Aradia, or The Gospel of the Witches
by Charles Godfrey Leland
Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, first published in 1899, claimed to reveal an underground tradition of Italian witchcraft centred on the goddess Diana and her daughter Aradia. Aradia had a significant impact on the formation of modern witchcraft, shaping pagan practices and ideas throughout the 20th century and into the present day. The book presents a blend of myth, incantation, and instruction, centered on the figure of Aradia, a messianic witch said to be the daughter of the goddess Diana and the god Lucifer. As a spiritual rebel and teacher, Aradia is sent to earth to instruct the oppressed in the ways of witchcraft—offering both magical tools and a framework of resistance against religious and social tyranny. The text includes spells, rituals, invocations, and charms, often rooted in folk traditions but woven together with Leland’s own interpretive flair.
While Aradia’s influence on key figures such as Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente is well documented, it also served as a direct source of inspiration for a notable moment within the mythos of Alex and Maxine Sanders’ Alexandrian witchcraft. In more recent years, a variety of regionally-specific folklore movements have emerged, many of which draw upon Aradia in new and imaginative ways. Notably, some Italian practitioners have begun to engage with the text as a foundation for developing contemporary spiritual practices, reinterpreting its themes within the context of their own cultural and magical traditions.
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Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter I
How Diana Gave Birth to Aradia (Herodias)
Chapter II
The Sabbat: Treguenda or Witch-Meeting
Chapter III
How Diana Made the Stars and the Rain
Chapter IV
The Charm of the Stones Consecrated to Diana
Chapter V
The Conjuration of the Lemon and Pins
Chapter VI
A Spell to Win Love
Chapter VII
To Find or Buy Anything, or To Have Good Fortune Thereby
Chapter VIII
To Have a Good Vintage and Very Good Wine by the Aid of Diana
Chapter IX
Tana and Endamone, or Diana and Endymion
Chapter X
Madonna Diana
Chapter XI
The House of the Wind
Chapter XII
Tana, the Moon-Goddess
Chapter XIII
Diana and the Children
Chapter XIV
The Goblin Messengers of Diana and Mercury
Chapter XV
Laverna
Appendix
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Hardcover Edition
159 pages. Hardcover bound in amaranth Fedrigoni Imitlin, with gilding to the front cover and spine. Pale yellow endpapers. Printed on wood-free, age-resistant paper. Sewn book block and black headbands.
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Press, reviews, endorsements
Book Review by Foolish Fish - watch on YouTube here
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About the Author
The late Charles Godfrey Leland (1824–1903) was an American folklorist and writer with a strong interest in Italian folk traditions and esotericism. Educated in the U.S. and Europe, he devoted much of his life to collecting folklore. His most famous and controversial work, Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches (1899), claimed to reveal an underground tradition of Italian witchcraft centred on the goddess Diana and her daughter Aradia.
