Aradia di Toscano: Fact of Folklore
In the early 1880s, American folklorist Charles Godfrey Leleand traveled to northern Italy to document the lore of Estrucian culture. It was there in the year of 1886 that he met a Tuscan hereditary Witch, named Maddelana. Through a collection of ancient lore and spells gathered from amongst Maddelana’s Witch “sisters,” Leland learned of a sacred manuscript regarding the Wiccan Grand Goddess Diana and Her daughter, Aradia. The revered text not only described the Wiccan belief of creation but told of Aradia’s incarnation unto the world of humans. Diana had instructed Aradia to join humanity for the purpose of reviving the “old ways” of honoring the Goddess (and witchcraft). Aradia’s quest would grant humankind a means of protection against the persecution of the Catholic Church. During the 14th century, Aradia carried out her Mother’s request and led early Dianic worshippers to an uprising against the Catholic Church. Approximately one year after Leleand had first met Maddelana, he received a handwritten manuscript that she alleged was a copy of the original sacred text Leleand had learned about. Leland went onto annotate and translate the document publishing the manuscript under the title, Aradia: Gospel of the Witches (1899).
Leleand’s publication did in fact bring its share of controversy with some historians and scholars debating its authenticity. However despite the arguments, Aradia has unquestionably played a pivotal role in the development of contemporary Wicca and Witchcraft. Greald Gardner (1884 – 1964), the founder of the Gardnerian Tradition, and his High Priestess, Doreen Valiente (1922 – 1999), used the Aradia as a bases for ritual and non ritual works such as “The Charge of the Goddess” and the “The Witches’ Rune.”
Raven Grimassi, an American Witch with a heritage and expertise in Italian Witchcraft, was initiated into Gardnerian/Alexandrian Wicca by Lady Heather. In 1981, Grimassi, whose mother immigrated to the United States from Italy in 1946, published, The Book of the Holy Strega. In is his publication, Grimassi claimed to be the descendant of Neapolitan Witch, Calenda Tavani. Although Grimassi (who also wrote about the practices and teachings of Italian Witchcraft) did not completely agree with Leland’s version of Aradia; he did support the existence of a historical figure having lived in the 14th century and having been responsible for reviving the “Old Religion” to challenge the oppressive Italian aristocracy and Catholic Church. According to Grimassi, the historic figure was known amongst the Italian covens as Aradia di Toscano (Aradia of Tuscany).
Reputed to have been born in the year 1313, Aradia had been taught Witchcraft by her aunt. Grimassi also claimed that Aradia recruited her followers from the Lake Nemi region. These followers were known as the Triad Clans and were initially a secret society of female Witches who worshiped the Goddess Diana. It is generally believed that Aradia, as well as a number of her followers, were ultimately burned at the stake.
Grimassi’s publication surrounding the origins of Aradia once again led to controversy among scholars and historians. So the question comes to be: Who was correct – the historians or the Witches? Well, one cannot only examine what was factually occurring within the Tuscan region during the historical timeframe but one can also take astute note of the resulting actions and mandates issued by the Catholic Church. The “new” mandates and actions taken by the Catholic Church very clearly indicate there was a “new” threat to the oppressive religious authority. In fact, the early 1300s marked the very first initiation of “witch trials” conducted by the Catholic Church. The truth regarding Aradia’s uprising and widespread teachings of witchcraft was not only likely but highly probable.
The early1300s notoriously marked the end of a period in history commonly referred to as the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages was greatly characterized by stagnation in literacy, science, and the arts, as well as social, economic and cultural decline. The whole of Europe had been at war for centuries, resulting in ravaged lands and human casualties. Tragically, this time period was also characterized by numerous epidemics including one of the most famous in human history, The Black Death (or bubonic plague) as well as: smallpox, leprosy and tuberculosis that led to the death of millions. As a result there was an insufficient labor force required to maintain the farm, trade and commerce industries creating great suffering across a poverty stricken Europe.
Interestingly enough, it was during this time frame that the Catholic Church gained immense power. Education and literacy were reserved for only the clergy which, led to the oppressive result of allowing the Church to act as judges, lawyers, tax collectors and record keepers. The Church maintained strict legislation regarding the behaviors of peoples residing within the Holy Empire and- Even kings bowed to the power of the Pope. The Church maintained its control by exploiting sickness, illiteracy and impoverishment and by creating fear through eternal damnation and capital punishment for the act of heresy.
The peoples within the Holy Empire were termed as Christendom. The people within Christendom that openly challenged the beliefs of the Church were deemed “heretics.” If two witnesses came forth with testimony of heresy, the Church would open an Inquisition and send an investigator to validate or invalidate the claims. If the claims were validated, the accused would stand trial and if found guilty, the punishment was commonly execution.
The peoples that lived “outside” of Christendom accused of performing rituals banished by the Church (mainly human sacrifice and cannibalism) were deemed idolaters. Idolatry was a sin committed by the political enemies of the Holy Roman Empire and by those who refused to surrender and convert to Christendom. According to practices by the Catholic Church, idolaters were meant to be eradicated.
However, contrary to popular belief the “early” Catholic Church had a very clear and distinct belief in regards to “Witchcraft.” In actuality, initially the Catholic Church did not view Witchcraft as a viable threat and in truth even denied its existence! Folk Healing and fortune telling were simply nonsense. There was no such thing as the supernatural and those who made claims of demonic possession were simply lunatics. The “crime” of Witchcraft was curiously deemed a “lesser-form” of heresy. After all, how much of a threat could an old, peasant women pose against the might of the Catholic Church? Punishment for the practice of Witchcraft was confinement within a convent and those who were caught seeking the service of a Witch were given a five-year penance.
