Italian Witchcraft

Nowadays, Italian Witchcraft is

became popular, largely thanks to books by
Charles G. Leland and Raven Grimassi.
Many people are interested in
to know Stregoneria - or Stregheria
how it became popular among books
de Grimassi - and many are those who
they call for the Strega titles or
Sorcerer. But what is it truly?
Witchcraft? What are your beliefs and
practices? Well, this is a very
complex, and I will try to explain through
from this short article what are the
truths and lies about the so
famous "witches".
 First of all, we must say
that witchcraft encompasses a vast
it is practically impossible to list
streams of beliefs and practices of
Witches that live in the region
Mediterranean of Italy. A large part of the
people think that Italian Witchcraft is
a unique Religion, the one that is exposed
in the books of Raven Grimassi; but this
does not correspond to reality. That which is
presented by Grimassi in his books
it's not even one percent of the
wide range of traditions, customs and
beliefs that are part of the term
generic Witchcraft. There are hundreds
of Clans, Streams and Traditions that
can be classified as Witchcraft
Italian; each with their own liturgies
own, own pantheons, rituals,
spellcasting, enchantments, and beliefs
own. And it is worth noting that there are
immense differences between one Clan and another.
So, it is not possible to generalize the
Italian Witchcraft as a Religion
unique, much less like just that
that Grimassi presents in his books.
As a simple example, we can mention
what witches from Northern Italy have
very different beliefs from the Witches of
South of Italy. The first ones, in their greatness
majority are worshippers of gods of
Etruscan and Roman origin, while the
Mondays are much more focused on
Hellenic pantheon. Many Clans of Witches
from the North are followers of the famous
mythical-historical character known
by Aradia, while the Witches of the South
they didn't even hear about it.
There are also many witches who are
Christians. They perform their charms,
curses and love spells invoking
Catholic saints, and they do not fail to go to the
masses on Sunday, for part of their
powers come from communion with the
host and the wine; and yes, they reach
to curse in the name of the Wounds of
Jesus.
 In Sicily, there are the Animulare, which
they are extremely closed witches, who
they do not reveal their secrets not even
for your close friends - so, it will be
practically impossible for you to see one
"workshop" on Sicilian Witchcraft in
some esoteric space from there. They have
a belief completely centered on the Cult
to the Dead, in the Flights to the Sabbat
astral travel) and in transfiguration.
It should be clarified here that Sabba, for
the Witches of Italy, it is not a festival
seasonal, but rather a Place of Power, a
a local in Astral where orgies occur and
parties and where they rejoice
with your God of Shadows and Pleasure.
 Another Witch's Cult, a little
best known in Italy is the Cult of
Benandanti. The Benandanti were, in the
Friuli region, Christian sorcerers who,
during a certain time of year, they fought
ritualistically with the Malandanti (the
witches "more"), to thus ensure
a good harvest. In the region of
In Benevento we have the Janare, who
they celebrated their meetings at midnight
around a big walnut tree
sacred and served naked to the Cloth, the so much
known God Pan of the Greeks. We have the
Beautiful Bottles from Veneto, which has a
more shamanic practice and divided into
small groups, usually
relatives.
 In short, there are hundreds of practices
very different from each other, and which are
known as Italian Witchcraft.
Exactly for this reason, it becomes
it is very difficult to speak for Stregoneria as
a unique thing, like Mr. Grimassi
attention. So, how can I talk about
the beliefs of it? Well, I can talk.
just by the beliefs I have held
instructed by my elders
"professors" and by the few beliefs that
I was transmitted from two more.
genuine practitioners of different Clans
that I know.
 The Italian Witchcraft that I know is
a witchcraft centered around a cult
Lunar, in the worship of Diana, Lucifer and
Aradia as a divine triad; this triad
heir of the Etruscan triad Uni-Tagni-
Menerva. The basis of this Witchcraft is
centered on three pillars: worship of
the aforementioned triad, witchcraft and reading of
omens and oracles. We have a vast
pantheon of gods, demigods,
spirits of time and nature,
demons and geniuses, who act in the most
various scales of existence.
