Stregheria

Stregheria, or La Vecchia Religione, is traditionally a quasi-messianic Syncreto-Pagan religion that honors the Roman god Lucifer, the Roman goddess Diana, and their lovechild, the demigoddess Aradia who was sent to earth in human form to offer freedom through witchcraft to the poor and oppressed. It is mainly a Classical Anarchist religion, and can be seen as a direct reaction to the Christianization of Italy and the predominant class system thereof. In fact, Stregherian mythology is filled with strong Anarchist and anti-Christian themes, both literal and allegorical.

History

Much of the history of Stregheria, particularly its early history, is largely unknown; oral tradition, folklore, and a degree of speculation and fantasy makes up a great deal of what Streghe percieve as their religious herritage. Historical references to Stregheria prior to the publication of Aradia: The Gospel of the Witches are scarce, and some equate them with generic accusations of witchcraft leveled by alarmists during the inquisitions. However, unlike many adherents of the Abrahamic faiths, and therefore to the surprise of many areligious people whose contact with and expectations of religion has been strongly influenced by the Abrahamic faiths, Streghe do not necessarily see this historical ambiguity as a weakness. Rather, they see the continuing development of a mythical history as an essential part of the development of any religion, and understand that the mythical history of a religion is as important to believers, if not more so, than "actual" history.

Related Topics:
Oral tradition - Folklore

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This being said, most adherents feel that Stregheria is (in actual history) a genuine survival of a pre-Christian religion in Italy that endured virtually under the nose of the Catholic church until today.

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Origins

More to be written

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The Messianic period

The "Messianic period" of Stregheria begins with the alleged incarnation of the goddess Aradia into mortal form on August 13, 1313 CE, in Volterra, Italy. On the same date, in the year 1326 CE (Aradia's 13th birthday), she is believed to have been initiated into a Dianic Witchcraft cult. Shortly thereafter, she recieved a vision from Diana (paganorum dea, or "goddess of the pagans"), informing her of her nature and reason for being, as detailed in the first chapter of the Vangelo de la Streghe. This, presumably, is when the young woman, whose original name is unknown, claimed the familiar identity of Aradia de Toscano, roughly meaning "Aradia of Tuscany".

Related Topics:
August 13 - 1313 - 1326 - Vision - Aradia de Toscano

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Aradia is said to have spent time with the thieves, assassins, and other refugees of the medieval period's brutal class system in the outlaw camps that lay in the Alban Hills near Lake Nemi. There she became known as La Bella Pelegrina, meaning, "The Beautiful Pilgrimess". It is believed that, per the instructions given to the goddess Aradia by her mother Diana in the Vangelo de la Streghe before being sent to Earth, she instructed the thieves and evil-folk on how to curse and destroy the "evil race (of oppressors)", referring unambiguously to the Christian clergy, the wealthy peasants, the lawmen, and the nobility; specifically, she taught them how to use witchcraft to ruin the crops of the wealthy and to cause death (via poisoning and other methods) in the rich and oppressive. She was likewise instructed by Diana, and presumably so instructed her pupils:

Related Topics:
Alban Hills - Lake Nemi

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:"And when a priest shall do you injury by his benedictions, ye shall do to him double the harm, and do it in the name of me, Diana, Queen of witches all! And when the priests or the nobility shall say to you that you should put your faith in the Father, Son, and Mary, then reply: 'Your God, the Father, and Maria are three devils.... For the true God the Father is not yours; for I have come to sweep away the bad, the men of evil, all will I destroy! Ye who are poor suffer with hunger keen, and toll in wretchedness, and suffer too full oft imprisonment; yet with it all ye have a soul, and for your sufferings ye shall be happy in the other world, but ill the fate of all who do ye wrong!'" (The Gospel of the Witches, Chapter I)

Related Topics:
Three devils - The true God the Father

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Later, in the year 1508 CE, the Italian Inquisitor Bernardo Rategno, having studied the records of witch trials in the Inquisition at Como, wrote in a report entitled Tractatus de Strigibus, that a "witches' sect" (secta strigarium) had begun expanding about 150 years earlier, placing the origin of this expansion squarely within the lifetime of Aradia de Toscano. Rategno likewise concluded that this secta strigarium was distinct from the secret society of Diana-worshippers assumed by the church to have existed centuries beforehand. This work would not be published until 1566 CE, along with his De Strigiis in Lucerna Inquisitorum (written in 1510 CE). Both works were in most respects unremarkable, and like others of Rategno's time included the usual descriptions of the Witches' Sabbat, pacts with Satan or Lucifer (whom Christians regard as one in the same), and worship of Diana.

Related Topics:
1508 - Inquisitor - Witch trials - Inquisition - 1566 - 1510 - Witches' Sabbat - Satan

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The ultimate fate of Aradia de Toscano is unknown, however the story of her secta strigarium had only begun.

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The "Witch Wars"

To be written

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