Everything Under the Moon

Aradia is presented as a Goddess in Charles Godfrey Leland's writings but by researching Italian websites about her legend, I realized that she is not a Goddess.

The Italian legend perfectly specifies that it is a witch born in Italy. In Tuscany in the 1313s. This is a real person who would have existed. She resisted the Church's oppression against her beliefs and made them clear to all in fear. She even initiated people who wanted to. It is said that she was imprisoned but managed to escape following the collapse of part of her cell. And so she is considered to be the witch who transmitted the Stregheria. So when Leland introduces her as Diane's daughter, perhaps we have to assume that she is an image to say that she is a priestess of Diane. It honours Diane or her aspects related to witchcraft. You may of course not believe me, but I'll let you do your research to get your opinion on the matter. Because Leland is a folklorist but not an Italian.

I've come across the same understanding from Raven Grimassi, probably in Way of the Strega. I really like his books about Italian witchcraft. It helped give me a broader idea of how the Old Religion had been passed along as a normal way of life but I still don't have a good grasp of how much the priestesses interacted with common folk. If I remember rightly Aradia was a traveling pilgrim teaching in the era of feudal states. I have a vague idea of (pre-christian) public festivals & gatherings but not what function the priestesses (like at Nemhi) played in the festivals. Different time period from Aradia's 1300's.

People were defied in ancient times. It's not far fetched and quite common even today. (Such as Che Guevara's worship in South America. ) It happens all the time, such as ancient Rome. So she could be a goddess. (I mean heck Lilith isn't an ancient goddess either!)

I'd like to see a source on her being a historical person.

SpiritTalker ,yes, indeed, it is.


Lady_Lilith The sources I have are in Italian.
https://www.e-borghi.com/it/curiosit/41 ... steri.html

SpiritTalker wrote:I still don't have a good grasp of how much the priestesses interacted with common folk

Once I tried to find out about the Italian ways from a pagan artist from the region of Emilia-Romagna. She told me that we couldn't observe it as one Italy, that it used to be rather 20 regions all with it's own customs. She mentioned that some regions like Sardegna were not as much influenced by the church and practised these arts more openly.

Due to heat-waves and droughts I did a research a year ago on how far north the Mediterranean black widows could venture. I found an article about Sardegna. In medieval times a bite of black widow there was believed to transmit a demonic possession, so to cure the afflicted they buried him in the sand with only head above the ground and danced around him until the demon was exorcised. It seemed they did it all together, like a whole tribe.

@SL-Thank you. that does shed a ray of light.

Panthera wrote:SpiritTalker ,yes, indeed, it is.


Lady_Lilith The sources I have are in Italian.
https://www.e-borghi.com/it/curiosit/41 ... steri.html

Wouldn't that be more of a confirmation of myth though?

It's possible, but the myth speaks of a human not a goddess. Unfortunately I have not found any ancient writings on this legend because it is possible that it may be transmitted orally. For me there is nothing to show that she is a goddess, she is described as a person who has passed on knowledge.

We could say that it is quite close to Lilith's story, it is true that she is human at the beginning of her story except that for Lilith, there is still a story of transformation that is implied.

Yeah and Lilith started as a servant to Ishtar which is why they're similar. For me, I always assumed Aradia was put into human form as a messianic daughter of Diana to teach people witchcraft. So I assumed it meant she was once human. She also appears to be conflated with Isis, Diana, Lilith, and especially the figure of Herodias.
Likewise, I've seen stories from Italy of Aradia the just a spirit people use to invoke, or something similar.

The fact Aradia is an obscure figure fits perfectly into the once secretive nature of witchcraft. I doubt she is an ancient goddess but probably a more medieval and modern form of an already established goddess such as Isis, that changes forms with the culture and times.

Yes, it's very likely.

I've heard of gods possessing human form in a sense, I can't go in detail but I've heard of occurrences

As I understand it, Drawing Down the Moon is when the Goddess is said to enter the Priestess & Drawing Down the Sun is when the God is said to enter the Priest. It's a sacred use of channeling for instruction, guidance & encouragement.

Could it be possible that Aradia sort of rose to status as Goddess? So many "Gods/Goddesses" started out as humans and displayed some sort of super human deed or energies. I remember as a child being super confused with the whole God thing being God is the only God yet I heard Jesus being called God. So what was he? God or Son/Sun of God? I also think of Brighde who was a Priestess made Goddess. So absolutely Aradia can be considered a Goddess and it is most likely possible is was through oral tradition.
Besides, when it all boils down we all are Gods and Goddesses as in the initiation confirmation "thou art God/Goddess" for it is us who have the power to pro-create. and that is a miraculous thing.
lovely topic
bb, FF