The Craft Of The Wise

The Craft of the Wise

The word Witchcraft comes from the Old Anglo-Saxon word wicce-craeft, meaning "the craft of the wise." For many people today, the word carries a wide variety of connotations, but originally it was quite specific.

For thousands of years before Christianity, there were many variations of Pagan worship. In the big cities of Greek and Roman times, the forms of religion were well organized, with dedicated temples and an established priesthood. But out in the country areas, the common people did not have this luxery. They worshiped the same deities, but their temples were the woods, the mountains, and the open fields. They were close to nature and, by virtue of this closeness, felt close to their gods. Every man and woman was his or her own priest, able to commune with divinity on the same level as the official priesthood in the towns and the cities. Although the principle deities worshipped were the same in most areas, the names that were used frequently varied in different areas of Europe and Asia, with local titles and appellations prevailing.

The Rivalry of the New Religion

The rise of the new religion--Christianity--came to threaten and almost destroy the belief in, and worship of, the gods of nature. Unlike the "Old Religion" (as we might term Witchcraft), the "New Religion" was human-made and full of contradictions. Yet it became established and, for many hundreds of years, existed along side witchcraft. Initially Christianity was content to gain converts gradually, but, as we shall see, in time it became more impatient.

In Great Britian,when a king of a particular region was converted to the New Religion, it was declared by the church that ALL his subjects were also similarly affected, even though the majority of them were still worshipping the old gods.

Between 597 and 604 C.E. (Common Era), during Augustine's mission to Britian, London remained Pagan but King Aethelbert of Kent was converted. After his death, Kent reverted to Paganism. In 604 C.E., similar events occured with the king of the East Saxons---the king was converted, but upon his death his successor reverted to Paganism. The years 627 and 628 C.E. saw the conversions of the kings of Northumbria and East Anglia, respectively. The king of Wessex was converted in 635 C.E., and in 653 C.E. the king of Mercia. But by 654 C.E., it was necessary to reconvert the king of the East Saxons. So there was not a regular, smooth transition from the Old Religion to the New. Far from it; what had been a part of everyone's lifestyle for generations would not easily be swept aside.

In an effort to appeal more pagans, the New Religion adopted many of the ancient conventions. The Christian Trinity is a good example. This was based on the ancient Egyptian traid of Osiris, Isis, and Horus. The immaculate conception and the resurrection were copies of old Pagan Beliefs found in many parts of the ancient world. Even the name Jesus was taken from the Celts' Esus, a nature god. The Pagan festival of Yule was also adopted as Christmas (even to the inclusion of the phallic tree). Easter was based on the goddess Eostre's springtime festival. The festival tival of contact with the spirits of the dead, known as Samhain, became the Christian's All Soul's Day. And for many centuries there were priests who served both Pagan and Christian populations.

One giant step forward for the New religion came when Pope Gregory (590-604 C.E.) issued instructions to his bishops in Britian that they were to take all pagan temples and consecrate them to the New Religion, installing new altars and redirecting the temple On the open sites of regular pagan gatherings, new churches were to be built.

"In this way," the pope said, "I hope the people (seeing their temples are not destroyed) will leave their idolatry and yet continue to frequent the places as formerly." He desperately hoped to fool, or even coerce, the people into attending Christian churches.

For a long time, Gregory's plans seemed to bear fruit, and more and more of the population became (at least normally) Christian. But finally, the saturation point appeared to have been reached. by this time, the church fathers had enjoyed their taste of power and were determined that Chritianity should be the ONLY religion; all others were to be destroyed. This brought about the start of the persecutions, when anything non-Christian was automatically labeled anti-Christian and therefore undesireable.

Survival of the Old Religion

Many of the old rites lived on, both in practice and in legend. In early spring, it was accepted magical practice for a farmer and his wife to lie in the first furrow of a field and have intercourse to ensure the field's fertility and productivity. When the crops first began to appear, it was common for all to take up pitchforks, poles, and broomsticks and to dance around the fields, riding the poles like hobbyhorses. As they danced around the fields, the people would leap high into the air to show the crops how high to grow. It was simple imitative, or sympathetic, magic. At harvest time, of course, it was time to thank the gods for all that had been produced. Many Pagan rituals and customs such as these are still found across Europe and elsewhere.

In the villages were invariably found one or two "wise ones," those who had the wisdom of herbs and magic. As the local doctors, they tended the sick with herbal concoctions, decoctions, infusions, and macerations. They also knew the spells and charms passed on from generation to generation. These "doctors" were known by the old Anglo-Saxon name of Wicce (feminine) or Wicca (masculine). (In fact, the Saxon kings of England always had a Council of the Wise Ones know as the Witan.)

When it came to worship of the old gods and the forms of the rituals, the wise ones conducted the rites. They became the priestsand the priestesses of the country side, leading groups from the villages or from neighboring farms in the major celebrations of the seasons. Later on, any followers of this Old Religion became known as Wiccans, or Witches.

