tation, may have concocted material to sat- isfy the American folklorist who was paying her for information. In spite of this, as Chas S. Clifton demonstrates in his essay “The Significance of ” (pp. 59-80), BOOK REVIEW: Aradia has become a fundamental text in The New Edition of the 20th century revival. A pos- sible source for parts of the Charge of the Leland’s Aradia Goddess, it has influenced many later Neo- Pagan texts and thinkers, including Gerald Aradia, or The Gospel of the Witches B. Gardner or his predecessors in the New by Charles G. Leland Forest , , and some of Translated by Mario Pazzaglini, PhD and the most influential thealogians in Dianic Dina Pazzaglini; with additional material by Witchcraft. Chas S. Clifton, Robert Mathiesen, and The publication of a new, expanded edi- Robert Chartowich; foreword by . tion from Phoenix promises to shed light on Blaine, Washington: Phoenix Publishing, 1998. many aspects of this intriguing document. The product of interdisciplinary collabora- tion, it includes Leland’s original text plus Reviewed by a new translation by Mario Pazzaglini, California State University, Northridge essays by several scholars giving historical and cultural background, and some previ- n 1899, amateur folklorist Charles ously unpublished materials. The book is G. Leland first published Aradia, organized into three sections. Part I I or The Gospel of the Witches, a col- includes essays contextualizing the mater- lection of Italian spells, conjurations and ial: Robert Mathiesen’s “Charles G. Leland legends which he claimed to have obtained and the Witches of : the Origin of from a Florentine named Maddalena. Aradia,” Chas S. Clifton’s “The Signifi- Leland translated the texts and strung them cance of Aradia,” and Mario Pazzaglini’s together with interpretations based on the “Leland and the Magical World of Aradia.” prevailing folklore theories of his time, Part II consists of the texts themselves: suggesting that they were survivals of a Leland’s original version, Pazzaglini’s new pagan religion dating back to the days of translation, and a line-by-line translation ancient and Etruria. From the very with the original Italian, a corrected Italian beginning, Aradia has been surrounded by version, the English translation, and anno- controversy. Neither Italian nor American tations. Part III includes commentaries by folklorists have ever taken it seriously. Pazzaglini on magical principles in Aradia Leland was suspected of having fabricated and on the firefly verses, an essay by the text himself, as well as having invented Robert Chartowich entitled “Enigmas of his key informant. Even those who Aradia,” a ballad Leland composed in Ital- accepted her existence believed Maddalena, ian called “La Bella Strega” (“The Beauti- a Florentine fortune-teller of dubious repu- ful Witch”) and a photocopy of a letter sent

