Introduction

In light of the structure of this book, one would expect a chapter on witchcraft to start with an account of Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina, or The Craft. However, what I want to do instead is compare and contrast two recent representations of paganism and neo-paganism in works of popular culture where witchcraft is not central.

I have already presented Sin City from Frank Miller in Chapter 3. For this chapter, I want to present another of his works (with Lynn Varley), called 300, also adapted for the big screen. There is a scene in which King Leonidas, the 480 BC Spartan King must convince the Ephors, priests to the old gods, to raise an army against the imminent invasion of the Persian King, Xerxes. To reach the temple, he has to travel away from the urban center of Sparta and climb a remote mountain. When he arrives at the temple, King Leonidas uses reason to convince the priests of the need to defend his country. The priests only want to trust the words of the Oracle, a young and beautiful woman who can predict the future when in a trance. In this instance, her message goes against the need to protect Sparta from the imminent invasion.