The Old Religion Slandered

The Old Religion was lumped together with Satanism (which itself was an off-shoot of Christianity, for the older religions had no concept of an all-evil entity such as the Christian Devil). This was where the word Witchcraft began to take on a strongly negative meaning when used by people other than Wiccans themselves.

The wise ones, for example, had knowledge of poisons, among other things. This was essential in order for them to administer to those who accidently poisoned themselves by eating the wrong plants. Persecutors turned this knowledge against them, saying that they used the knowledge to poison others! In fact, King James I's later translation of the Bible said, "Thou shalt not suffer a poisoner to live." Jeames' translators---whether by ignorance or design--confused the Latin words veneficor and maleficor and chose to say, "Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live," by virtue of her knowledge of poisons.

It didn't take long for the trickle of venom generated by the Christian Church to swell into a raging torrent. In 1235, Pope Gregory IX instructed the archbishop of Sens: "Thou shouldst be instant and zealous in this matter of establishing an Inquisition.....to fight bodly the battles of the Lord." Thirteen years later, Alexander IV issued papal bull against Witchcraft, with second one two years later. By the time Pope Innocent VIII issued his bull, in 1484, printing had been invented; with it came wide distribution of such utterances in writing. The Inquisition came into its own with the reappearance of this bull two years later, as a foreward to diabolical book written by two German monks, Heinrich Kramer and Jakob Sprenger.

The persecutions turned out to be a powerful tool for the unscrupulous. By making a charge of Witchcraft--or even suggesting someone might be a Witch--it was possible to get rid of an enemy, acquire land that was otherwise unavailable, or generate personal power in the Christian Religion. Persecution became very much a powerful tool. When someone was accussed of Witchcraft, his or her land and goods became forfeit to the state or church. This was great temtation for many, including Christian dignataries.

Once accussed, the victim had no defense. If the accussed had a perfect alibi, then "spectral evidence' was admitted, which said that it was possible for a Witch to be in two places at the same time. Eventually, twenty people were put to death in this little New England Village. Still, this was a very small number compared to Europe, where two or three hundred people might be executed on a single occasion, simply at the nod of a bishop. In France, for example, the bishop of Treves had a whole village put to death because of an especially harsh winter, which he determined had been caused by Witches. Not knowing who the Witches were, he executed everyone. In Germany, on February 16, 1629, Prince-Bishop Philipp Adolf Von Ehrenberg executed 157 people, he was a Christian.

Wicca-

"An it harm none, do what thou wilt"

Another Piece Of History

Luara Ingalls-Little House On The Prarie

Meet the real Laura and her family!

In the Little House books, Laura talks of many people who have become almost as dear to us as Laura herself. We couldn’t find out what happened to every-one, but here is what we do know..........

The Charles Ingalls Family

(left to right) "Ma" Caroline Quiner Ingalls, Carrie Celstia Ingalls, Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder, "Pa" Charles Phillip Ingalls, Grace Pearl Ingalls, and Mary Amelia Ingalls.

Ma and Pa Ingalls tired of trying to farm the homestead shortly after Laura was married. So, at Christmas time in 1887 they moved to De Smet permanently.

Pa built a comfortable little house for the family on Third Street, close to the school Carrie and Grace attended. Pa was very busy in town as Justice of the Peace, Deputy Sheriff, Town Clerk, and Street Commissioner. He was an active member of the school board and belonged to the Congregational Church. Pa worked as a carpenter while living in town.

Pa died June, 1902 of heart failure. Ma and all his girls were with him when he died.

After Pa died, Ma lived in the home on Third Street with Mary. They kept very busy. In 1918 Ma became ill and Grace and her husband, Nathan Dow came to live with Ma and Mary. Ma died in 1924. Charles and Caroline Ingalls are buried in the De Smet cemetery.

Carrie, Mary, and Laura Ingalls

Mary went to the blind school in Vinton, Iowa. When she graduated she returned home to live with Ma and Pa on Third Street. Mary would fill her days helping Ma around the house, reading her Braille books and playing the organ. After Ma died, Mary went to visit Carrie in Keystone, South Dakota. While she was there she became ill. She suffered a stroke, had complications and died in 1928 not having returned to her home in De Smet. She died at the age of 63 and is buried in the De Smet cemetery.

Carrie, after graduating from high school, worked for the local newspaper. This is where she learned the printing and publishing trade. Her career as a pioneer newspaper woman eventually extended to many papers in western South Dakota. Carrie tried homesteading and proved to be successful as she proved up her claim. She met and married David Swanzey in 1912 in Keystone, South Dakota. David was widowed with two small children. Carrie helped to raise his children but they never had children of their own. Carrie died in 1946 at the age of 76 and is buried in the De Smet cemetery.

Grace took a college teaching course and became a schoolteacher, just like Laura. She taught several schools near De Smet and while teaching, met a farmer named Nathan Dow. In 1901, Grace married Nate in the front parlor of the Ingalls Home on Third Street. They moved seven miles west of De Smet and farmed near the town of Manchester. They spent several later years taking care of Ma and Mary in De Smet but soon returned to Manchester. Grace suffered from bad health and died in 1941 at the age of 64. She is buried in the De Smet cemetery with her husband Nathan Dow.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in the big wood of Wisconsin on February 7, 1867. She died on February 10, 1957, living to be 90 years old. She began writing her series of Little House books when she was in her sixties. She knew she had many wonderful memories of living on the pioneering frontier. It was actually Rose, her daughter that encouraged Laura to write her books.

