They were talked about... and they were out there Witchcraft in the Pyrenees and western districts 1 2 They were talked about... and they were out there Witchcraft in the Pyrenees and western districts 3 WITCHCRAFT EXHIBITION CREDITS Storyline and curation de Caregue, Salvador Palomar, Francesc Prats, Josefina Pau Castell Roma, Ignasi Ros, Josep Tugues, Júlia Carreras, Eva Perisé, Ramona Violant, Lluïsa Amenós, Rosa Llobet, Coordination Ramon Taribó, Gerard Costa, Editorial Efadós, Garsineu Clara López, support at Museus de les Terres de Lleida i Aran. Edicions, Consell Cultural de les Valls d’Àneu, Arxiu Jordi Abella, Ecomuseu de les Valls d’Àneu. Municipal de Reus, Arxiu Comarcal de l’Alt Urgell, Arxiu d’Etnografia, Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Design and installation Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, Col·lecció Drac Producció Cultural Etnogràfica del Solsonès, Centre d’Estudis Lacetans and very special thanks to all those who helped us in the Graphics research process by contributing their oral accounts. Nessa Duch Texts Organization Pau Castell Xarxa de Museus de les Terres de Lleida i Aran; Departament de Cultura, Generalitat de Catalunya; Copyediting and proofreading Diputació de Lleida; Institut d’Estudis Ilerdencs. Miquel Aguilar (Correccions.com) Audiovisual montage With support from Pau Castell, Clara López IDAPA Recording studio Ràdio Tàrrega Partners Institut Ramon Muntaner, Observatori del Patrimoni Audio recordings Etnològic i immaterial de Catalunya, Arxiu Nacional Noemí Busquets, Carme Brusau, Pau Castell, Carme Bergés, d’Andorra (Ministeri de Cultura, Joventut i Esports, Joan Novell, Josep Clota, Sara Pomés, Clara López Govern d’Andorra), Archiu Generau d’Aran (Conselh Generau d’Aran), Biblioteca de Catalunya, Museu de Ethnographic research coordination la Noguera, Museu Comarcal de Cervera, Museu de Pau Castell la Conca Dellà, Museu Comarcal de l’Urgell-Tàrrega, Museu de Lleida, Musèu dera Val d’Aran, Ecomuseu Researchers de les Valls d’Àneu, Museu Diocesà i Comarcal de Tòni Escala, Sara Arjó and Elisa Ros (Val d’Aran), Núria Morelló Solsona, Museu Hidroelèctric de Capdella. (La Noguera, Urgell, La Segarra and El Segrià), Carlos Guàrdia (Alt Urgell), Oriol Riart (Pallars Sobirà), Miquel Bailach (Pallars Jussà), Marcel·lí Corominas (El Solsonès) Restoration Ramon Canal, Antonio Fernàndez Didactic transposition Elena Fierli, Giulia Franchi and Eulàlia Coma Photographs Felipe Valladares, Marc Castellà, Ramon Violant. Documents, illustrations and art: Biblioteca de Catalunya, Arxiu del Monestir de Poblet, Museu de la Noguera, Ecomuseu de les Valls d’Àneu. Licensing by Creative Commons. Communications Comunicant Acknowledgments Rosa Alcoy, Àngel Gari, Família Amorós (Isona), Casa Bellera 4 CATALOG CREDITS Publishing Partners Xarxa de Museus de les Terres de Lleida i Aran Museu de la Noguera, Museu de Cervera, Museu Comarcal de l’Urgell-Tàrrega, Museu Diocesà Coordination i Comarcal de Solsona, Musèu dera Val d’Aran, Pau Castell Ecomuseu de les Valls d’Àneu, Arxiu Nacional d’Andorra (Ministeri de Cultura, Joventut i Esports, Publishing coordination Govern d’Andorra), Institut per al Desenvolupament i la Clara López, support at Museus de les Terres de Lleida i Aran. Promoció de l’Alt Pirineu i Aran (IDAPA), Observatori del Patrimoni Etnològic i Immaterial. Prolog Agustí Alcoberro Acknowledgments Rosa Alcoy, Àngel Gari, Maria Pau Gómez Ferrer (Archiu Research papers Generau d’Aran), Editorial Efadós, Institut Ramon Jordi Abella, Sara Arjó, Pau Castell, Pep Coll, Marcel·lí Corominas, Muntaner. Fundació Privada dels Centres d’Estudis de Tòni Escala, Núria Morelló, Isabel de la Parte, Oriol Riart, Elisa Parla Catalana, Museu d’Història de Catalunya, and Ros, Ignasi Ros, Josefina Roma, Ramona Violant. very special thanks to all those who helped us in the research process by contributing their oral accounts. Editing and proofreading Miquel Aguilar (Correccions.com) ISBN Cover image 978-84-948978-4-9 Procés a la bruixa (Eduard Alcoy, ca. 1970). Col·lecció de l’Ajuntament de Balaguer. Museu de la Noguera, inv. no. MN- Legal Deposit: 1923. L 614-2020 Photographs Jordi Abella, Sara Arjó, Claudia Bellera, Pau Castell, Marcel·lí Texts © the authors Corominas, Tòni Escala, Clara López, Oriol Riart, Elisa Ros, Images © the photographers/creators and owners Joan Santana, Roser Trepat, Felipe Valladares, Museu de la Noguera, Musèu dera Val d’Aran, Museu Diocesà i Comarcal de Solsona, Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Arxiu Fotogràfic Centre Excursionista de Catalunya, Arxiu Nacional d’Andorra (Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. Govern d’Andorra), Arxiu RVS- Ecomuseu, Fototeca.cat, Wikimedia Commons. Documentation, illustrations and art Arxiu Capitular de Lleida, Arxiu de la Corona d’Aragó, Arxiu