The Witch-Cult in Western Europe

Margaret Murray's 1921 book "The Witch-Cult in Western Europe" posits a controversial theory about European witchcraft. Murray argues that witchcraft was not random superstition, but rather a structured, organized pagan religion predating Christianity. She analyzes trial records, folklore, and medieval documents to suggest that accused witches were part of a coherent cult worshiping a horned god and practicing fertility rites and sabbaths. These practices, she claims, were misinterpreted by Christian authorities as devil worship. Murray's book influenced later witchcraft literature and neo-pagan movements. However, her methods and conclusions have been heavily criticized by later scholars for lacking evidence and projecting modern ideas onto historical data, leading to widespread debunking of her theories.