Necromancy and other forms of
communication with spirits is something
very important within our
practices and we do not see the Gods as
facets of the same Goddess or God, and yes
as independent beings, who came
from the same Source, but who are beings
different, just like each human being
Your animal is unique. We celebrate so much in
Congregate as solitary, but not
we admit in our practices the such
modernism of "self-initiation."
 Initiation, a delicate subject.
How does it take place in Stregoneria? From
various forms, but it is unanimous - for the
less in the traditions I know - that
it is transmitted in some way.
my practices are transmitted through
of certain rituals, passed down from generation
in generation, through secret rites
that involve trials, transmission of
lineage through blood, of certain
power herbs and other elements that
I am not authorized to reveal. We believe
that, only those who were born
with a certain Dom, who is recognized
those who are Initiated, they can be
accepted within our Clan; this implies
in the exclusion of many those who want
follow our traditions? Yes, because there is
also many who hesitate to not
to be part of us, but after
after some time they end up accepting the
designs of the Lord. Elitism? Perhaps...
We never wanted to be a Cult of
mass, and we prefer to be hidden than
famous in the media; we do not wish
gather herds, for ours to us
they will come.
 I know that it is also possible a
certain type of initiation through
spirits, and some of our legends
they tell us about witches that were
Initiated directly by the spirits of
your Clans. But this has never been and never
it will be a 'self-initiation', and in most
in two cases, that witch tried to reject the
what was being given to him - after all, the
the burden of Witchcraft is much greater than the
the beauty that neo-pagans present to
public, such burden being the dedication and
responsibility towards the Mysteries
that, very few people are
really willing to follow.
Another type of initiation well
common in the practices of Stregoneria is
that familiar. The lineage is transmitted
through ancestry, but the
the duties of the Office of Witches is also
legacies through rituals and ceremonies.
 The witches of the Clan to which I belong
they believe that, for magic to be
really effective, it is always necessary to
intervention of Diana (the Moon), Lucifer (the
Sun) and Aradia (the Earth - the point of
balance). The seasonal cycles also
are observed, so that there is a
alignment with the tides of power
telluric beings originating from these periods, because it is
Diana who gives us the Power, but only
through the intercession of Lucifer
(solar energy from a metaphysical perspective) and
Aradia (telluric energy) that
we nourish the Power that is given to us
granted. One of our rules is that,
no witch can die without
transmit the Legacy to at least one
person. And this rule is literal, because if the
the witch does not transmit it, she suffers and is
prevented from dying by the Powerful, until
that conveys the Legacy.
 Another very important factor in
our Worship is the worship of the Ancestors.
This worship is closely linked to
Necromancy and sacrifices, libations and
offerings to those who transmitted to us
The Legacy and the Brand. Without Worship to
There is no Witchcraft for Ancestors.

Well, this is Italian Witchcraft.

A vast range of practices and beliefs,
spread throughout Italy, and that in
its majority remains hidden in
shadow of secrets to this day. It is a
Worship of gods or saints, in which
only those who are admitted
were chosen either by lineage
blood-related, or by carrying on the
blood the Dom asleep for generations
and ends up awakening. It is above
everything, a Cult where the witchcraft, the
enchantments, blessings, curses and
infamous potions, are totally
importance to the Witch.
 Nowadays, it is increasingly
It is common to hear about 'Stregheria'
the Italian Witchcraft here in Brazil,
mainly thanks to the books of
American writer Raven Grimassi. A
the issue that arises is the following:
for most people who
I am interested in the topic of the false idea of
that Stregheria is unique and
exclusively what is presented
by Mr. Grimassi, since many
still has the erroneous view that
Stregheria is Wiccan Tradition. The majority
people imagine that Witchcraft
Italian is a unified thing, or in
maximum or the famous set of Traditions
cited by Mr. Grimassi (Janarra,
Tanarra, Fanarra, Ariciana and Aridiana.
But in fact things are not quite
around there.
 In Italy, there are various clans.
Stregonesci traditions, being some
similar to the path presented
by Raven Grimassi, while others are
completely different. Not all the
Italian witchcraft follows the pattern
Tanarrico, Janarrico or Fanarrico
Many people think. In old Italy
there are even Witches who worship
the Catholic Saints in their Rites and
Enchantments.
