Why JUST the New Forest Coven?

Question

Why did Gardner have to find the Old Relgion from them? Woudln't there be a ton of covens around England that would be doing the same thing? There are now.

What ever happened to New Forest Coven? Do they still continue to practice as a coven? Is the whole of "Wicca" based of the practices of the particular coven? If so...why is it so special compared to other covens?

Answer 1

Read "Triumph of the Moon - A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft" by Ronald Hutton. It is a long hard/dry read but it is an excellent historical reference to where modern Wicca came from. Hutton is a history professor at Bristol University and spent many years compiling the information; New Forest Coven and Gerald Gardner are also covered very thoroughly. I require this book for my advanced students and recommend it for anyone who wants a deeper look at the evolution of modern Witchcraft. ~Rev. Khimaera

Answer 2

Oh my goodness, the first answerer should have posted an educated answer or just not answered at all. It has NOTHING to do with "demonic powers"; magick (with a "K", I might add; "magic" is an illusion like what Criss Angel does) is like praying; we cast our intentions into the universe -- but we usually incorporate elements of the Earth: herbs, spring water, flowers, etc depending upon the purpose of the spell. And most of us refuse to "control people", as we do not wish to take away free-will of others.

Gardner claimed to have been trained in the New Forest Coven...maybe he did, maybe he didn't. It's kind of a status symbol (sine it is reportedly very old), like claiming that you are a hereditary Witch (from a long line). Gardner came up with his brand of neo-Paganism and taught it to others. Not everyone follows the same practices, nor is everyone in a coven (many are solitaries). I was coven-trained in a Celtic Traditional Ceremonial coven, which, as best it can, tries to abide by the Old Religion of Witchcraft as opposed to the newer Wicca. (Although the Celts didn't have a written word, so most was passed down orally, some was lost entirely, MUCH was destroyed in the Burning Times along with many innocent people who were tortured, hung, burned and drowned).

Answer 3

First, there's no evidence that the "Old Religion" ever existed.

Second, there's very little evidence that the New Forest Coven ever existed, although there may have been a magical group working in the New Forest area at the time that Gardner was familiar with. This group may have given him some ideas, but they still weren't passing down ancient knowledge.

Third, Gardner never claimed that the New Forest Coven was the only surviving coven. It was just the only one he knew. When other people started claiming that they were also trained in the Old Religion, Gardner accepted their claims at face value. He NEVER said "You weren't with the New Forest Coven, so you can't possibly be legit."

Gardner is the one who popularized the idea of people currently practicing a ancient witch-cult. He was the main face man for it, so it's his supposed coven that we most often hear about.

Answer 4

Speaking as a Wiccan I find several flaws with your view, mostly because the post WWI-New Forest Witchcraft movement isn't Wicca.

Answer 5

Wicca is just another name for witchcraft - which is the practice of magic. Magic attempts to control nature &/or people by using demonic powers.