Originally published in 1951, this collaboration of two accomplished translators resulted in the first English verse translation of a major work of German literature. Rather than a translation of the entire poem, in this volume the translators present key passages connected by prose summaries, and include an introduction giving an overview of the work and its historical and literary context.
The Classic Study of the Occult Reintroduced in a 50th Anniversary Edition The Black Arts is a fascinating and wonderfully readable exploration of the practice, theory, and underlying rationale of magick and occultism in all its branches, including witchcraft, spells, numerology, astrology, alchemy, kabbalah, tarot, charms, and summoning and control of spirits. This edition features a 50th anniversary introduction by historian of alternative spirituality Mitch Horowitz, who frames the book for a new generation of readers.
****Reprint of the classic first published in 1961 and cited in BCL3. Distributed by Angle Publishing Co. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
This "compendium of information on the occult sciences, occult personalities, psychic science, demonology, spiritism, and mysticism" was one of a kind when it was first published in 1920 and is still considered the best in its field today. Spence organizes a world's worth of magic -- from "Ab" (a magical month in the ancient Semitic calendar) to "Zulu witch-finders" -- into 2,500 dictionary-style entries that explore concepts and personalities both familiar (Freemasonry, Morgan le Fay) and obscure: palingenesy (a process by which plants or vegetables are destroyed and then "resurrected"), Leonora Galigai (a 17th-century Italian aristocrat who was burned as a witch). A delight for devotees of the weird and the strange, and a valuable resource for students of mythology and the evolution of scientific thought, this important volume is at home in the libraries of all book lovers. Scottish journalist and folklorist LEWIS SPENCE (1874 -1955) was a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, and Vice-President of the Scottish Anthropological and Folklore Society. He published more than 40 works on mythology and the occult, including History of Atlantis, An Introduction to Mythology, and Myth and Ritual in Dance, Game and Rhyme.
Wolfram von Eschenbach (fl. c. 1195-1225), best known as the author of Parzival, based Willehalm, his epic poem of military prowess and courtly love, on the style and subject matter of an Old French "chanson de geste." In it he tells of the love of Willehalm for Giburc, a Saracen woman converted to Christianity, and its consequences. Seeking revenge for the insult to their faith, her relatives initiate a religious war but are finally routed. Wolfram's description of the two battles of Alischanz, with their massive slaughter and loss of heroes, and of the exploits of Willehalm and the quasicomic Rennewart, well displays the violence and courtliness of the medieval knightly ideal. Wolfram flavors his brutal account, however, with tender scenes between the lovers, asides to his audience, sympathetic cameos of his characters--especially the women--and, most unusually for his time, a surprising tolerance for 'pagans'.
Few stories were as widely known during the Middle Ages as the account of Iwein and Laudine, which appeared in French, Welsh, English, Norse, Swedish, Danish, Icelandic, and two German variants. The older German version, that by the Swabian nobleman Hartmann von Aue, won instant popularity and became a model of form, style, and language for the many courtly epics which his countrymen composed up to the beginning of the modern period. In recent years, his Iwein has enjoyed a remarkable revival among medieval scholars as traditional interpretations have been challenged by new ones.
Gottfried von Strassburg's early 13th century retelling of the "Tristan and Iseult" legend is widely regarded as one of the most important works of the German Middle Ages. Left unfinished at the time of his death and subsequently finished by Heinrich von Freiberg and Ulrich von Türheim, Strassburg's "Tristan" is held out as one of the best examples of the "common", as opposed to the "courtly", version of the tale. "Tristan" tells the tale of a young Cornish knight, Tristan, who is tasked with the mission of escorting his Uncle King Mark of Cornwall's wife to be, the Princess Iseult from Ireland. However during the journey, when the two ingest a love potion, their fortunes are sent unexpectedly in a different direction. The exact origin of this classic and tragic tale of chivalric romance is unknown and thus comes down to us from its numerous retellings, of which Strassburg's version stands apart in its excellence. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and follows the prose translation of Jessie L. Weston.