SABINA MAGLIOCCO 51  to him by Maddalena in 1895. As is almost and Maddalena, and reflects both their inevitable in collaborative edited works, interests. It is apparent that Leland’s own this one is somewhat uneven in tone and views of , folklore and ‘survivals’ quality. While the new translation is valu- shaped his editing, translation and interpre- able, and some of the contextualizing mate- tation of Maddalena’s materials. At the rials are very helpful in understanding same time, Maddalena, a consummate for- Aradia as a document, others are more tune-teller, was skilled enough to intuit problematic. Leland’s interests and predilections, and to select and edit material from her own tradi- ESTABLISHING AUTHENTICITY tion which she thought would please her The essays by Robert Mathiesen and Mario patron. Mathiesen makes clear that while Pazzaglini in Part I go a long way towards this does not detract from the text’s authen- clearing up some of the mysteries sur- ticity, it does make it idiosyncratic rather rounding Aradia. In some ways, these are than typical or representative of any Italian among the book’s most valuable contribu- magical folk tradition. tions. Working with Leland’s personal What is quite typical of an Italian peas- papers in the archives of the Historical ant worldview is the oppositional quality of Society of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania the verses. Mathiesen shows how the anti- Museum of Art, and the Library of Con- clerical, anti-hierarchical counter-religion gress, Mathiesen is able to establish that of Aradia is actually in keeping with the Maddalena was a documented historical flavor of much Italian folklore—the voice person, and that she was Leland’s principal of peasants against their historical oppres- informant for Aradia, as well as for Leg- sors, the Church and the landowning elite. ends of Florence (1896) and Etruscan The first part of Mario Pazzaglini’s Roman Remains in Popular Tradition essay “Leland and the Magical World of (1892). In fact, about half of Aradia’s 15 Aradia” (pp. 81-105) further illuminates chapters are actually materials which the peculiarities of the original text of Leland had published in these other works Aradia. In translating Leland’s Italian pas- (p. 35). By closely examining Leland’s sages, Pazzaglini had before him a difficult hand-written, pre-publication draft of the task. He worked from the original manu- texts, Mathiesen concludes that while script, now among Leland’s collected Leland revised much of the English text as papers in Philadelphia. The manuscript is in he went along, the Italian parts show no Leland’s own hand; the ‘original’ which editorial changes, suggesting that he was Maddalena allegedly gave him has never copying them from another source. This been found. The Italian in the manuscript lends some credence to his claims that he has multiple problems which make the received an actual manuscript from Mad- translator’s work especially vexing: errors dalena. in spelling, missing and misused words, But Mathiesen incisively observes that lack of punctuation and diacritical marks, the text of Aradia is clearly intersubjec- and lack of gender agreement between tive—it is the product of the interaction nouns and their modifiers. Pazzaglini between two unique individuals, Leland explains this by suggesting that Leland

52 THE POMEGRANATE 9 • SUMMER 1999 

either copied incorrectly, or received a text accurately observes that the Aradia mater- composed by a person who made many ial has very likely been ‘de-Christianized’ errors in writing Italian. Yet these are not or ‘re-paganized’ (p. 93), because actual the sorts of errors usually made by a semi- Italian folk magical charms all have some literate native Italian speaker writing down Christian content. These observations rein- a text. Perhaps the most likely interpreta- force Mathiesen’s hypothesis about the tion Pazzaglini proposes is that the text at idiosyncratic nature of Aradia. some point went from oral into written tra- Pazzaglini finds current Italian ana- dition, and that many errors are the result of logues to some of the chants and verses in mis-hearing Italian or Tuscan dialect Aradia. He points out in this essay and in words. Pazzaglini correctly points out that “The Firefly Verses” (pp. 443-449) that any collection of folk magical several chants closely resemble wide- would most likely have existed originally in spread, well-known Italian children’s dialectical form; yet the rhymes in Aradia rhymes used in counting out, hand-clapping are all close to standard Italian. He infers games, dandling, jumping rope, and catch- that at some point the texts went from ing fireflies—an important clue to the dialect to standard Italian to English—a origin of some of Maddalena’s material. series of steps which leaves a great deal of But unfortunately he presents only a few room for mistranslation, misinterpretation examples of analogues from contemporary and lost meanings. Italian oral tradition. Here is where a Pazzaglini has been able to compare greater knowledge of folklore and ethno- some of the material in graphic methods would Aradia with material have been helpful. What currently in oral tradi- Pazzaglini is necessary here is a tion in Italy, a fascinat- accurately systematic examination ing and worthwhile of multiple variants of endeavor. While some of observes that the these chants to see his informants recog- Aradia material which elements are nized in Aradia general has very likely stable over time and principles pertaining to place, and a comparison the magico-religious been ‘de- of the Aradia material worldview of rural Italy Christianized’ or with all the other ver- (pp. 435- 441), none sions. This is not as dif- reported ever having ‘re-paganized’ … ficult a task as it might heard of the person of because actual seem; such chants are Aradia or of any Italian folk readily collected from witches’ ‘gospel.’ In any speaker of Italian (I fact, the idea of writing magical charms remember many of them down charms and cures all have some from my own child- is an anathema to most hood), and recorded, Italian folk magical Christian content. transcribed examples practitioners. Pazzaglini exist in the Italian Dis-