del Monestir de Poblet, Arxiu Nacional d’Andorra (Ministeri de Cultura, Joventut i Esports, Govern d’Andorra), Biblioteca de Catalunya, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Zentralbibliothek Zürich, Museu de la Noguera, Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Rijksmuseum, Pau Castell, Joma, Waldesca Santana. Design and layout Estudi NiX Printing Garsineu Edicions Translation Griffin Lasher Smith English proofreading Júlia Carreras Images marked with this symbol correspond to objects that formed part of the exhibition 5 6 They were talked about... and they were out there Witchcraft in the Pyrenees and western districts 7 8 he book you hold in your hands, published by by the consortium of museums known collectively as Xarxa de Museus de les Terres de Lleida i Aran, marks a new Tstage in a long journey that began in 2015. It struck us at the time that witchcraft offered absorbing fodder for historical and ethnographic research, reflection and debate. But not only that. It was clearly also a social and cultural phenomenon whose deep roots in these lands remained in the present. The Pyrenees and the Catalan western districts are looked on as the cradle of European witchcraft. Moreover, the earliest juridical mention of the phenomenon appears in legal statutes, dated 1424, issued from the Àneu Valley. Both factors render the subject all the more enticing. Our scope clearly defined, the next step was to contact historian and Pallars native Pau Castell, soon to become our trusted and impassioned travel companion. From scientific coordination for the research groups and curation of the exhibit, to the editing of the present book, Castell’s efforts were fundamental. The road began with research. It required intimate knowledge of the expressions of oral memory which, even today, continue to illuminate witchcraft in the lands of Lleida. Through coordination with the Xarxa’s member museums, research groups were formed in representation of distinct territories. For two years, their mission was to gather oral accounts and other reflections of how the witchcraft phenomenon is perceived socially, both in the Pyrenees and on the Lleida Plain. As far as heritage and ethnology are concerned, the scientific material that anchors the researchers’ articles is of great interest. The exhibition itself—a product of the material that emerged—came second. A potent vector of knowledge, it offers key reflections about witchcraft in the Pyrenees and western districts. Emboldened by gripping audiovisual and scenographic material, the display is currently making its way across the Xarxa’s partner museums to rave reviews. More than just delivering an extremely well-crafted scientific narrative, the exhibition puts us face to face with many of the historical and ethnological artifacts currently in our museums’ collections and reserve rooms. Unfortunately, the conservation of collections and heritage is often one of the little known and underappreciated functions of museums. Exhibitions like this one help to reclaim it. And, at last, here it is. More than a mere exhibition catalog, this ambitious publication stands as work of reference for research on witchcraft in the Pyrenees, western districts and Catalonia. It is a fine example of how territory-specific and local approaches can give rise to perspectives that are at once rigorous, worldly-wise and sweeping in terms of their scientific scope. Among the book’s biggest strengths is its blending of specialist and theory-driven articles with the territory-specific visions that came as a result of direct ethnographic inquiry. 9 These reasoned, high-quality products are a worthy reflection of the remarkable efforts of individuals and institutions who—in research, documentation, insight, design, conservation, education, communication, management and so much more—have mobilized towards a common objective. It is no exaggeration to say that these are among the benefits and advantages of cooperation. The strategy is not recent; and the muscle, visibility and scale gained by the museums of Lleida and the Pyrenees are its result. Enjoy this book, and fear not: by the time you’ve finished reading it, more programming and cultural projects from Xarxa de Museus de les Terres de Lleida i Aran will almost certainly be just around the corner. Jordi Abella Pons President, Xarxa de Museus de les Terres de Lleida i Aran 10 They were talked about... and they were out there Witchcraft in the Pyrenees and western districts 11 12 Prolog Across the medieval and modern periods, the hunt for witches in Catalonia was an intense and enduring phenomenon, particularly in the Pyrenean and western districts. This exhibit—a production of Xarxa de Museus de les Terres de Lleida i Aran with curation from Dr. Pau Castell— is a wide-reaching and penetrating