Customer Reviews

Witta: An Irish Pagan Tradition (Llewellyn's World Religion & Magick)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

WITTA

One of the worst examples as far as research is concerned is Witta:
An Irish Pagan Tradition (St. Paul, Minn.: Llewellyn, 1993) by Edain
McCoy. This book seems to be almost a parody of a Wiccan text as a
result of the sheer number of glaring and inexcusable errors.

Let's start with the title: Witta. The author assures us that this
is "the Irish Gaelic term for the Anglo-Saxon word Wicca" and "is one
of the Irish names of the craft" (p.x.) "Witta," however, cannot be
pronounced in Gaelic. It is a combination of letters that are
virtually never seen together in that language (an equivalent
combination of letters in English might be "xyqueph"). I believe
McCoy has simply attempted to create and Irish-sounding word that
would appear to be highly similar to Wicca. This in and of itself
would not be reprehensible, had she not tried to suggest that this is
an actual Gaelic word with an actual historical context.

On the cover of her book is a painting of people dancing around a
maypole. McCoy tells us that this is a symbolic fertility dance
(p.45). While this is true, we need to realize that the maypole dance
was imported from England to Ireland in the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries. It was very unpopular among the Irish people,
as it represented the unwelcome influence of the English.

McCoy goes on to tell us that the ancient Irish had a religious
belief that involved the worship of the potato as a symbol of
fertility and of the Good Goddess of the Earth: "Because they grew
underground, potatoes were sacred to the Goddess and used in female
fertility rites," she writes (p. 82). In fact potatoes are not native
to Ireland. They were introduced in the late sixteenth and early
seventeenth centuries from Peru. A number of the books I will discuss
fall into the same "Potato Trap," which either bespeaks a
reprehensible ignorance of elemental botany or a total lack of

research. McCoy suggests that colcannon (a dish made from mashed
potatoes, cabbage, and onions) was an ancient sacred food in which
trinkets would be baked and divinations drawn: "It was an old Wittan
tradition to hide in it a ring for a bride, a button for a bachelor,
a thimble for a spinster, and a coin for wealth....The person who got
these items in their portion had his fortune told for the coming
year" (p. 168). However, as colcannon was invented in America in the

twentieth century, this highly romantic notion falls flat.

McCoy goes on to move Stonehenge to Cornwall, when it is in fact
located on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire--rather like saying the Grand
Canyon is located in Ohio. According to her, the Druids were not
involved in Witta, but were apparently part of a separate and
somewhat antagonistic religious movement which seemed to involve
wholesale human sacrifice. Although a number of ancient writers like
Julius Caesar and Diodorus Siculus claimed that the Druids performed
human sacrifice, their accounts are strongly suspect, because these
writers often had the aim of making the Celts look inferior to the
Greeks and Romans. There is no archeological evidence that the
Druids, or the Celts, made sacrifices of human beings.

McCoy makes the elementary mistake of imagining the Druids as an
oppressive patriarchal elite that was somehow separate from Celtic
culture as a whole. Yet scholars today generally agree that the
Druids were an integral part of the Celtic culture and included both
men and women. They were, as far as we can tell, the teachers,
healers, historians and judges of the Celts. These social roles do
not exist outside of cultural groups.

McCoy goes on to claim that "the famous epic poem Carmina Burana was
a manuscript found in an Italian monastery which clearly glorifies
the Mother Goddess"(p.4). What exactly this statement has to do with
anything, I cannot determine. But in fact, Carmina Burana is the name
given to a collection of bawdy drinking songs in Latin probably
written down in the tenth or eleventh centuries, the manuscript of
which was found in a Bavarian monastery. If pieces such as "It's my
firm intention in a barroom to die" are to be considered as hymns to
the Goddess, then all country music must be pagan.

McCoy goes on to reveal the interesting news that the Vikings who
raided Ireland in the ninth and tenth centuries were "somewhat
sympathetic to the Irish pagan cause" (p.22). In fact, Ireland seems
to have made an easy and virtually bloodless conversion from paganism
to Christianity several centuries earlier. The Vikings were unlikely
candidates for Pagan freedom fighters, since they generally converted
to Christianity within a few decades after settling in the lands they
conquered. Generally speaking, the Vikings were interested only in a
few things in any country they visited: either to trade (or take)
anything of value, or if the land was sparsely populated, to colonize
the area.