SABINA MAGLIOCCO 53  coteca di Stato and in the archives of the fact these towns are very well-connected Facoltà di Storia delle Tradizioni Popolari through trade and mass media with the at the University of Rome. Yet Pazzaglini European Economic Community and the seems strangely unaware of these sources. outside world, and their folklore has He limits his fieldwork to areas in his native changed to reflect new social realities. Emilia-Romagna, a region of Italy near Many Italian words are either misspelled or Maddalena’s , but nevertheless sig- not proofread—strega (‘witch’; singular) nificantly different in dialect and folk cul- and streghe (plural) are misspelled occa- ture. And he oddly refers to both sionally throughout, and on p. 96 he writes Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany as “northern la compagna (the [feminine] companion) Italy,” when linguistically and culturally for la campagna (the countryside), leading they are better categorized as part of central the reader to wonder about inaccuracies in Italy. the rest of the Italian. Pazzaglini is unfortunately out of his depth when it comes to observations about THE TRANSLATION the nature of peasant life in rural Italy. Vast Pazzaglini’s new translation is cleaner, amounts of ethnographic data exist on this closer to original Italian, and easier on the subject, yet he makes reference to none of modern reader than Leland’s artificial ren- it. His lack of ethnographic knowledge dition. The new version has been stripped leads him to make some inaccurate inter- of archaisms and other devices Leland used pretations: for example, he considers the to make the translation sound more ‘old- ubiquitous nicknames fashioned,’ and thus by which families authentic, to his readers’ and individuals are [Pazzaglini] ears. What it loses in known as a protective considers poetry it gains in accu- form of secrecy, racy, at least most of the when in fact they the ubiquitous time. have been well-docu- Much more interest- mented throughout nicknames … as a ing is the line-by-line the Latin Mediter- protective form of translation, because we ranean as a form of see the translator at work social control, the secrecy, when in and comprehend the very opposite of fact they have been arduousness of his task. secrecy and protec- Here, the errors in the tion. Even more well-documented … original Italian are problematic is his as a form of social clearly contrasted with presentation of Ital- Pazzaglini’s attempts to ian rural communities control, the very clean them up, to correct as primitive isolates, opposite of secrecy the grammatical errors in preserving agreement, verb tense, unchanged the tradi- and protection. and phrasing which tions of yesteryear. In make the original so

