Hi! So My family is French and recently I’ve been getting into ancestry work and I was wondering if you could reccomend any books on French witchcraft/folk magick (preferably in english just cause I’m not fluent)
Well, I am not sure if I can give you any satisfying recommendations. First of all, there are no modern books on practical, traditional French witchcraft. Well, no satisfying ones anyway. I may not be correct, but I do believe that the great majority of books about practical witchcraft that are published in France are translations of English books, or just mere repetition of the same New Agey content. That does not mean, however, that there are no resources at all. In fact, many classical grimoires hail from France, such as the Grand Albert or the Poule Noire (in English, “The Black Pullet”). I know for a fact that there are many editions of these grimoires in English, therefore I think you may find them quite easily. Plus, these are really old books, so I’m guessing that you may find some free versions online. Some of the recipes are quite funky, but that’s why they’re oh so charming.
Aside from classical grimoires, I’m afraid I can’t recommend any book about French witchcraft or folk magic. This stems from the simple - yet frequently forgotten - fact that France, despite its relatively small area compared to the U.S., is a very diverse country. In fact, its territory contains an impressive amount of different climates and biomes, and its rich history makes it even more complex on a cultural standpoint. There are common themes and shared practices across the country of course, but you should absolutely take into account regional differences, especially since folk magic and traditional witchcraft are fundamently tied to bioregional aspects. Compare a picture of landscapes, flora and fauna of Brittany, Alsace and Languedoc, compare their languages, their architectures, and you will understand why there can’t be such a thing as “French folk magic” on a bioregional basis. Therefore, I’d recommend you do some research about where precisely in France your ancestors are from, in order to find some satisfying content about the folk practices of this particular region. Or you could just try and read about whatever region you may feel drawn to, especially if you have trouble finding reliable informations about the region your ancestors came from.
If you are looking for books that are less about practical rituals and spells and more about history, Claude Lecouteux is the way to go I think. I cannot vouch for the quality of his most recent works since I haven’t read them, but I absolutely recommend his older studies, especially the ones published in the 1990s. Lecouteux is a specialist of medieval German-speaking countries, which does include parts of nowadays France, but not the whole country. You will find that even when he’s not at his best, he still has pretty decent insights (and at his best, he is just too good to ignore). Maybe you can find some more recent articles on academic databases such as Jstor, Academia.edu or ResearchGate (or Sci-Hub if you can access it). More and more French scholars are taking an interest in witchcraft and folk magic, while publishing in English, so I think that it is worth a try.
Aside from witchcraft and folk magic, I feel like I must remind you that there were also many magicians and sorcerers in France, such as Papus (whose history with the Romanovy I find quite compelling, but I must be biased by my Russian heritage) and Éliphas Lévi. If you are even remotely interested in ceremonial magic, these may be insightful readings, but please be aware that these are authors from the 19th century, so you may find some politically incorrect elements in their works, not to mention some of the outdated stuff. Still, they are influential writters among the French magicians, and their works are sure to be found in English as well.
There is still an impressive amount of resources you can find in French though, so if you have time and motivation to learn French too, go ahead :p
That’s all I can give you for now, but I hope this will satisfy your thirst for some resources. Have fun working with your ancestors and I hope you will find what you are looking for.
If you have questions, my inbox is still open.
And if one of my fellow French witches wishes to add something to the table, please be my guest !
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