I'm not an academic, really, so not a great
source for advice. 

But only recently I stumbled over the story of
St. James (San Diego/Santiago) and his vision in
Zaragoza. He saw what might be the first
apparition of the Virgin Mary (she was still
alive at the time) standing on a pillar in
Zaragoza. He built the first church dedicated to
the Virgin Mary on the very spot (so the legend
goes). That's on the other side of Spain from
where his remains are buried in Galicia, but at
least one of the traditional pilgrimage routes
runs between Zaragoza and Compostela, if tour
guides are to be believed: 

http://www.circatours.com/Tours-Heritage-Culture-Spain/Santiago-Compostela.htm

I'm positive there's a wealth of research about
the cultural significance of the pilgrimage to
Compostela, and I'm equally positive there's an
awful lot written about pagan/indigenous
correspondences with the cult of the Virgin Mary-
appropriation, adaptation, syncretism. 

I suppose there'd be something to be done linking
the two things together. And highways make a
lovely organizing principle.

--- John Bishop <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi Pitch:
>   Thanks so much for your comments.  It's
> really got me thinking.  I've
> already spoken with my advisor about limiting
> the research to a particular
> set of dates, and he is very supportive, but
> concerned about my not having
> more resources to call upon, and my living on
> the other side of the planet.
> Quite a practical guy, actually.  I'm smitten
> with the topic though, and I'm
> so happy that everyone has suggested that I
> stick with it.  That's what I
> was hoping to hear.
>   As far as the mythology... yes, so far in my
> research, I think there is a
> definite difference between Catholicism and the
> mythology of witchcraft in
> Galicia.  It seems to be different from the
> Basque region as well.  I'm
> suspicious that there was quite a lot of
> Gnosticism in the region due to the
> huge support for Priscillian, and that basic
> dualism that sees God as the
> creator of the soul, but the devil as the
> creator of the world.  The Church
> then becomes the intermediary to God... and the
> witch to the things of the
> world.  I found the same sort of thing when I
> lived in Romania.  That
> combined with strong legends of the Meigas, who
> were supernatural magical
> creatures, thought to be the descendants of the
> Druids, from whom many
> magical practitioners get their power.  It's
> all still a bit confused, but
> there seems to be so much there to study... and
> there seems to be so little
> written.  I've found an anthropologist who
> wrote on the region, Tolosana,
> and I'm hoping his books and bibliographies
> will give me enough to carry
> on.  I'm also writing blind emails to academics
> in Santiago de Compostela...
> who may think I'm mad.
> Anyway, I'm not giving up... I'm having way too
> much fun.
>   Thanks for the encouragement.
> 
> John
> 
> On Jan 22, 2008 6:31 AM, kaligrafr
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> > Aloha,
> >
> > John Bishop wrote:
> > > I've done some preliminary research on
> witchcraft in Galicia in Northern
> > > Spain for a proposed Masters in Religious
> Studies, and I've fallen in
> > love
> > > with the topic.
> > All in all, it's probably better do your work
> on something that you feel
> > passionate about,
> > rather than settle for for a topic that is
> defined by what can be done
> > within the limits
> > of the school/department.
> > >
> > > The problem I'm hitting is that there seems
> to be loads of materials out
> > > there on witch hunts/Inquisition/trials,
> but the Inquisition was rather
> > > quiet in Galicia.
> > >
> > Maybe the thing to look at is what was going
> on in Galicia, not what was
> > going on in
> > other parts of Spain, but not Galicia. And I
> suspect that you are going
> > to have to choose
> > a period of years and/or location.
> >
> > > I'm most interested in the angle of
> comparative mythology...
> > Does a mythology exist in Galicia distinct
> from Catholicism? I know that
> > the Basques
> > have a mythology that is distinct. It appears
> to have influenced notions
> > of Basque
> > witchcraft. (And Neo-Pagan Craft.) Did
> something like this happen in
> > Galicia?
> >
> > In addition to Kaballah, Galicia has
> supported a major pilgrimage center
> > and route
> > for centuries. Could it be, I wonder, that
> the bishops and
> > administrators of this
> > pilgrimage enterprise somehow held off the
> Inquistion? (I don't have
> > much interest
> > in the history of the Inquisition, but I get
> that the Church was/is an
> > intensely political
> > organization. And there appears to be
> contention between the Pope and
> > the Spanish
> > throne, too.)
> >
> > In any case, good luck with your project! ;-p
> >
> > Musing All Power To The World Thesis! Rose,
> >
> > Pitch
> >
> 


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