A Razor for a Goat: A Discussion of Certain Problems in the History of Witchcraft and Diabolism
Year: 1963
Type: article
Abstract: First published in 1962, Elliot Rose's A Razor for a Goat is a study of witchcraft as a religion, whether the religion was a form of pagan survival or a depraved Christian (or anti-Christian) heresy. Rose surveyed witch-scares, fairy folklore, 'ritual' deaths, the Canon Episcopi, and goliards for evidence for witchcraft, and to make some suggestions about the reality behind the popular beliefs on witchcraft societies and Sabbats. One of the first studies to debunk the dominant theory of the time that witchcraft had been an organized pre-Christian religion, A Razor for a Goat is listed on many anthropology, religion, and history course bibliographies. This reprint has a ten-page foreword by Richard Kieckhefer that gives a historiographical examination of the importance of this book, and situates it within the discipline today. Closely reasoned, and written with a rare wit, A Razor for a Goat is a classic study and excellent survey of the literature and history of witchcraft.
Source: Western Folklore
DOI: 10.2307/1498735
Authors: Arthur Freeman, Elliot Rose
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W585607041