The Rise of Mahāsena
The Rise of Mahāsena

Author: Richard D. Mann

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2011-12-07

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 9004218866

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This book studies the early development of Skanda-Kārttikeya’s Hindu cult from its earliest textual and material sources to the end of the Gupta Empire in the north of India. The text argues that Skanda’s early ‘popular’ cult is found in Graha and Mātṛ traditions oriented towards appeasing potentially dangerous spirits. Once propitiated, however, Skanda and his Grahas/ Mātṛs could become fierce protectors of their followers. During the Kuṣāṇa and Gupta empires, this tradition gains the attention of rulers, who transform the deity’s protective cult into one focused on the ruler’s military prowess and right to rule. Once detached from his former popular traditions the deity’s cult begins to falter in the north as it becomes increasingly focused on elite agendas.

Monsters and Monarchs
Monsters and Monarchs

Author: Debbie Felton

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2021-07-27

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 1477323066

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Jack the Ripper. Jeffrey Dahmer. John Wayne Gacy. Locusta of Gaul. If that last name doesn’t seem to fit with the others, it’s likely because our modern society largely believes that serial killers are a recent phenomenon. Not so, argues Debbie Felton—in fact, there’s ample evidence to show that serial killers stalked the ancient world just as they do the modern one. Felton brings this evidence to light in Monsters and Monarchs, and in doing so, forces us to rethink the assumption that serial killers arise from problems unique to modern society. Exploring a trove of stories from classical antiquity, she uncovers mythological monsters and human criminals that fit many serial killer profiles: the highway killers confronted by the Greek hero Theseus, such as Procrustes, who tortured and mutilated their victims; the Sphinx, or “strangler,” from the story of Oedipus; child-killing demons and witches, which could explain abnormal infant deaths; and historical figures such as Locusta of Gaul, the most notorious poisoner in the early Roman Empire. Redefining our understanding of serial killers and their origins, Monsters and Monarchs changes how we view both ancient Greek and Roman society and the modern-day killers whose stories still captivate the public today.

Legends, Monsters, or Serial Murderers?
Legends, Monsters, or Serial Murderers?

Author: Dirk C. Gibson

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2012-02-14

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13:

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Covering figures ranging from Catherine Monvoisin to Vlad the Impaler, and describing murders committed in ancient aristocracies to those attributed to vampires, witches, and werewolves, this book documents the historic reality of serial murder. The majority of serial murder studies support the consensus that serial murder is essentially an American crime—a flawed assumption, as the United States has existed for less than 250 years. What is far more likely is that the perverse urge to repeatedly and intentionally kill has existed throughout human history, and that a substantial percentage of serial murders throughout ancient times, the middle ages, and the pre-modern era were attributed to imaginative surrogate explanations: dragons, demons, vampires, werewolves, and witches. Legends, Monsters, or Serial Murderers? The Real Story Behind an Ancient Crime dispels the interrelated misconceptions that serial murder is an American crime and a relatively recent phenomenon, making the novel argument that serial murder is a historic reality—an unrecognized fact in ancient times. Noted serial murderers such as the Roman Locuta (The Poisoner); Gilles De Rais of France, a prolific serial killer of children; Andres Bichel of Bavaria; and Chinese aristocratic serial killer T'zu-Hsi are spotlighted. This book provides a unique perspective that integrates supernatural interpretations of serial killing with the history of true crime, reanimating mythic entities of horror stories and presenting them as real criminals.

A Brief History of Seven Killings
A Brief History of Seven Killings

Author: Marlon James

Publisher: Riverhead Books

Published: 2015-09-08

Total Pages: 706

ISBN-13: 1594633940

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A tale inspired by the 1976 attempted assassination of Bob Marley spans decades and continents to explore the experiences of journalists, drug dealers, killers, and ghosts against a backdrop of social and political turmoil.

Rise of the Grey Prince
Rise of the Grey Prince

Author: Arka Chakrabarti

Publisher: Sristhi Publishers & Distributors

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 9382665315

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That cursed night at Nisarga had revealed the true reason behind his father's sacrifice and his own dark past. Each revelation now draws Agni into the sublime world of secrets. With Vrish and Guru Sidak by his side, fighting the daggers from the past and winning over the opponents of the present, somewhere deep down, he knows that his journey has just begun. The other scarred prince walks the ashes of his reality. Haunted by the glimpses of truth the same night, Yani had but one choice – to survive. His unknowing steps, trapped in cruel games of ancient powers had led him to a truth, a truth which shall mould a good man in the clay of misfortune, hate and lust. Such is the world of Gaya, and thus shall be the Rise of the Grey Prince – the one torn between the darkness of evil and a lone ray of hope.

