Baphomet

"Bahomet" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Bahamut. The 19th century image of a Sabbatic Goat, created by Eliphas Levi. The arms bear the Latin words SOLVE (separate) and COAGULA (join together), i.e., the power of "binding and loosing" usurped from God and, according to Catholic tradition, from the ecclesiastical hierarchy acting as God's representative on Earth. The original goat pentagram first appeared in the book "La Clef de la Magie Noire" by French occultist Stanislas de Guaita, in 1897. This symbol would later become synonymous with Baphomet, and is commonly referred to as the Goat of Mendes or Sabbatic Goat. Baphomet (/ˈbæfɵmɛt/; from Medieval Latin Baphometh, Baffometi, Occitan Bafometz) is a term originally used to describe an idol or other deity that the Knights Templar were accused of worshiping, and that subsequently was incorporated into disparate occult and mystical traditions. §History[edit] The name Baphomet comes up in several of these confessions.

Wicca This pentacle, worn as a pendant, depicts a pentagram, or five-pointed star, used as a symbol of Wicca by many adherents. Wicca is a diverse religion with no central authority or figure defining it. It is divided into various lineages and denominations, referred to as traditions, each with its own organisational structure and level of centralisation. Terminology[edit] Application of the word Wicca has given rise to "a great deal of disagreement and infighting". Beliefs[edit] Beliefs vary markedly between different traditions and individual practitioners. Theology[edit] Altar statues of the Horned God and Mother Goddess crafted by Bel Bucca and owned by the "Mother of Wicca", Doreen Valiente Duotheism[edit] The God and the Goddess[edit] For most Wiccans, the God and Goddess are seen as complementary polarities in the universe that balance one another out, and in this manner they have been compared to the concept of yin and yang found in Taoism. Pantheism, polytheism and animism[edit]

Icelandic magical staves Icelandic magical staves (sigils) are symbols called Galdrastafur in Icelandic, and are credited with magical effect preserved in various grimoires dating from the 17th century and later.[1] According to the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft, the effects credited to most of the staves were very relevant to the average Icelanders of the time, who were mostly subsistence farmers and had to deal with harsh climatic conditions.[1] Table of magical staves[edit] Font[edit] See also[edit] References[edit] ^ Jump up to: a b "Staves or magical signs"Jump up ^ Lbs 4375 8vo, Iceland, 1900-1949 in the National Library in ReykjavíkJump up ^ From a 17th-century grimoire, in the Antikvarisk-Topografiska Arkivet in Stockholm.Jump up ^ [1] Huld Manuscript ÍB 383 4] in the National Library in ReykjavíkJump up ^ From a 19th-century manuscript, lbs 4375 8vo, in the National Library in Reykjavík.Jump up ^ External links[edit]

European witchcraft Belief in and practice of witchcraft in Europe can be traced to classical antiquity and has continuous history during the Middle Ages, culminating in the Early Modern witch hunts and giving rise to the fairy tale and popular culture "witch" stock character of modern times, as well as to the concept of the "modern witch" in Wicca and related movements of "contemporary witchcraft. History[edit] Antiquity[edit] Instances of persecution of witchcraft are documented from Classical Antiquity, paralleling evidence from the Ancient Near East and the Old Testament. In Ancient Greece, for example, Theoris, a woman of Lemnos, who is denounced by Demosthenes, was publicly tried at Athens and burned for her necromancy. In the imperial period, it is evident from many Latin authors and from the historians that Rome swarmed with occultists and diviners, many of whom in spite of the Lex Cornelia almost openly traded in poisons, and not infrequently in assassination to boot. High Middle Ages[edit]