Once Upon A Time: Folkloric and Pagan Elements of the Western European Witchcraft Worldview, 395-1820 CE

Abstract

This study examines specific elements of paganism and folklore that played significant roles in the Western European witchcraft worldview of the Middle Ages. The origins of these beliefs are explored as well as the ways in which they were incorporated into Christian thought from 600-1600 CE. The primary beliefs that this study focuses on include Diana and the Wild Ride, folk spirits (elves, fairies, gnomes, giants, dwarves, trolls, kobolds, leprechauns, etc.), shapeshifting (lycanthropy/werewolves), and flight (strigae). This study will argue that the Western European witchcraft worldview was developed through the demonization and integration of various elements of folklore and paganism into the Christian belief system.