 One common thing I noticed
in all the Clans of Stregoneria that
I know and studied, it is the deep respect.
to the Cult of the Ancestors. A large part
two Clans that I know also worship
Diana, Lucifer (Janus or Dianus) and
Herodiade (Herodias or Aradia), but there is
also those Witches that have as
deities other Gods and Goddesses,
depending on the region of Italy in
question; we must not forget that
Italy was not a unified country until
19th century. The Witches of Northern Italy
have an influence from the Etruscan Peoples
in their traditions and folklore, while
the Witches of Southern Italy were well received
more influence of Greek culture.
 To have an idea of how
this topic is complex, we just need to observe
the names that are used to identify
as Witches in popular traditions of
various regions of Italy. The Witches
Sicilians are called "Animulare";
the Witches of Western Veneto are the
"Beautiful Bottles"; as "Janare" are the Witches
from Campania, region of the famous Walnut
from Benevento; in Piedmont, Liguria and
In Lombardy, they are called
"Mask", while the StregheTrentinas
The Vicentinas are called "Beate"
Donnette"; the Witches of Alassio are
calls of "Bazure" and are known
like "The Witches of the Storms"
marine" (The Witches of the Storms
. The Witches of Sardinia are
as "Cogas". There are also the
Numes, as Strie, as Vaina, as
"Herodine", as "Ecatine", and many others
Clans of Witches throughout Italy. If we
dialects the word Witch in Italian
receives so many terms, imagine your
traditions, myths, and liturgies.
 Another example of diversifications
that exist among the Clans of Stregoneria
it is related to the famous book by Charles
Leland, "Aradia, The Gospel of Witches"
"Italians." A Witch who provided the texts.
from the work for Leland, arranged the material
with known Witches, who followed
a tradition different from hers; she
she herself was unaware of the texts of the Gospel
in your Tradition.
This small text comes to show
for those interested, whether laypeople or
students of Occultism, what Witchcraft
Italian is not summarized in the books of
Mr. Grimassi, and there is much more
mysteries and traditions in the 'Vecchi'
Italian paths of what traditions
Aridiana and Ariciana. I do not come with the
attempt to defame what is presented
by Raven Grimassi and his Traditions,
on the contrary, I come to show that there is
much more to learn in the search
through the knowledge of our
Ancestors.
Talking about ancestors is something that requires
a lot of respect and even
responsibility. They are revered and
honorable in the most diverse cultures and
world traditions. In Celtic religion (the
Druidism) they held a role
fundamental within worship and liturgy.
We clearly see the role of the ancestors
in religions such as Buddhism,
Hinduism, shamanic practices (among the
what are Candomblé and Umbanda
Brazilians and Haitian Vodou), and even
even in the Catholic religion. And in
Witchcraft could not be any different.
First we need to define what
represents the word 'ancestral' for us
adepts of Witchcraft. There are two
definitions for the ancestors: The
blood relatives, our
blood ancestors (parents, grandparents,
great-grandparents, etc.) and spiritual ancestors,
that is, the wizards and witches, priests and
priestesses who have traversed the ages
they maintained and passed on the knowledge
and the wisdom of magical arts, healing and
Spirituality of our Traditions for
that they would reach us. Of course
that a consanguineous ancestor can
very well to be an Ancestral too
spiritual (as in the case of the witches
hereditary).
For the ancient Romans, the cult of the
ancestors were very important. They
they were called homes, the spirits that
took care of the house and the family. The homes
they were ruled by the Goddess Acca Larentia, the
mother of homes, considered the midwife
divine of Romulus and Remus, the founders
from Rome. The Romans always
they kept the fireplace fire burning
in honor of your ancestors and
the offerings to them were always
deposited on an altar inside the
houses.
