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Views of Witchcraft in Changeover
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From: chichild at sfpl.lib.ca.us <chichild>
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 1995 14:18:25 -0700
Kathleen - I agree with you that Mahy shows a knowledge of contemporary witchcraft, although I've always been intrigued at the way she chose to combine elements of things people actually do with obvious fantasy elements. For instance, influencing the weather might be something attempted by a practicing witch, but I know of no one who would claim an ability to create a miniature farm and animals out of thin air. There is a version of a "changeover" in modern (and ancient) witchcraft; it is genrally called an initiation and usually occurs after substantial training. While the powers Laura receives after her changeover are a bit dramatic, the moral dilemma she grapples with when she is tempted to abuse these powers has the ring of truth, and has been the subject of debate among modern witches, and other explorers of the psychic arts. Interestingly, male witches are by no means an anomaly (as Mahy describes Sorry), and in fact have been very influential in the survival of a number of witchcraft traditions.
As for Megan's question about whether Mahy's positive approach to women and mageic is a conscious response to the historical witch hunts, my hit while reading the books was that New Zealand may simply have a more evenhanded cultural view of witchcraft - distinguishing evil witches from good ones - than does the United States. While I do not have a copy of either of the books with me, I seem to remember one of the characters
(Laura?) making a casual reference to the possibility of finding a white
[good] witch to help her. I recall being struck by the casualness of the phrase and the implicit acknowledgement that there were both evil and benevolent practitioners of magic. It felt very much like a cultural perspective from another country.
Rgds, Donna Trifilo (friend of Carla Kozak, graduate of the U.W. Library School, and aficionado of the CCBC)
(Please excuse any spelling errors, etc. I haven't figured out the edit mode on this system.)
Received on Tue 08 Aug 1995 04:18:25 PM CDT
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 1995 14:18:25 -0700
Kathleen - I agree with you that Mahy shows a knowledge of contemporary witchcraft, although I've always been intrigued at the way she chose to combine elements of things people actually do with obvious fantasy elements. For instance, influencing the weather might be something attempted by a practicing witch, but I know of no one who would claim an ability to create a miniature farm and animals out of thin air. There is a version of a "changeover" in modern (and ancient) witchcraft; it is genrally called an initiation and usually occurs after substantial training. While the powers Laura receives after her changeover are a bit dramatic, the moral dilemma she grapples with when she is tempted to abuse these powers has the ring of truth, and has been the subject of debate among modern witches, and other explorers of the psychic arts. Interestingly, male witches are by no means an anomaly (as Mahy describes Sorry), and in fact have been very influential in the survival of a number of witchcraft traditions.
As for Megan's question about whether Mahy's positive approach to women and mageic is a conscious response to the historical witch hunts, my hit while reading the books was that New Zealand may simply have a more evenhanded cultural view of witchcraft - distinguishing evil witches from good ones - than does the United States. While I do not have a copy of either of the books with me, I seem to remember one of the characters
(Laura?) making a casual reference to the possibility of finding a white
[good] witch to help her. I recall being struck by the casualness of the phrase and the implicit acknowledgement that there were both evil and benevolent practitioners of magic. It felt very much like a cultural perspective from another country.
Rgds, Donna Trifilo (friend of Carla Kozak, graduate of the U.W. Library School, and aficionado of the CCBC)
(Please excuse any spelling errors, etc. I haven't figured out the edit mode on this system.)
Received on Tue 08 Aug 1995 04:18:25 PM CDT