The fall and rise of the English upper class
The fall and rise of the English upper class

Author: Daniel R. Smith

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2023-04-18

Total Pages: 145

ISBN-13: 1526157004

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The fall and rise of the English upper class explores the role traditionalist worldviews, articulated by members of the historic upper-class, have played in British society in the shadow of her imperial and economic decline in the twentieth century. Situating these traditionalist visions alongside Britain’s post-Brexit fantasies of global economic resurgence and a socio-cultural return to a green and pleasant land, Smith examines Britain’s Establishment institutions, the estates of her landed gentry and aristocracy, through to an appetite for nostalgic products represented with pastoral or pre-modern symbolism. It is demonstrated that these institutions and pursuits play a central role in situating social, cultural and political belonging. Crucially these institutions and pursuits rely upon a form of membership which is grounded in a kinship idiom centred upon inheritance and descent: who inherits the houses of privilege, inherits England.

The Most Infamous Serial Killers in History
The Most Infamous Serial Killers in History

Author: Will Bennett

Publisher: William G.M

Published: 2024-08-31

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13:

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The Most Infamous Serial Killers in History takes you on a chilling journey into the lives of the world's most notorious murderers. This comprehensive book explores the darkest aspects of human nature, detailing the harrowing stories of serial killers who have left an indelible mark on history. From their early lives to their descent into violence, each chapter uncovers the twisted paths that led these individuals to commit some of the most shocking crimes ever recorded. Through meticulous research and gripping storytelling, this book not only recounts the horrifying details of their crimes but also examines the broader impact these killers have had on society, law enforcement, and popular culture. You'll discover how their actions have influenced modern forensic science, criminal profiling, and our understanding of the human psyche. In addition to exploring the killers themselves, The Most Infamous Serial Killers in History also delves into the modern approaches being used to prevent the emergence of future offenders. By focusing on early intervention, mental health support, and advancements in law enforcement, this book offers insights into how we can work to stop the next generation of serial killers before they strike. While the stories of these killers are undeniably dark, this book also emphasizes the importance of remembering the victims. Their lives and stories are honored with dignity and respect, ensuring that they are not overshadowed by the infamy of those who took them. For true crime enthusiasts, historians, and anyone fascinated by the complexities of the human mind, The Most Infamous Serial Killers in History is a compelling and thought-provoking read that offers both a deep dive into the minds of serial killers and a reflection on the societal impact of their crimes.

Badda Moon Rising
Badda Moon Rising

Author: Ian Jarvis

Publisher: Andrews UK Limited

Published: 2020-09-01

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 1787056120

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A modern-day Sherlock Holmes, Bernie Quist operates as a consultant detective from Baker Avenue in York. His assistant is Watson, although this Watson is a streetwise youth from the Grimpen housing estate and he's definitely no doctor. The mismatched duo take on bizarre cases which invariably lead into the realms of the supernatural, a shadowy world that, thanks to his dark secret, Quist is all too familiar with. A new exhibition is on display in the York Museum highlighting the infamous Badda sect and an obscure period in local history. Hidden away in North Africa's Atlas Mountains, this secretive cult performed mystical rites and sacrifices to their god, a sinister deity in the form of a huge wolf. Two-thousand years ago, the Romans brought this clandestine religion to Yorkshire, but sickened by their obscene practises, the Emperor Hadrian crushed the sect before it could become established. Quist and Watson suspect the exhibition is connected to the grisly murders which are currently baffling the York police. It can't be a coincidence that these magical artefacts arrived in time for a unique date at the full moon, and how is the glib clairvoyant Kyle Tarot involved in this? The detective’s terrified assistant soon wishes the Roman Emperor had been a little more thorough in his effort to stamp out the Badda cult. A dark and very peculiar game is afoot…

Sons of Cain
Sons of Cain

Author: Peter Vronsky

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2018-08-14

Total Pages: 434

ISBN-13: 0698176146

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From the author of Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters comes an in-depth examination of sexual serial killers throughout human history, how they evolved, and why we are drawn to their horrifying crimes. Before the term was coined in 1981, there were no "serial killers." There were only "monsters"--killers society first understood as werewolves, vampires, ghouls and witches or, later, Hitchcockian psychos. In Sons of Cain--a book that fills the gap between dry academic studies and sensationalized true crime--investigative historian Peter Vronsky examines our understanding of serial killing from its prehistoric anthropological evolutionary dimensions in the pre-civilization era (c. 15,000 BC) to today. Delving further back into human history and deeper into the human psyche than Serial Killers--Vronsky's 2004 book, which has been called the definitive history of serial murder--he focuses strictly on sexual serial killers: thrill killers who engage in murder, rape, torture, cannibalism and necrophilia, as opposed to for-profit serial killers, including hit men, or "political" serial killers, like terrorists or genocidal murderers. These sexual serial killers differ from all other serial killers in their motives and their foundations. They are uniquely human and--as popular culture has demonstrated--uniquely fascinating.

Killer High
Killer High

Author: Peter Andreas

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 0190463015

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Introduction: How drugs made war and war made drugs -- Drunk on the front -- Where there's smoke there's war -- Caffeinated conflict -- Opium, empire, and Geopolitics -- Speed warfare -- Cocaine wars -- Conclusion: The drugged battlefields of the 21st century .