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Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Vision... by Wilby, Emma Hardback
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- Buy It NowCunning Folk and Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Vision... by Wilby, Emma Hardback
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Item specifics
- Condition
- ISBN
- 1845190785
- EAN
- 9781845190781
- Publication Name
- N/A
- Type
- Hardback
- Release Title
- Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Tradi...
- Artist
- Wilby, Emma
- Brand
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- Colour
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About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Liverpool University Press
ISBN-10
1845190785
ISBN-13
9781845190781
eBay Product ID (ePID)
45591186
Product Key Features
Book Title
Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits : Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic
Number of Pages
318 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2005
Topic
Witchcraft (See Also Religion / Wicca), Folklore & Mythology, Magick Studies
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Body, Mind & Spirit, Social Science
Format
Hardcover
Dimensions
Item Height
0.8 in
Item Weight
21.6 Oz
Item Length
9.2 in
Item Width
6.2 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2005-005582
Dewey Edition
22
Reviews
"...one of the few books to treat in any detail, and perhaps the only one to treat at length, the topic of the witch's familiar ... these kinds of consideration are very fruitful for understanding much fortean material ... 8/10" -- Fortean Times, July 2006., "Emma Wilby examines in abundant detail the statements in which witches and cunning folk described their encounters with spirits . . . [and] argues that these statements . . . are evidence of archaic animistic beliefs persisting into early modern × occasionally, they hint at experiences of religious intensity comparable not merely with shamanism, but with the visions of medieval Christian mystics. This is bold stuff . . . Emma Wilby's views challenge those of other current historians, notably Owen Davies, who sees cunning folk as far more pragmatic and down-to-earth, and Diane Purkiss, who interprets the encounters of witches with fairies as compensatory psychological fantasies. The debate between these and other scholars will be very instructive." -Jacqueline Simpson, Folklore, "Wilby valuably sets the ground for further exploration of the role and character of folk magic within community and tradition and is to be recommended for that." -John Billings, Northern Earth, "Emma Wilby examines in abundant detail the statements in which witches and cunning folk described their encounters with spirits ... [and] argues that these statements ... are evidence of archaic animistic beliefs persisting into Early Modern × occasionally, they hint at experiences of religious intensity comparable not merely with shamanism, but with the visions of medieval Christian mystics. This is bold stuff ... Emma Wilby's views challenge those of other current historians, notably Owen Davies, who sees cunning folk as far more pragmatic and down-to-earth, and Diane Purkiss, who interprets the encounters of witches with fairies as compensatory psychological fantasies. The debate between these and other scholars will be very instructive." -Jacqueline Simpson, Folklore, "...a powerful, grounding work for all modern magical practicioners of British magical tradition." -- Pagan Times Australia, Spring 2006., "Magic and witchcraft have between them represented one of the most difficult and challenging subjects for modern historians. Emma Wilby's book is a remarkably interesting, timely and novel way of looking at them, and one of the most courageous yet attempted." -- Professor Ronald Hutton, University of Bristol., "...fascinating and well-researched. It is a genuine contribution to what is known about cunning folk and lays very solid foundations for future work on the subject. Buy it today!" -- White Dragon, Beltane 2006., "Wilby's thesis is that the image of the familiar spirit is not an elite fiction imposed by prosecutors, but represents the folk beliefs of magical practitioners--cunning folk who practiced beneficent magic, and witches who were more malevolent. She goes further, arguing that the concept of the witch's familiar derives from ancient British animistic religion. . . . Wilby points out, correctly, that we do not think of cunning folk as mystics because they do not conform to the pious and ascetic norms established by Christian saints. The book is carefully organized and clearly written." --Moira Smith, Journal of Folklore Research, "Wilby's thesis is that the image of the familiar spirit is not an elite fiction imposed by prosecutors, but represents the folk