Hello Dennis,
Yes, this is where I am focusing my attention. While pre-Etruscan Italians
may be a bit early for the VMS, I keep seeing hints that this is probably a
good area to stake a claim. The Wicca tradition is beginning to make sense
to me. From "Etruscan Civilization, A Cultural History" by Sybille Haynes
(British Museum Press, 2000) there are a few subtle clues which seem to have
a presence in the VMS. Women were apparently revered as equals with
distinctive roles in Etruscan society. For example, the spindle held in the
left hand of the damsel at the top left of f80v (also in f76v) has always
caught my attention. From "Etruscan Civilization" we learn that "The main
crafts practiced by women were spinning, dyeing, and weaving of the wool of
both sheep and goats and sewing clothes from cloth." (p.10) Most likely
these skills would have existed throughout Europe and this in not meant to
be definitive; it is just an example of the cultural findings in Italy. The
Etruscans were also with working bronze, which makes me think of the pans
seen in f78v and f81r/v. There is a picture of a bronze "Campanian ash urn
with statuettes on lid and rim" ("Etruscan Civilization", p.200). A detail
of one of the statuettes shows an individual (warrior?) riding a horse with
a bow in his left hand; but what interests me here is his pointed hat which
to me is a dead ringer for the pointed hat seen on the head of the "moon
face" at the bottom right of f67v2. Moving from f70v2 to f70v1 and then
f71r, we see a transition from naked women to some clothed to mostly
clothed, which seems to correlate to a change of seasons and is an aspect
seen in Strega, (e.g., women gathering all naked at the full moon). These
are just some samples of what I am seeing in addition to the herbal plants
which were widely known and used in witchcraft. There seems to be a lot here
to consider. I can imagine the VMS confiscated by the Inquisition in Italy
as a prime example of a "witchcraft bible" with the secrets of its
translation having been lost along with its owner.
History of Stregheria
www.fabrisia.com/history.htm
Regards,
Dana Scott
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dennis" <tsalagi@xxxxxxxx>
To: <vms-list@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 10:02 PM
Subject: Re: VMs: La Vecchia Religione
Hi, Dana,
I have begun to investigate La Vecchia Religione of ancient Italy.
There are
numerous aspects of Stregheria that seem to have correlations in the VMS
Stregheria sounds interesting. I've mostly heard that
Wicca claims to be a folk survival of the antique
pre-Christian traditions of Europe, but is in fact a
literate invention of the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. I believe that Wicca claims that "La
Vecchia Religione" is such a survival of ancient Roman
beliefs and practices, and that it is similarly
suspect. I don't know much, but keep that in mind.
Dennis
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