Cats, Vikings and WITCHCRAFT

The Vikings certainly loved cats. In Norway and Iceland cats were in high demand. Unfortunately for the cats, the people of Norway saw no value in a living cat; it was the fur they absolutely adored. Even the fox could not compete with the cat. The Norwegian king Magnus VI, the law-mender (1238 - 1280) passed a law declaring cat fur as legal currency. One piece of cat fur was equivalent to three pieces of fox fur.

Witch

Cat fur was quite valuable. Only the rich could afford this luxury. Now as it happens, the Volvas were among the upper classes. A Volva was a woman who was a master of prophecy and witchcraft. The Volvas were greatly respected and feared. Their services were in high demand, but extremely

expensive.

In the Saga of Eric the Red, a Volva is described in great detail. She had been summoned to help the settles of Greenland during their hardship. She was called Lisevolve and she was treated like a queen. The clothes she wore are described down to the last detail in the saga. On her head she wore a hat trimmed with cat skin. Her gloves were made of cat skin which had fluffy white cat fur on the inside.

Now as it happens, the goddess of love was also a master of  magic and witchcraft. Her name was Freyja. No other god or goddess mastered witchcraft better than Freyja. She was the most beautiful goddess of the Viking world. The goddess of love and magic had a stunning carriage. Yes, you guessed it. The carriage was pulled by two cats.

Volvas of the human world, loved to dress up with clothes made from cat skin and cat fur. Freyja, the goddess of love and magic was associated with two cats. It seems the tendency to associate cats with witchcraft was well established in the Viking Age. Cats certainly have been unfairly prosecuted throughout the centuries in the Western World. Fortunately major parts of the human race have come

to their senses and are finally treating cats with the respect and love they deserve.

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The HISTORY OF WICCA - Where Did The Craft Originate

Symbol of Wicca

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The history of Wicca or "The Craft" is complex but traditional Wicca is rooted in the so called "British Mystery Traditions", for example the Picts, who existed before the rise of Celtic consciousness, the Celts, and some Celtic Druidism.

Wicca predates Christianity by about 28 000 years.

A variety of archaeological discoveries, reveal that the history of Wicca can be traced as far back as the Paleolithic peoples who worshipped a Hunter God and a Fertility Goddess. Cave paintings, that are dated at around 30,000 years old, depict a man with the head of a stag, and a pregnant woman standing in a circle with eleven other people.

Modern American Wicca has its roots in British Wicca, brought to the United States in the late 1950's by English and American initiates of Gardnerian, Alexandrian and Celtic Wicca. These are different forms of Wiccan tradition. All of these cultures form part and parcel of the history of Wicca.

The ancient Greek Mysteries of Eleusis, Italian Mysteries of Rome, Etruria and the general countryside, Mysteries of Egypt and Persia before Islam, and various Babylonian, Assyrian and other mid-eastern Mysteries also find a place in the history of Wicca and its beliefs and traditional practices. Perhaps the best way to describe Wicca is to call it a modern religion, based on ancient witchcraft traditions. But do bear in mind that not all those who practice witchcraft today are Wiccas.

Wicca is a both a belief system and a way of life. Over the years information about how Wiccan ancestors lived and worshipped has been lost due to actions of the medieval church. However, modern Wiccas have tried to reconstruct the history of Wicca in an effort to lay the foundation for their practices.

During ancient times Wicca was called "The Craft of the Wise". This name was derived from the fact that most Wiccas aligned themselves with the forces of nature. They also had knowledge of herbs and medicines, gave council and were important in the village and community as Shamanic healers and leaders. The history of Wicca indicates that Wiccas once had a prized place in society which is quite a contrast to how they are viewed today.

Ancient Wiccas felt that man was not superior to nature, the earth and its creatures. Instead they were only one aspect of the world. The idea of sustainable development to maintain balance and equilibrium was central to the belief systems of the ancient Wicca. The history of Wicca is a far cry from the way that man views the earth today.

In the last several hundred years, witchcraft and witches have been incorrectly labeled as evil and unrighteous. Where do these ideas that form so much a part of the history of Wicca originate? Some Wiccas believe that the medieval church of the 15th through 18th centuries created these myths.

This was done in an effort to covert people to Christianity. The history of Wicca contains many stories of the persecution of witches based on so called "evil" practices.

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Another theory about the history of Wicca is that as medical science became more prominent in society those who did these initial studies did not understand female physiology, especially menstruation. This "mystery" seemed to fit in with the churches agenda in labeling healers as evil heathens and placing power and respect in the hands of male physicians.

Many of these myths and superstitions have survived in modern times giving The Craft a bad name. While Wicca is essentially witchcraft, those who practice it usually do not refer to it as such because of these negative connotations. The history of Wicca is important since it is the persecution of those who practiced it that has led to its current ethic of "religious freedom first".

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