is both accessible and academically rigorous, should grace the bookshelves of folklorists, historians, practitioners of witchcraft, and those with a general interest in this enduring aspect of our culture.”
VAL THOMAS, HERBALIST, PRACTITIONER OF WITCHCRAFT AND NATURAL MAGIC, AND AUTHOR OF A WITCH’S KITCHEN
“While most historians of witchcraft have focused on the early modern and Renaissance era (myself included), Pennick goes beyond the great conflagrations of Europe to show how magic and witchcraft survived into the twentieth century. Operative Witchcraft offers one interesting tidbit of forgotten magical history after the next—not a page went by that I didn’t stop and say, “Wow!” Well written, well researched, a fantastic addition to any witchcraft library.”
THOMAS HATSIS, AUTHOR OF THE WITCHES’ OINTMENT AND PSYCHEDELIC MYSTERY TRADITIONS
“Nigel Pennick stands with one leg in the eldritch world and one in the mundane, as all who know him can attest. After a lifetime of dedication to these ancient mysteries, both in theory and in practice, there is no one better qualified to lead the reader through the highways and byways of operative witchcraft.”
IAN READ, FORMER EDITOR OF CHAOS INTERNATIONAL AND RÛNA MAGAZINES, LEADER OF THE RUNE-GILD IN EUROPE, AND FOUNDING MUSICIAN IN THE BAND FIRE + ICE
“Yet another generous offering from Nigel Pennick! In Operative Witchcraft, Pennick’s extensive knowledge of British folk magic tradition builds a richly furnished mansion from the presumed molehill of its textual and material traces.”
DANICA BOYCE, PRODUCER OF FAIR FOLK PODCAST
“In this intriguing book, Nigel Pennick gives numerous examples of operative witchcraft—witchcraft as it was actually practiced and documented by earlier researchers. It also includes details of the techniques and practices he personally learned from traditional practitioners over a period of more than forty-five years.”
ANNA FRANKLIN, AUTHOR OF THE HEARTH WITCH’S COMPENDIUM AND THE SACRED CIRCLE TAROT