Doreen Valiente
Doreen Valiente (
1922 -
1999) was a member of an early
Wicca coven, led by
Gerald Gardner.
Born Doreen Dominy, the daughter of Christian parents, the young Doreen was convinced from an early age that she possessed the power to use
magic. Valiente was the name of Doreen's second husband.
Shortly after Gardner made public his claims to have been initiated into a surviving
witch cult, he was joined by Valiente in 1952, who collaborated with him in the creation of rituals . Valiente became Gardner's High Priestess in 1953 and wrote a number of poems for the use of Wiccans, including a rewritten version of
Charge of the Goddess and also helped formulate the
Wiccan Rede.
Guiley 348] However Gardner's increasing desire for publicity caused conflict with Valiente. When she attempted to control him he suddenly produced the [[Wiccan Laws in 1957 which she could not accept, breaking from Gardner to create her own coven and eventually joining
Robert Cochrane (witch)'s coven after Gardner's death. [Valiente 1989]
In the seventies she published a series of books and gradually became one of the most well respected and influential leaders of
Wicca meriting an entry in the
Dictionary of National Biography. She was active in her promotion of modern witchcraft and
neo-paganism, being particularly keen to emphasise that the movement was not related to
satanism, but did not seek publicity for its own sake. She was a notable figure in supporting the development of the
Pagan Federation. Faced with challenges from sceptics Valiente attempted, with some success, to provide evidence for Gardner's claims concerning his initiation, notably by identifying
Dorothy Clutterbuck in
1980, the old witch who was supposed to have performed the initiation in an essay published in
Eight Sabbats for Witches by
Janet and
Stewart Farrar.
Dr
Leo Ruickbie examines her life and contribution to Wicca in his
Witchcraft Out of the Shadows. According to Dr Ruickbie, Valiente was the 'Mother of Modern Witchcraft', playing a crucial role in re-writing much of Gardner's original ritual material an assessment supported by
Ronald Hutton.
*1973:
An ABC of Witchcraft*1975:
Natural Magic*1978:
Witchcraft for Tomorrow*1989:
The Rebirth of Witchcraft*Rosemary Ellen Guiley, The Encylopedia of Witches and Witchcraft. 1999.
*Ruickbie, Leo,
Witchcraft Out of the Shadows. Robert Hale, 2004. ISBN 0709075677.
*
Doreen Valiente.com*
Doreen Valiente biography
