Murray, Margaret

Murray, Margaret
(1863–1963)
   British Egyptologist who made an important contribution to that subject but is probably best known for her work The Witch-Cult in Western Europe (1921), which proposed a pan-European, pre-Christian religion extending from the Neolithic to the Medieval witch crazes, wherein groups of 13 witches worshipped a fertility god. Murray expanded her thesis in The God of the Witches (1931) with the “old religion” involving the worship of a horned god, and going back to shamans of the European Paleolithic (represented in the cave art of the period such as the antlered shaman or “sorcerer” of Les Trois Frères in France). Despite criticism from historians for misrepresenting evidence and drawing problematically on Sir James Frazer’s outmoded concept of “sacred kinship,” Murray’s work was taken seriously by many and extended into the public arena with an entry on witchcraft in the Encyclopaedia Britannica. While it was crucial in the development of modern Paganism and especially modern Pagan witchcraft or Wicca, Murray’s thesis has been deconstructed by such historians of witchcraft as Keith Thomas and especially Ronald Hutton’s recent work The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft (1999), which has been influential among Pagans themselves.

Historical dictionary of shamanism. . 2007.

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  • Murray, Margaret — (1863 1963)    An Egyptologist at University College London, who in middle life became curious about the origins of European *witchcraft. She evolved a theory that witches were members of a highly organized secret society whose purpose was to… …   A Dictionary of English folklore

  • Margaret Murray — Margaret Alice Murray Margaret Alice Murray (Kolkata, Inde, 13 juillet 1863 13 novembre 1963) était une anthropologue et égyptologue britannique. Elle était bien connue dans les cercles d universitaires pour ses contributions… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Margaret Murray — Margaret Alice Murray (* 13. Juli 1863 in Kalkutta, Indien; † 13. November 1963) war eine britische Anthropologin und Ägyptologin. Sie war in akademischen Kreisen weithin bekannt für wissenschaftliche Beiträge zur Ägyptologie und volkskundlichen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Margaret Murray Washington — Margaret James Murray Washington in 1917 Margaret Murray Washington was the third wife of Booker T. Washington and Lady Principal of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, now Tuskegee University. She was born on March 9, 1865, in Macon,… …   Wikipedia

  • Margaret Lally "Ma" Murray — Margaret Lally Ma Murray, OC was the wife of publisher and MLA George Murray, and an Officer of the Order of Canada. A Kansas farm girl made good and known for her spicy wit, backcountry wisdoms, and down to earth style, Ma was co founder and… …   Wikipedia

  • Murray (surname) — Murray is a common variation of the word Moray, an anglicisation of the Medieval Gaelic word Muireb (or Moreb); the b here was pronounced as v, hence the Latinization to Moravia. These names denote the district on the south shore of the Moray… …   Wikipedia

  • Margaret Murray — For other people named Margaret Murray, see Margaret Murray (disambiguation). Margaret Alice Murray Born 13 July 1863 Kolkata, India Died 13 November 1963(1963 11 13) …   Wikipedia

  • Margaret Alice Murray — (* 13. Juli 1863 in Kalkutta, Indien; † 13. November 1963 in Welwyn, Hertfordshire) war eine britische Anthropologin und Ägyptologin. Sie war in akademischen Kreisen weithin bekannt für wissenschaftliche Beiträge zur Ägyptologie und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Margaret Alice Murray — Égyptologue Pays de naissance  Angleterre Naissance 13 juillet  …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Margaret Maher — (1841–1924) was a long term domestic worker in the household of American poet Emily Dickinson. Contents 1 Early life in Ireland 2 Arrival in America 3 Meeting with Emily Dickinson …   Wikipedia

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