Britain's rich and varied folklore, legends and beliefs provide an insight into the island's history. Every invader, refugee or settler has helped contribute some new element or twist to the complex pattern of our national heritage. This volume provides a comprehensive companion to legends and customs in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Every good reference book is both a product and a reflection of its time. The Dictionary of Magic & Mystery is not just another compendium or dictionary of occultism: it is a jumping-off point for further research. Here, the reader will find the ancient and modern interpretation for magical and mystical terms, together with explanations for the differences between the varied (and often conflicting) approaches to magic.
Why are some rocks simply tossed out of the way, while others, regardless of their size, are held as sacred, mysterious and imbued with power? Humans since the dawn of civilization have used stone to represent the holy, both by fashioning sacred symbols for themselves and by granting recognition to certain sites occurring naturally. Varner shares his love of nature lore, oral traditions, folklore and ancient religious structures that are still so abundant in the world, and offers insights on the history and the technology of these artifacts, while touching on the importance of preserving a sense of reverence in today's world. This study examines the universal appeal of sites from the Dome of the Rock and Stonehenge to sites sacred to the Inuit and the Cherokees, from the Middle East to the American Midwest and the English Midlands. Philosopher-historian Mircea Eliade wrote, "a rock reveals itself to be sacred because its very existence is a hierophany: incompressible, invulnerable, it is that which man is not. It resists time; its reality is coupled with perenniality." The properties of stone were recognized as unique early in humankind's rise to civilization. Even when cultures were transitioning their technologies from stone to metal, it was stone that was used for ritual and other important acts. Early 20th-century Egyptologist Wallis Budge wrote, "in a tomb of the VIth Dynasty at Sakkrah, when the Egyptians had a good knowledge of working in metals, we see in a painting on the wall the act of circumcision being performed on a youth by an operator who uses a flint knife." Little do the keepers of worry stones today realize that they are practicing one of the ancient traditions of transferring their problems to an inanimate object. This volume looks at customs and traditions from around the world, from the curious to the profound, related to stones large and small, from prehistory to today.
The term 'power animal' was introduced into contemporary language in 1980 by anthropologist Michael Harner in his classic work The Way Of The Shaman, and refers to a broad-based animistic and shamanic concept that has entered the English language from the fields of anthropology, ethnography and sociology. The animal is conceived as a tutelary spirit that helps or protects individuals, lineages, and nations. Dogs and man became companions a long time ago, and the dog adopted as a power animal represents speed, agility, courage, protection, justice, nobility and loyalty. Aubry's Dog: Power Animals Within Traditional Witchcraft guides your footsteps on this most ancient of paths ... ,
This book seeks to address the journeying context of pilgrimage within the landscapes of Medieval Britain. Using four case studies, an interdisciplinary methodology developed by the author is applied to four different geographical and cultural areas of Britain to investigate the practicalities of travel along the Medieval road network.
“[A] fusion of science, social, and medical history . . . fascinating . . . the understanding of and responses to cholera are covered in detail and with sensitivity” —The Victorian Web Discover the story of the disease that devastated the Victorian population, and brought about major changes in sanitation. Drawing on the latest scientific research and a wealth of archival material, Amanda J. Thomas uses first-hand accounts, blending personal stories with an overview of the history of the disease and its devastating after-effects on British society. This fascinating history of a catastrophic disease uncovers forgotten stories from each of the major cholera outbreaks in 1831–2, 1848–9, 1853–4 and 1866. Amanda J. Thomas reveals that Victorian theories about the disease were often closer to the truth than we might assume, among them the belief that cholera was spread by miasma, or foul air. “The book acts as a complete overview of cholera in Victorian Britain, taking a new, accessible approach to a topic previously covered predominately by academic researchers.” —Harpenden History
Of all Britain's great archaeological monuments the Iron Age hillforts have arguably had the most profound impact on the landscape, if only because there are so many; yet we know very little about them. Were they recognised as being something special by those who created them or is the 'hillfort' purely an archaeologists' 'construct'? How were they constructed, who lived in them and to what uses were they put? This book, which is richly illustrated with photography of sites throughout England and Wales, addresses these and many other questions. After discussing the difficult issue of definition and the great excavations on which our knowledge is based, Ian Brown investigates in turn hillforts' origins, their architecture, and the role they played in Iron Age society. He also discusses the latest theories about their location, social significance and chronology. The book provides a valuable synthesis of the rich vein of research carried out in Britain on hillforts over the last thirty years. Hillforts' great variability poses many problems, and this book should help guide both the specialist and non-specialist alike though the complex literature. Furthermore, it has an important conservation objective. Land use in the modern era has not been kind to these monuments, with a significant number either disfigured or lost. Public consciousness of their importance needs raising if their management is to be improved and their future assured.
In this world tour of folklore and ancient art, Varner examines the images we give to the spirit of nature and explores this important aspect of human perception.
