The Sorcerer

It has been stated that this cave painting (in the Les Trois Frères cave system), dating from about 13,000 B.C.E.,  in Ariege, France, showing a strange being with human feet and hands and antlers, is a Stone Age psychiatrist or witch doctor (Darton, 1999), but this identification has been made with no clear rationale, especially given that shamans from different cultures tended to adopt animal dress when performing their rituals (Kelly, 2009; Pratt, 2007; Stutley, 2003; Walter & Fridman, 2004). Others (Murray, 1970) believe that the painting is merely a very early representation of the “horned god” of Wiccan belief (Guiley, 2008). In England, at Star Carr, a head-dress almost identical to that worn by the “psychiatrist”, has been found near a lake (Smart, 1998). This was found to have holes drilled in it for the placing of bindings that would keep the head-dress in place.

The Sorcerer

References:

Darton, K. (1999). Notes on the history of mental health care. Mind: London, England. Retrieved from http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/Factsheets/History+of+mental+health/Notes+on+the+History+of+Mental+Health+Care.htm

Guiley, R.E. (2008). The encyclopedia of witches, witchcraft and Wicca. (3^rd edition). New York, NY: Facts on File Inc.

Kelly, K. (2009). The history of medicine: Early civilizations prehistoric times to 500 C.E. New York, NY: Facts on File Inc.

Murray, M.A. (1970). The god of the witches. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

Pratt, C. (2007). An encyclopedia of shamanism. New York, NY: Rosen Publishing Group Inc.

Smart, N. (1998). The world’s religions. (2^nd edition). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Stutley, M. (2003). Shamanism: An introduction. London, England: Routledge.

Walter, M.N., & Fridman, E.J.N. (Eds.) (2004). Shamanism: An encyclopedia of world beliefs, practices and culture. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio.