{"title":"Subcategory c 500 CE to c 1000 CE","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"at-the-borders-of-the-wondrous-and-magical-nature-spirits-shapeshifters-and-the-undead-in-the-never-ending-middle-ages","title":"At the Borders of the Wondrous and Magical : Nature Spirits, Shapeshifters, and the Undead in the Never-Ending Middle Ages","description":"\u003cp\u003eExplores how the haunted, magical world of medieval times still surrounds us• Examines the esoteric side of texts and tales from the Middle Ages, including the enduring presence of haunted areas and power places and the roles of witches, house spirits, rune priests, shapeshifters, and the undead• Discusses the dividing line between magic and deviltry, as well as the significance of grimoires, bells, blacksmiths, storm callers, and more• Serves as a guide to a still-present magical and imaginal realm, pointing readers to the borderlands and liminal thresholds that enable access to the other worldIn this new collection of his writings, scholar and Sorbonne professor Claude Lecouteux reveals that the magical world of the distant past is real and still very present-if you know where to look. Explaining how he makes the texts he studies reveal their hidden teachings, Lecouteux directly explores the esoteric side of medieval myths and tales, peeling back the Christian veneer to show the enduring presence of haunted areas and power places, witches, house spirits, rune carvers, vampires, shapeshifters, and the undead.In tales originating from Greenland and Iceland to Saxony, Romania, and beyond, the author discusses the dividing line between magic and diablerie as well as the significance of grimoires, bells, blacksmiths, and other magical objects and characters. He explores magic in the elements of nature and as illustrated by the art of witches and magicians specializing in weather magic-storm callers and storm dispellers. He examines the medieval mythology surrounding clouds and the mythic significance of mountains in the haunted world of our ancestors, which is still as close to us today as it was to them in the past. Looking at borderlands and liminal thresholds that can serve as gateways to other worlds, the author also discusses land spirits and the rituals needed to engage with them, recognizing how their ownership of the land can never fully be usurped.Through these writings Lecouteux acts as a ferryman, transporting readers into the realms of the wondrous and magical. He enables us to see how the haunted magic of the Middle Ages never ended and how the imaginal realm, standing just beyond the borders of our own, is as vividly real as the material world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Claude Lecouteux","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57411287581021,"sku":"9781644119938","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0902\/6856\/5853\/files\/at-the-borders-of-wondrous-and-magical-nature-spirits-shapeshifters-877.jpg?v=1755481336"},{"product_id":"magic-in-the-middle-ages","title":"Magic in the Middle Ages","description":"\u003cp\u003eHow was magic practiced in medieval times? How did it relate to the diverse beliefs and practices that characterized this fascinating period? This much revised and expanded new edition of Magic in the Middle Ages surveys the growth and development of magic in medieval Europe. It takes into account the extensive new developments in the history of medieval magic in recent years, featuring new material on angel magic, the archaeology of magic, and the magical efficacy of words and imagination. Richard Kieckhefer shows how magic represents a crossroads in medieval life and culture, examining its relationship and relevance to religion, science, philosophy, art, literature, and politics. In surveying the different types of magic that were used, the kinds of people who practiced magic, and the reasoning behind their beliefs, Kieckhefer shows how magic served as a point of contact between the popular and elite classes, how the reality of magical beliefs is reflected in the fiction of medieval literature, and how the persecution of magic and witchcraft led to changes in the law.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Richard Kieckhefer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57411302687069,"sku":"9781108796897","price":21.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0902\/6856\/5853\/files\/magic-in-the-middle-ages-book-witch-please-290.jpg?v=1755485844"},{"product_id":"folklore-magic-and-witchcraft-cultural-exchanges-from-the-twelfth-to-eighteenth-century","title":"Folklore, Magic, and Witchcraft : Cultural Exchanges from the Twelfth to Eighteenth Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis volume offers 18 studies linked together by a common focus on the circulation and reception of motifs and beliefs in the field of folklore, magic, and witchcraft.The chapters traverse a broad spectrum both chronologically and thematically; yet together, their shared focus on cultural exchange and encounters emerges in an important way, revealing a valuable methodology that goes beyond the pure comparativism that has dominated historiography in recent decades. Several of the chapters touch on gender relations and contact between different religious faiths, using case studies to explore the variety of these encounters. Whilst the essays focus geographically on Europe, they prefer to investigate relationships over highlighting singular, local traits. In this way, the collection aims to respond to the challenge set by recent debates in cultural studies, for a global history that prioritises inclusivity, moving beyond biased or learned attachments toward broader and broadening foci and methods.With analysis of sources from manuscripts and archival documents to iconography, and drawing on writings in Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, and other languages, this volume is essential reading for all students and scholars interested in cultural exchange and ideas about folklore, magic, and witchcraft in medieval and early modern Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Marina Montesano","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57411302785373,"sku":"9780367557676","price":40.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0902\/6856\/5853\/files\/folklore-magic-and-witchcraft-cultural-exchanges-from-the-twelfth-478.jpg?v=1755476840"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.witchplease.co.uk\/collections\/subcategory-c-500-ce-to-c-1000-ce.oembed","provider":"Witch, Please!","version":"1.0","type":"link"}