In Italian Witchcraft, this tradition is not so
different. In many traditions
from Italian Witchcraft (if not even in
all traditions), the ancestors are
honored and invoked to bring
wisdom and protection. Offerings of honey,
milk, water, grains, breads, wine, candles and
incense is made together with prayers in
a small chapel sometimes known as
sanctuary of the ancestors or sanctuary
the lasas". Lasa is an ancient term
etruscan that corresponds to the term lares
roman. The Termo Lasa is also
associated with the word fairy. Comparing the
traditions and folklore of Italian Witchcraft
and from Celtic traditions we can see a
analogy between the fairies, the lasas and the
ancestors. For the ancient Celts the
Fairies were the dark-haired creatures that
we lived on the tops of the mountains and in the
interior of the hills. These 'Fairies' were
the peoples who lived in the Celtic regions
and that with the invasions had to
take to hidden places. It is very
it's common to hear that 'so-and-so was'
descendant of the People of the Fairies." As such
the cited fairies were not tiny beings
 equipped with little wings (this image of the
fairies were created by Shakespeare in his
works and immortalized in the mindset of
Western Society). We realize that,
comparing religions and folklore,
we usually arrive at the same time
ideas and beliefs; and why not say that
these different traditions, but so
similar, came from the same
source? Who knows if such traditions do not
share a common ancestor?
This seems to be confirmed more and more.
The ancestors are those who came
before and passed on knowledge to us,
wisdom, structure, and life. They must
be honest with love and respect. I
I honor my ancestors, my ancestors
they honored their ancestors and will honor them in the future

my descendants will honor me as

Ancestral. Honoring the ancestors is honoring
the gods themselves, since being, the
creators of everything, they are also our
first Ancestors.
May the ancestors, be they
blood relations, whether they are spiritual,
may they protect and bless everyone with
the wisdom of the ancient ways.
Blessings of Larunda!
Creeds of the Witchery
In Italy and in the cities of America with
large populations of Italians or
descendants, witches of the "old school"
can be found. In almost all
the cities or towns, someone may be able to you
point to a witch that can put or
to remove the Malocchio (evil eye), or to use
olive oil for healing or for
guessing. In the heart of the witch
they live the 'spirits of the ancients', for it is
it is an ancient belief. Sit down with
they told you stories of the elves or
the Lasa that are known as The
Ancient. You will learn about the
sacredness of fire, about the forces by
brings from nature. The voice of the wind
will whisper in your ears while the
witch speaks... you will feel and know.
The beliefs of witches involve
amulets to repel or attract energies.
Gestures of power, signs that can be
Lidos in all of nature. The Goddess
crowned with a crescent and the God
Astado are adored by the strega.
They are also known for various
nomes:Tana eTanus,Fana eFaunus, Jana
and Janus. The most common names for the
The Gods of Stregheria are: Diana and
Dianus (Lucifer); and the names more
the old ones are Uni and Tagni.
Nature is seen as the manifestation
of spiritual forces or laws. Magic is the
the art of understanding and interacting with these
forces, in a way that they can be
influenced. As this system is
kept in order by spirits and
deities, there are ancient techniques of
interact and deal with these astral beings -
in such a way that we make our influences
and wills.
In northern Italy, there is a region
Tuscany call. There a way of
a somewhat more peculiar streghe
developed. This form is
extremely simple, but little
remembers modern ceremonial rituals.
There is a great Etruscan influence in this.
a form of witchcraft, where the Gods and
spirits are of Etruscan origin. These
Witches rarely close a circle
sacred to perform your spells and rituals.
What is important for them is that there is a
field where they can work. They
they use a wand (the instrument
most primary of witchcraft) and gestures of
power with enchantments (chants).
The gods revered by the witches
The Tuscans are the goddess Uni and the god Tagni.
Nature is also revered by
elementals: Fauni and Silvani are spirits
two forests; Monachetto are spirits
from the earth, like the gnomes; Linchetto are
the spirits of the air. In Tuscan witchcraft the
north is considered a place of much
power. The elemental beings of the north are
called Palla; in the south Settiano, which are
elemental spirits of Fire; the spirits
to the west are the Manii; and to the east are
the Bellaire.
The witches believe in clan spirits,
called Lare that protect the houses and
families. Furthermore, they help the
witches to be reborn among their kin
dear ones. Small temples are made in the
west side of the house in honor of these
entities. Traditionally, they are made
offerings of wine, honey, milk in a
a small container and a candle is lit.
Italian folklore also extends to
inanimate objects, that is believed
having power. Among the most common
are the keys made of gold or silver,
horseshoes, scissors, pearls and corals.
Other objects include garlic, ribbon
red and salt that is used for the
protection.