Laura wrote nine books in all, five of which have a setting in De Smet. By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years and The First Four Years. A sixth book was written as the family was leaving De Smet on their way to their new home in Mansfield, On the Way Home.

Laura started writing in 1932, by the early 50's her books were being read around the world. Today these popular children's books are printed in over 40 different languages and cherished by school children everywhere.

Almanzo Wilder

Almanzo Wilder was born in Malone, New York on February 13, 1857. His family moved to Springfield, Minnesota in 1875. Almanzo and brother Royal decided to try homesteading in Dakota Territory and this is where he met Laura Ingalls. They were married on August 25, 1885. They moved to Mansfield Missouri in 1894. This would be the last home of Almanzo. He died on October 23, 1949 at the age of 92.

Rose Wilder

Rose Wilder was born on December 5, 1886, in De Smet, South Dakota. Laura named her daughter after the wild prairie rose. When Rose was a small child she learned to knit, sew and bake, but she was fascinated by books. In school, Rose was an excellent student. After finishing high school, Rose began writing for various publications and soon found that it opened up a whole new world of people to her. It was during her travels that she met and married Gillette Lane. They were married in 1909 when Rose was twenty-two years old. By 1918, Rose and Gillette's marriage had ended, but Rose continued to write and went on to publish numerous books and national magazine articles. She was widely recognized as a gifted writer.

During her years as a writer, Rose traveled across the world visiting many foreign countries. It was actually Rose who urged her mother to write down her stories. Rose wanted her mother to share all the special stories she'd heard as a child, stories of Laura growing up on the pioneering frontier with her family.

Rose was the only grandchild of Pa and Ma Ingalls. When Rose died on October 30, 1968, she was the last direct descendent of Charles and Caroline Ingalls.

Grandpa and Grandma Ingalls (Landsford and Laura) continued to live on their farm thirteen miles north of the “Little House in the Big Woods.” Grandma lived until 1883 and Grandpa died in 1896 at the age of 84.

Uncle Peter, Aunt Eliza and their family left the Big Woods settlement and settled in Mazeppa, Minnesota along the Zumbro River. Their son Peter came to De Smet but returned to Minnesota with Laura and Almanzo Wilder in 1890. From there Peter made a voyage down the Mississippi with Perley Wilder, Almanzo’s brother. He married and raised his family in Florida. Alice and Ella married the Whiting brothers and homesteaded in Dakota. Alice and her husband Arthur lived lastly in Louisiana, where other relatives had settled. Other children of Peter and Eliza were Edith and Llewelyn.

Aunt Ruby and Docia both married and moved west. Ruby became Mrs. Card and died in Inman, Nebraska in 1881. Docia married Hiram Forbes and traveled to the Far West.

Eliza Jane Wilder, who is first introduced in FARMER BOY as Almanzo’s sister, and later teaches Laura, moved to Louisiana. She married there and had a son, Wilder. Wilder was a spoiled child and on a visit to Rocky Ridge in 1903, shocked Laura with some of his hooligan actions, including purposely breaking a sitting-room window.

Robert and Ellie Boast built a substantial set of buildings on their homestead before moving into De Smet around the turn of the century. Mr. Boast went into the real estate business, served as street commissioner in the “little town” and is responsible for the planting of the many trees. Mrs. Boast was crippled for years with arthritis, confined to a wheel chair. She was a great friend of the town’s children, holding parties at their home on Second Street.. Mrs. Boast lived until 1918, her husband surviving her by four years, dying at 73.

Reverend Edward Brown, a cousin of John Brown of Kansas fame lived until 1895 and before his death wrote a series of thirteen articles about his famous relative. Mrs. Laura Brown is buried in De Smet, a stone from their homestead called “Brown Hill” marking her grave.

Mary Power, one of Laura’s friends in Little Town on the Prairie and These Happy Golden Years, married a banker, Ed Sanford. They lived across the street from Ma and Pa’s residence until the early 1900’s when she and her husband moved to Bellingham, Washington.

Cap Garland who helped Almanzo find wheat for the starving townspeople during The Long Winter was killed while still young in an explosion of a threshing machine engine. (1890). His sister Florence, Laura’s first De Smet teacher, married C. D. Dawley and remained in De Smet.

Nellie Oleson was born in LeRoy, Mn. August 2, 1868. The family moved to Walnut Grove, Mn. in 1873 and that is where Mr. and Mrs. Owens began operating a general store. It was here in Walnut Grove that Laura and Nellie first met. The family later moved several times eventually settling in Tillamook, Oregon where Nellie met and married Henry Frank Kirry. They had three children, Zola Margaret, Lloyd Prescott and Leslie Henry. Later in life Nellie and Henry separated. Nellie died in 1949 at Portland, Oregon and is buried next to her brother and father.