McCoy rewrites history yet again to reveal the shocking news that
large groups of Pagans--somehow still alive in the sixteenth century,
and supposedly with the blessing of Queen Elizabeth-- conjured up a
storm to wreck the Spanish Armada. She says, Elizabeth herself "was
believed to have had more than a passing interest in paganism"
(p.111). In fact during the reign of Elizabeth a number of the laws
regarding heresy and witchcraft were expanded and strengthened, with
crueler penalties and more severe punishments than before.

McCoy is also fascinated by something she calls the cult of "Kele-
De," which she perceives as a Celtic cult of Goddess worshippers who
were "free to take lovers as they chose" (p. 12) and whose existence
was tolerated--even encouraged by the Church through the tenth
century. Where she came up with this chestnut I am afraid to guess.
But I think she has confused "Kele-De" with "Culdee," a term roughly
translated as "servant of God" and given to a contemplative movement
associated with the early Irish Church. How she determined this was
Goddess-oriented is beyond me.

McCoy does her best to portray the ancient Irish in a very New Age
light. She has some fanciful notions about the Craft, but she seems
to have done little or not research whatsoever.

I am native Irish and practice Irish Celtic Paganism. The word I use to name my religion is Draíocht, which can mean magic or druidry. As a student of Old Irish, I can say that "Witta" is not, as McCoy claims, an Irish word. "W" is not even in the Irish alphabet! The Irish word for "Wicca" it certainly is not. Even the word "Wicca" itself is believed to be a fabrication. McCoy is aiming at the Irish-American market with lies. As to the content of the book, this is mearly Wicca with a Celtic aesthetic, much like the rest of her books. This is irrational and ill-founded and unworthy of study by real Pagans

I have two identical bookcases at my house. One is filled with journals, academic tomes, scholarly books, and regular texts written to the Celtic student. On the other side is an identical bookcase, but it has rows of dusty books that are either 1. intellectually dishonest 2. The author doesn't have a basic understanding of the matter they have written about 3. They have so many errors of fact that the book is better used as illustration of how not to proceed in Celtic studies. 4. Is geared to those who don't/won't investigate their claims, and certainly don't have the sources to back it up 5. To those who are so new to the topic that they don't know the difference. Her book sits in this bookcase. _Witta_ is, sad to say, is one of the worst books in terms of accuracy. The word, witta, in itself is unpronounceable in the Gaelic language. In short, do yourself a favor and get a book by one of the following authors who have their works reviewed by their peers. Once you have one of these books, go to their bibliography and continue to get accurate information in that way instead of relying on folks who invent traditions to line their pocketbook. Generally reliable authors include: Ross, Chadwick, Herm, James, Cunliffe, Ellis, and Green. These will give you a background and foundation to see through the claims of the charlatans who don't mind inventing a path and selling it to you at a cost of their integrity and your spirituality. Authors to avoid: McCoy, Stepanich, Blamires, Conway, Carr-Gomm, and Monroe; sometimes Matthews and RJ Stewart are included, depending on the book. Do yourself a favor when authors start making claims without backing them up - ask for sources, be skeptical, and withhold buying into what they are saying until you have had a chance to examine the evidence. In conclusion, the only reason I rated this as one star is the system does not have "to be avoided" as a choice. Mike Wilson

"Witta" is not an Irish word; it appears to be manufactured from an English root. The contents of this book are generally manufactured from a mix of Wiccan books written by others, a few bits from Celtic myths, and a large measure of non-facts. McCoy appears to be trying to exploit the current market for both "witchy" and "Celtic" topics. If you want to learn about the religion of the ancient Celts, look at Miranda Green's _Gods of the Celts_ or Anne Ross' _Pagan Celtic Britain_ or Barry Cunliffe's _The Ancient Celts_. If you're interested in Celtic folk practices, look at Kevin Danaher's _The Year in Ireland_, Owen's _Welsh Folklore_ or collections of Scottish folklore such as the Carmina Gadelica.

Many reviewers have mentioned the fact that Witta isn't even a word in the Irish language as evidence of the author's pathetic attempt at research.

My favorite historical blunder is when she states that potatoes were an ancient Goddess symbol for the Irish.

