Margaret Murray (1863–1963) was a British Egyptologist, folklorist, and anthropologist who became a controversial figure in the study of European witchcraft. Initially known for her work in archaeology, Murray shifted her focus to witchcraft during World War I. In 1921, she published The Witch-Cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology, a groundbreaking book in which she introduced the “witch-cult hypothesis.” This theory suggested that the European witch trials were not just a result of superstition or hysteria but reflected the survival of an ancient, pre-Christian fertility religion.

image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Murray

Summary of Murray’s Findings

In The Witch-Cult in Western Europe, Murray argued that witchcraft was more than just a superstition. She proposed that it was an organized, secret pagan religion. According to her theory, this “old religion” involved the worship of a horned god and the performance of fertility rituals. She suggested that witches were part of structured covens of 13 members, held regular Sabbaths, and practiced rituals that were later misinterpreted by Christian authorities as acts of demonic worship. Murray drew these conclusions from witch trial records, interpreting the confessions of accused witches as evidence of this hidden religion.

Although her theory has been criticized for its speculative approach and selective use of evidence, it remains significant for several reasons: First, it was one of the first studies to treat witchcraft as a cultural phenomenon rather than dismissing it entirely. Additionally, Murray’s ideas influenced the development of modern Wicca and shaped how people today understand witchcraft. However, her controversial theory sparked critical discussions about how historians interpret historical sources related to witchcraft.

Impact on Research and Scholarship

Murray’s book had a major influence on both academic and popular ideas about witchcraft. For many years, her theories were accepted as authoritative, especially after she contributed the article on “Witchcraft” to the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1929–1968). However, as scholarship advanced, historians began to criticize her for selecting evidence that supported her views while ignoring contradictory material. They also pointed out that she overgeneralized localized and fragmented practices, presenting them as part of a single, pan-European cult. Despite these problems, her work encouraged further research into the cultural and historical aspects of witchcraft. It is, for instance, of importance to work out how such pre-Christian cosmologies were re-contextualized (that is, modified or adapted to cultural and overarching cosmological change within a society) after Christianization in Europe.

Carlo Ginzburg’s Response

Italian historian Carlo Ginzburg revisited some of the themes that Murray had raised, but with more careful analysis. In works such as The Night Battles (1966) and Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches’ Sabbath (1989), Ginzburg examined how certain myths, traditions, and practices could be remnants of pre-Christian beliefs. However, unlike Murray, Ginzburg argued that these elements were local and fragmented, not part of a unified religion.

For example, Ginzburg studied groups like the benandanti in northern Italy. These were people who believed they fought nightly battles to protect crops. Ginzburg interpreted their beliefs as remnants of fertility rituals that had been reinterpreted by inquisitors. He stressed that these practices were shaped by local traditions and were not evidence of a single, unified cult.

While Ginzburg acknowledged that elements of pre-Christian belief survived into early modern Europe, he rejected Murray’s idea of a coherent, unified and organized pan-European fertility religion. His work showed how historical beliefs were often distorted by inquisitors, offering a more detailed and localized understanding of the cultural roots of witchcraft.

Margaret Murray’s The Witch-Cult in Western Europe remains an important text for its role in shaping modern discussions of European witchcraft. Although her theory has been largely discredited, it opened new possibilities for studying witchcraft as a cultural phenomenon. Later scholars, such as Carlo Ginzburg, expanded on some of Murray’s ideas but offered a more critical and localized approach to understanding the survival of pre-Christian traditions in European folklore. Together, these works demonstrate how the study of witchcraft has evolved over time, from speculative theories to more nuanced and thorough scholarly investigations.