Popular Magic: Cunning-folk in English History
10 best books like Popular Magic: Cunning-folk in English History (Owen Davies): Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions, The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries, The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween: Celebrating the Dark Half of the Year, Cunning-Folk and Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic, Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies: Shapeshifters and Astral Doubles in the Middle Ages, Gumbo Ya-Ya: A Collection of Louisiana Folk Tales, Pagan Celtic Britain, Magic in the Middle Ages, Celtic Heritage: Ancient Tradition in Ireland and Wales, Animism: Respecting the Living World
| Author | Hilda Roderick Ellis Davidson |
| ISBN | 0815624417 |
Most people know of Valhalla, the World-Tree and the gods of Norse mythology, or the strange hunts and voyages of the ancient Irish tales. Yet, few people realize the significance of the similarities and contrasts between the religions of the pre-Christian people of north-western Europe. The Celts...
| Author | W.Y. Evans-Wentz |
| ISBN | 1564147088 |
When I lived in a cabin in Big Sur, I holed up with a copy of Fairy-Faith. It awakened me to the reality of subtle beings indwelling the immense silence of the redwood forests.
Evans-Wenz, who was a friend of Yeats, takes a half-poetic, half-anthropological approach. The most exciting passages...
The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween: Celebrating the Dark Half of the Year
| Author | Jean Markale |
| ISBN | 0892819006 |
A comprehensive examination of the rituals and philosophies of the Celtic holiday of Samhain, the inspiration for Halloween.
• Presents the true meaning of this ancient holiday and shows how contemporary observances still faithfully reflect the rituals of pagan ancestors.
•...
| Author | Emma Wilby |
| ISBN | 1845190793 |
In the hundreds of confessions relating to witchcraft and sorcery trials from early modern Britain we frequently find detailed descriptions of intimate working relationships between popular magical practitioners and familiar spirits of either human or animal form. Until recently historians...
| Author | Claude Lecouteux |
| ISBN | 0892810963 |
Reveals the true nature of medieval belief in the Double of the Soul
• Demonstrates the survival of a pagan belief that each individual owns three souls, including a double that can journey outside the physical body
• Explains the nature of death and the Other World hidden beneath...
| Author | Lyle Saxon |
| ISBN | 0882896458 |
my feelings toward this anthology are as complex as my feelings toward the deep south.
upon reading it, there were various chapters that inspired feelings of a nostalgic homecoming -- the voices in the tales are rich and true and sing out history in tones that are completely unique...
| Author | Anne Ross |
| ISBN | 0897334353 |
Although some aspects of pre-Roman and pre-Christian beliefs remain shrouded in mystery, the author of this comprehensive, profusely illustrated volume contends that neither the Roman invasion of Britain nor the coming of Christianity eliminated pagan religious practice. Dr. Anne Ross writes...
| Author | Richard Kieckhefer |
| ISBN | 0521785766 |
How was magic practiced in medieval times? How did it relate to the diverse beliefs and practices that characterized this fascinating period? Richard Kieckhefer surveys the growth and development of magic in medieval times. He examines its relation to religion, science, philosophy, art, literature...
| Author | Alwyn Rees |
| ISBN | 0500270392 |
In this widely acclaimed study, Alwyn and Brinley Rees reinterpret Celtic tradition in the light of advances made in the comparative study of religion, mythology and anthropology. Part One considers the distinguishing features of the various Cycle of tales and the personages who figure most prominently...
How have human cultures engaged with and thought about animals, plants, rocks, clouds, and other elements in their natural surroundings? Do animals and other natural objects have a spirit or soul? What is their relationship to humans? In this new study, Graham Harvey explores current and past animistic...
| Author | Michael Harner |
| ISBN | 0195016491 |
This is a collection of ten anthropological studies that explore the use of hallucinogens in shamanism. Michael Harner serves as the book’s editor, and does a good job of including studies that provide different sets of information to the reader.
I think I first heard about this book from...
| Author | Prudence J. Jones |
| ISBN | 0415373336 |
With this second edition bringing the books completely up to date with analysis of recent work in the area, A History of Pagan Europe is the first comprehensive study of its kind, and establishes Paganism as a persistent force in European history with a profound influence on modern thinking.
From...
Taliesin: The Last Celtic Shaman
| Author | John Matthews |
| ISBN | 0892818697 |
A new translation of the poems of sixth-century Celtic bard and shaman Taliesin that reveals the mysteries of Druidic practices.- The first collection of Taliesin's major poetry with commentary by John Matthews, author of more than 40 books on the Celts.- Reveals Druidic prophecy, methods of divination,...
Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath
| Author | Carlo Ginzburg |
| ISBN | 0226296938 |
What we have tried to analyze here is not one narrative among many, but the matrix of all possible narratives.
So concludes this Triumph of the Weird. What a Borgesian proclamation! My head spins with the density and erudition displayed in this ethnohistory of an idea, the Sabbath. This was...
The Call of the Horned Piper
| Author | Nigel Jackson |
| ISBN | 1898307091 |
Call of the Horned Piper
Nigel Jackson, Capal Bann
April, 1994
This is one of the best books written on the ancient craft of British Traditional Witchcraft. It is perfect for beginners giving them the mythology, symbolism and apt explanations. The book does an excellent...
A Deed Without a Name: Unearthing the Legacy of Traditional Witchcraft
| Author | Lee Morgan |
| ISBN | 1780995490 |
The field of witchcraft studies is continually over-turning new information and research about traditional witchcraft practices and their meanings. A Deed Without a Name seeks to weave together some of this cutting-edge research with insider information and practical know-how. Utilising her...
| Author | Ronald Hutton |
| ISBN | 1847252109 |
Back when this book was being publicized just before it came out I was itching to get it. I even pre-ordered it, because I had read all of Ronald Hutton's books and I knew the kind of scholarly study that goes into them. I couldn't wait for the day it arrived and when it did, I dropped all the other books that...
A Brief History of the Druids
| Author | Peter Berresford Ellis |
| ISBN | 0786709871 |
Shrouded in legend, the mysterious cult of the ancient Druids continues to fascinate, inspiring latter-day imitators who often are only a poorly researched and romantic reflection of Druidic lore. In this compelling and readable history, respected Celtic scholar Peter Berresford Ellis explores...
Crone's Book of Charms & Spells
| Author | Valerie Worth |
| ISBN | 1567188117 |
Not a book for general reading, of course. I selected this book as a research source; to discover certain aspects of magic for a fantasy I’m currently writing. I try to approach such things with a mind as open as possible, in case prejudice should blind me to things I might otherwise miss.
I think...
