The Cimaruta: And Other Magical Charms From Old Italy

by Raven Grimassi

The herb know as rue has been associated with magic and protection since ancient Roman times, if not longer. This plant was later fashioned into a charm, which is known today as the cimaruta . Decades of research and investigation now bring forth the most thorough and complete work ever published on the Cimaruta charm.

Author and scholar Raven Grimassi shares the old lore of Italy along with his personal insights about about rue and the cimaruta charm. Mr. Grimassi includes an exploration of the cimaruta charm in both folk magic and witchcraft traditions. Each of the symbols appearing on the cimaruta are examined and their meanings revealed.

This modern work is sure to delight anyone interested in Old World lore, legend, and magic.

Genres: Witchcraft, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2012

About the author

Raven Grimassi was an American author of over 20 books, and a scholar of paganism with over 40 years of research and study in the genre of Wicca, Stregheria, witchcraft and neo-paganism.

Reviews

[Kendall Grey]

While this book included interesting information about cimarutas and their symbolism, it could’ve been half as long. Literally half of the book was a chapter from someone else’s book, and the content of that chapter was only loosely related to the topic of cimarutas and other Italian charms and symbols. There was a lot of repetition and many typos too. More relevant and targeted content would’ve resulted in fewer pages and less wasted time—that, or a title that referenced Italian superstition alongside cimarutas might’ve made the second half more appealing.

[Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very excited to read this, because I have always been fascinated by the cimaruta and folk charms and symbolism in general, but I was extremely disappointed by Grimassi's lack of scholarship in this book. Grimassi provides zero primary sources and seems to only give references to support his statements when it suits him -- which is very occasionally. If you have a fairly basic understanding of pre-Christian symbols and Roman mythology and folklore, you don't need Grimassi to connect the dots for you. Not worth the $13 I spent on the book.

[Tiffany H · Rating 2 out of 5]

I purchased this book when I first moved to Italy because I wanted to learn more about Italian talismans; however, the more I read this, the more I realize it's not Italian. I originally asked my Italian instructor if she had a cimaruta; she did not even know what it was. This reaction became a reoccurring theme as I asked neighbors and my physical therapist. I had to show them a picture of the book and still received different variations of "I've never heard of it but I'll look into it."

As I began reading Grimassi's book, I quickly realized why. While this talisman is originally from ancient Italy, it is no longer used here. Now the Corno and other items have replaced it. The cimaruta is more of an American neopagan item now. 'The Cimaruta and Other Magical Charms from Old Italy' is touted as being one of the most in-depth books about the cimaruta; however, most of the information needs to be Scholastic or peer-reviewed. Most of the data used in this book is from old transcripts in the 1800s by English settlers, not from actual Italians. It took a lot of work to track down information about many images and things he claimed. Since I live in Italy, I journeyed to Bologna to the museum to look at the Etruscan cimaruta that Raven Grimassi claims is there, only to find they had no record of it.

While I was greatly impressed with Raven Grimassi finding the information on the cimaruta, I was expecting much better from a book with these kinds of claims. Researching more about the author, Raven Grimassi, I pieced together that while he wrote many books and articles about Italian stregheria, he never actually visited Italy or spoke with actual Italians. His mother was from Campagna, Italy, but he was raised in California, and his limited Italian views were shaped by that of Italian Americans.

If you are interested in the cimaruta, I cannot recommend this book; however, do a quick Google and read the Wikipedia articles. I assure you you will get the same information and save yourself the money.