Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling (1891) by Charles Godfrey Leland is a fascinating ethnographic study of Romani magical practices, blending firsthand accounts with folklore and comparative mythology. Leland, an American folklorist and devoted student of European witchcraft, documents spells, charms, and divination methods collected from Gypsy (Romany) communities in 19th-century England and Eastern Europe.
The book delves into:
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Romani hexes (love spells, curses, and protective amulets).
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Dream interpretation and tea-leaf reading traditions.
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Parallels between Gypsy magic and ancient Etruscan rites, a theme Leland later expanded in Etruscan Roman Remains.
Though dated in its colonialist lens, the text preserves vanishing oral traditions and influenced Wicca and modern neo-paganism.
A must-read for scholars of folk magic or fans of Leland’s Aradia.