54 THE POMEGRANATE 9 • SUMMER 1999 

problematic. Overall, he has done a remark- He further speculates on the connection able job, and most of his interpretations and between the fireflies, wheat sprigs, fairies conjectures seem to be quite plausible. and the Eleusynian Mysteries—but here his Occasionally, however, he slips up. On p. methodology seems to be based more on 408, for example, in translating ’s free association than on any kind of sys- curse upon Endymion, he translates “Che il tematic discipline. His insight are provoca- tuo curore ritto sempre possa stare / E al tive, but not supported by data; they amore piú non portai fare …” as “To have provide material for further investigation. your heart always remain withdrawn / And The ballad Leland composed in Italian is you will no more be able to make love …” illuminating because it shows that he knew (p. 408). Italian well enough to compose (bad) In fact, the couplet means something poetry in imitation of an existing folk tradi- more like “May your heart always remain tion, and it demonstrates many of the same rigid / erect // And [may you] no longer be kinds of grammatical errors as the Italian able to make love.” Diana is either wishing verses in Aradia. This suggests that what- upon Endamone a hard heart, or, more ever Maddalena may have given him origi- likely, ‘cuore’ (heart) is a euphemism for nally, Leland probably had a hand in penis, as it often is in stornelli (Italian satir- re-shaping it. This was not at all unusual for ical songs), in which case she is cursing 19th century folklorists, many of whom him with a perpetual case of priapism. Of sincerely believed they were ‘restoring’ to course, no translation is ever perfect; but ancient texts their ‘original’ meaning. In so here, as elsewhere, Pazzaglini’s missteps doing, however, completely new works could significantly affect the interpretation were born. The Grimm brothers, whose of the work. Kinder und Hausmärchen (1812) set the standard for European folktale collections, COMMENTARIES heavily edited their material, combining If Aradia is not the for a versions, changing endings, and otherwise 19th century Italian witch cult—and at this shaping them to suit their own romantic point it should be amply obvious that it is aesthetics. Elias Lönnrot compiled the not—then what exactly is it? Some of the Finnish folk epic The Kalevala from frag- commentaries by Robert Chartowich and ments of ballads which had never been part Leland’s Italian ballad “La Bella Strega” of an epic tradition. It is in this scholarly hint at answers. Chartowich suggests in his context that Leland’s Aradia must be essay “Enigmas of Aradia” (pp. 451-460) understood. Neither a forger nor an inven- that the material preserves references that tor, Leland was merely compiling and edit- might have originated with the Albigen- ing material as many of his contemporaries sians, one of the heretical groups perse- had already done, shaping it to reflect his cuted by the Inquisition for worshipping own biases and beliefs about the folklore as Sophia, Isis and Diana (p. 455). Could frag- ‘survivals’ of a religion from an earlier his- ments of this oppositional belief system torical period. In attempting to systematize have survived in the folklore of central his materials, he actually created a new and Italy, to emerge in the legends of Aradia? unique document.

SABINA MAGLIOCCO 55  Aradia or The Gospel of the Witches Expanded Edition

This special edition features contributions by several eminent writers: Mario Pazzaglini, PhD, whose family origins on both sides are deeply rooted in the area where Aradia originated, has spent 25 years working on a new translation. He gives a line-by-line transcription showing where Leland made his original errors as a result of his lack of comprehension of the dialect of the area. The new translation is then presented in the same format as the original edition (which is also included here). Mario’s research notes are included as well. Robert Mathiesen, PhD, has been a member of the faculty of for over 30 years. During the last decade most of his research has been on the historical development of magical theories and practices in Europe and the Americas from the Middle Ages to Phoenix Publishing the present. He writes on the origins of Aradia, including the culture and religion of the area, as well as the difficulties involved Softcover, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2, in translating the book. 480 pages $21.50 Chas Clifton has been studying witchcraft and the for over 25 To order please send check or years and has a long list of published books to his name including money order for $24.50 Modern Rites of Passage, Witchcraft and , and (includes $3 postage) to Sacred Mask, Sacred Dance. He writes on the significance of Phoenix Publishing, Box Aradia on the revival of modern witchcraft. 3829, Blaine, Wa 98231 The foreword by Stewart Farrar includes a short biography of www.phoenixpublishing.com Leland.

Perhaps we should look at Aradia as the and is Assistant Professor of Anthropology first real text of the 20th century Witchcraft at California State University, Northridge. revival. In fact, it strongly resembles the She is a native speaker of Italian, having materials in many of our books of shadows: grown up in Italy and the United States. collections of folk rhymes, charms and sto- She has done field research in Italy on tra- ries from multiple sources with an attempt ditional festivals and folklore, as well as to systematize them and give them an on Pagan groups in the San Francisco Bay underlying thealogy. Mathiesen, Pazzaglini area, and is currently completing a book and the editors of this new edition are to be on and expressive culture in the commended for making this material avail- movement. She is the author of several able to scholars in a way that begins to articles on , the guest editor of expose the mysteries which have long sur- the special issue of Ethnologies devoted to rounded it. , and has also published extensively on Italian folklore. During the course of Sabina Magliocco holds a PhD in Folk- her Pagan research, she became lore from Indiana University, Bloomington, a Gardnerian initiate.

56 THE POMEGRANATE 9 • SUMMER 1999