Wiccan Ciphers: A Literary Fertility Religion in 1894 America

By Trudy Last

Wiccan Ciphers provides a literary analysis of the religious symbolism in Alta Isadore Gould's story-length poem "The Veteran's Bride." First published in Michigan in 1894, the significance of Gould's sentimental narrative resides in its very existence. Predating the introduction of Gardnerian Wicca in the United States, "The Veteran's Bride" reveals a rare and unexpected underlying nineteenth-century fertility religion that strongly resembles Wicca as practiced in America. This finding calls into question contemporary assumptions crediting Gerald Gardner with the establishment of Wicca.

A second chapter discusses Gould's "Allan Worth," a Female Warrior ballad, which builds upon Gould's exploration in "The Veteran's Bride" of a goddess cult and the notion of androgyny as a pathway to peace.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FL176VYC
• ISBN13: 9798296318367
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 146 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.3" x 8.0"