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« on: January 09, 2005, 09:47:26 PM »
Hi Onyx,
what Penny Dreadful says is right on the mark. In Christian folklore, Witchcraft ofen implied a pact with the Devil. It's interesting to note that one of the earliest documents actually banning non-Christian religious practices, a 9th century Papal bull, includes such acts as "worshipping" sacred springs, trees, standing stones, and other natural features; honoring the New and Full Moon; healing with the aid of herbs; and a lengthy list of other practices that are part of today's Wiccan practice, but seldom linked to the late Mediaeval and Renaissance iconography of "the Witch figure."
I think of Angelique as deriving her powers from Elemental sources--Fire, Air, Water, Earth, and herbs that contain potent combinations of these agents--but she often invokes the Devil "Prince of Fire," "Dark Lord," etc. in her incantations.
In the case of Count Petofi, his powers come from his Will. The 4 powers of the Mage were cited by Eliphas Levi, a 19th century mystic and magician, as "To Know, to Will, to Dare, and to keep silent."
It's also implied that Count Petofi has Elementals at his beck and call. There's a scene where he tells someone, maybe Lady Kitty, that his information "does not come from human sources."
I could ramble on and on about this topic, so I have tried to keep this short.
Hey, Penny, I'm going shopping in Salem late in January. Want to do a meet-up at the Front St. Cafe? *wink*
Gothick