During the 14th Century, the Pope moved the seat of the Catholic Church from Rome to France. During his time away from Rome, the Pope and the Church lost its stranglehold on the city/states of the Italian peninsula. A social movement had begun as its citizens desired to return to a state of enlightenment and prosperity. There was a sudden fervor to reeducate themselves, recover the banned manuscripts of classical literature, study morals and philosophy and make advances in science and technology. The people openly recited stories of the old days, the “Golden Age” of Rome. Humanism, the dawn of the Renaissance Age did indeed initiate during the 14th century and its birthplace was- Florence, Tuscany. While the birth of a social movement corresponding with the time and geographical location of the legendary Aradia is not proof of her existence, the subsequent actions of the Pope are highly contemplating nonetheless.
In the mid 1300s, the Pope and his army returned to Rome with a “new” directive. The directive was ordered upon all bishops and priests: “parishioners must be warned against the dangers of the worshippers of Diana.” According to the Church, Diana followers were evil witches (erotic and lustful women) that gathered in secret during the dark hours of the night. They performed diabolical rituals, consuming the flesh of infants sacrificed to the devil. With this new directive, so too did the Papal constitutions change. Witches and Witchcraft was declared idolatry and therefore subjected to Inquisition. Punishment for those who practiced Dianic Witchcraft was no longer confinement to a convent but death by one of the most abominable means- burning at the stake. The Church had curiously changed its stance on the subject of Witchcraft and now Witches were suddenly real, powerful and a political enemy! Adding greater credence and credibility to the lore surrounding Aradia and her influence on the Catholic Church is the fact that in the year 1374, Pope Gregory XI declared that all “magic” was done with the aid of demons and thus was open to prosecution for heresy.
Shortly after the new directive had been made and legislation had been changed, the Pope began an Inquisition into the Witches of Northern Italy. The Inquisition led to the infamous Italian Witchcraft Trials, two of which have garnered a great amount of scholarly attention. Transcripts belonging to the trials of Sibillia and Pierina of Milan contain confessions regarding initiation into a secret group of Diana worshipers. The worshipers consisted of small groups of all-women covens that would gather together once a year. They met in the early morning hours on the first day in the month of November on the banks of Lake Nemi. Once gathered, they would elect a “Queen of Witches,” the High Priestess (or La Signora del Giuoco (Lady of the Game)) who would preside over the ceremonies and festivities of the High Sabbat. During their gatherings, they would feast and dance wearing long robes and addressing one another by secret names to protect their identities. Ultimately, Sibillia and Pierina were convicted and burned at the stake after enduring extreme torture and confessing to taking part in acts such as orgies, eating the flesh of children and devil worshipping.
While there may not exist an “official” document declaring the legend of an Italian Witches’ revolt against the Catholic Church during the mid 1300s, changes in its religious legislation and the initiation of the first-ever witch trials conducted by the Catholic Church brings upon a highly supportive argument. Furthermore, (excluding confessions by means of torture) the witch trial transcripts corroborate the legend of Diana Worshipers providing an authentic, historical record supporting key elements behind the lore of The Queen of Witches, Aradia. Although historians will argue in light of there being no mention of the name Aradia in any public record, the witch trial transcripts provide an astute and highly probable explanation: Aradia di Toscano was not Aradia’s given birth name but rather a coven name adopted to conceal the woman who was declared The Queen of Witches’ true identity.
In current times, many scholars concede to the fact there existed a mortal woman who followed Goddess Diana, led a mass revival of the “Old Ways of Italian Witchcraft” and became a political enemy of the Catholic Church during the 1300s. Although Leland’s version of Aradia’s Gospel has been scrutinized there remains strong belief among Wiccans and Witches that The Gospel of Aradia is seeded in truth. And although we may never discover the identity of one the most powerful Witches in history who not only left a mark on Catholic Church history but upon modern-day Wicca, there can be little question the Daughter of Diana- Aradia, Queen of Witches and messiah walked the earth among the mortals!
Sources:
Ben-Yehuda, Nachman. “The European Witch Craze of the 14th to 17th Centuries: A Sociologist’s Perspective.” The University of Chicago Press Journals. 1980.
Fix, Andrew C. “The Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations.” Great Courses. Lecture 3. Origins of the Italian Renaissance. (Date unknown.)
Grimassi, Raven. “The Book of the Holy Strega.” Expanded Edition. CreateSpace Independent Publishing. 2012.
Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. “The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft & Wicca.” 3rd Edition. Checkmark Books. 2008.
Leland, Charles Godfrey. “Aradia: Gospel of the Witches.” D. Nutt. 1899
Magliocco, Sabina. “Who Was Aradia? The History and Development of a Legend.” The Pomegranate International Journal of Pagan Studies Vol. 18 No. Winter. 2002
Magliocco, Sabina. “Aradia in Sardinia: The Archeology of a Folk Character.” Hidden Publishing. 2009.
Smith, George H. “Freethought and Freedom: The Problem of Heresy.” Cato Institute. 20 February, 2015.
Thurston, Herbert. “Witchcraft.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912.
– The Goddess Kingdom© 2023