I laughed my head off at that one. Potatoes are -not- native to Ireland: they came to Europe with the Conquistadores from their colonization excursions in South America. They were not widely eaten in Europe until the 17th century, because they were considered poisonous. They were not widely planted as a food crop in Ireland until the end of the 17th century, and they did not become a staple food until the 18th century.

The 18th century, while it was a long time ago, hardly qualifies as ancient.

Oh, and by then, the Irish were all converts to that "new" religion, Christianity. Not many Goddesses in Christianity, now, are there? Certainly not ones shaped like potatoes......

This book is ridiculous. It is full of absurd historical inaccuracies and blatantly false information regarding Paganism in Ireland. Read this book for a laugh, not a religion. It's an anthropological atrocity.

To start off, there is no 'W' in Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge) so attempting to claim this is an "ancient Irish tradition" using a word that isn't remotely Irish should give the first clue to the authenticity.
Anyone looking for insight into Irish paganism should look to the history and the mythology (Tain Bo Cuailgne and Cath Maige Tured). There is plently of literature about the history and archaeology of Ireland (Pre-Christian Ireland and The History of Ireland). Your best bet would be to stay away from new aged ideas of what Irish celtic culture should have been and stick with what it actually was. One can not base a religious choice on 'shoulds.'

Well, most of the scathing reviews have said what I'd say.
Bad, bad scholarship. I dont know what some people are being taught, but the potatoe came from America to Ireland after the 15th century, so there goes that ancient potato thing.
Again, there is no W in Gaeilge (Irish), Witta cannot be pronounced.
Oh there are so many things wrong with her "facts".
Now, if she had stated this was a new tradition, and she was inspired by the Irish, fine, I wouldnt be so bothered. But she didnt.

To those who say it doesnt matter if it's factual, consider this.
It may not matter to you, for whatever reason, but it matters to the culture, to the people of that culture, who are being misrepresented. Our Celtic cultures have been fighting for their identities for centuries, they still fight. It wasn't that long ago it was illegal to speak Irish in Ireland. It wasnt all that long ago my ancestral clan cheifs were hanged, the clans scattered, forced out of our home. Losing our stories, our lore, our ways, in successive generations of expatriates.
Why does this matter, you say? Because there is a real danger of losing the cultural traditions all over, losing the language is a sure way to lose much of the soul of the people. Lying about those cultures, which is basically what McCoy has done, serves only to further aid in killing it. Before we know it, people will learn of Ireland, Scotland, etc. through falsehoods, believing they are learning the real thing, and never actually reaching it. They'll then pass this on to those they know as being true. Oh wait, that's already happening...
And the truth will fade away from peoples minds. It's happening IN those countries. Some dont know their own history.
If you actually care about Celts, our culture, do not buy fakes, look for the real deal. Educate people with facts.
I will not support anything that assists in muddying my culture for the masses to make a buck. Will you?
If this path works for you, fine, but please do not present it as "ancient tradition" or "fact".
Dont care when an author is dishonest? I dont understand that, I dont understand lies ever being good. Think I'm being dramatic? I'm assure you I'm not.

As many reviewers have noted, this book is full of historical errors, and outright falsehoods. Some have written that they think such things don't matter in spiritual things, but I'd ask you whether you want to work a religion that is based on innacurate information and ungrounded speculation.
If you're looking for Celtic Paganism, this isn't any...

I am very fond of Edain McCoy's books but I have to admit this one is pretty bad. It seemed exactly what I wanted -- a form of Wicca based on Irish heritage, with the emphasis on simplicity and nature instead of lots of tools and strict rituals. Because it has these things, I give it 2 stars, but I can't recommend this because I am thoroughly against sloppy scholarship, church-bashing, male-bashing, and passing something off as authentic that you seem to have made up yourself. In short, I agree with all the awful reviews I've read on this site.

But, don't let this bad book keep you away from Edain McCoy without giving her another chance. I can't tell if this was her first book or not, but she's gotten a lot better (I am one of the few people that liked Celtic Myth and Magick, but I feel that her scholarship in that book was MUCH better than this one -- really! -- read my review on that if you want). I guess she learned her lesson or something -- most of her books now get really good reviews. I wouldn't recommend her if I thought she was a charlatan. I think she made a mistake with this one, but I urge you to give her another chance. Try The Sabbats, Lady of the Night, Inside a Witches' Coven -- all 4 or 5 star books.