beliefs of magical practitionerscunning folk who practised beneficent magic, and witches who were more malevolent. She goes further, arguing that the concept of the witch's familiar derives from ancient British animistic religion. Part III of the book, The Experiential Dimension, suggests that at least some of the accounts of encounters with familiars and witches sabbaths describe the vision experiences of British cunning folk who regarded the fairy folk as sacred spirits. This argument is strengthened by comparisons drawn to the visions of Christian mystics. Wilby points out, correctly, that we do not think of cunning folk as mystics because they do not conform to the pious and ascetic norms established by Christian saints. The book is carefully organized and clearly written." -Moira Smith, Journal of Folklore Research, "Wilby's book is fascinating and well researched. It is a genuine contribution to what is known about cunning folk and lays very solid foundations for future work on the subject." --Brian Hoggard, White Dragon, "Wilby valuably sets the ground for further exploration of the role and character of folk magic within community and tradition and is to be recommended for that." John Billings, Northern Earth, "Wilby valuably sets the ground for further exploration of the role and character of folk magic within community and tradition and is to be recommended for that." --John Billings, Northern Earth, "Magic and witchcraft have between them represented one of the most difficult and challenging subjects for modern historians. Emma Wilby's book is a remarkably interesting, timely and novel way of looking at them, and one of the most courageous yet attempted." -- Professor Ronald Hutton, University of Bristol. "Emma Wilby's conclusions and her explanation of how she drew them, laid down here in the commendable modern academic tendency towards plain English that has moved away from the previous generation's overly complex sentence structure, is worth its weight in gold." Ian Read in Runa Magazine, Issue 19, October 2006. "...one of the few books to treat in any detail, and perhaps the only one to treat at length, the topic of the witch's familiar ... these kinds of consideration are very fruitful for understanding much fortean material ... 8/10" -- Fortean Times, July 2006. "This is the definitive study of familiar lore, which should find a place on every Witch's bookshelf." -- Witchcraft and Wicca Magazine, Imbolc/Winter 2007. "...valuably sets the ground for further exploration of the role and character of folk magic within community and tradition and is to be recommeded for that." -- Northern Earth Issue 105. "...a powerful, grounding work for all modern magical practicioners of British magical tradition." -- Pagan Times Australia, Spring 2006. "...fascinating and well-researched. It is a genuine contribution to what is known about cunning folk and lays very solid foundations for future work on the subject. Buy it today!" -- White Dragon, Beltane 2006. "...riveting and downright encouraging review of the magical underpinning of mainstream culture." -- Sacred Hoop, Issue 51, 2006., "Sometimes a book can be academic and very readable this work strikes that happy balance for me … a fascinating, riveting and downright encouraging re-view of the magical underpinning of mainstream culture." Jan Morgan Wood, Sacred Hoop "Emma Wilby's conclusions and her explanation of how she drew them, laid down here in the commendable modern academic tendency towards plain English that has moved away from the previous generation's overly complex sentence structure, is worth its weight in gold." Ian Read, Runa: Exploring Northern European Myth, Mystery and Magic "One of the few books to treat in any detail, and perhaps the only one to treat at length, the topic of the witch's familiar … these kinds of consideration are very fruitful for understanding much fortean material …" Fortean Times "Wilby has gone a long way to clearing the muddy waters of mainstream pagan history, and in providing a stage for the true spiritual nature of magic practice in Early Modern Britain." - Pagan Times Australia, "This is the definitive study of familiar lore, which should find a place on every Witch's bookshelf." -- Witchcraft and Wicca Magazine, Imbolc/Winter 2007., "Wilby's thesis is that the image of the familiar spirit is not an elite fiction imposed by prosecutors, but represents the folk beliefs of magical practitioners-cunning folk who practiced beneficent magic, and witches who were more malevolent. She goes further, arguing that the concept of the witch's familiar derives from ancient British animistic religion. . . . Wilby points out, correctly, that we do not think of cunning folk as mystics because they do not conform to the pious and ascetic norms established by Christian saints. The book is carefully organized and clearly written." -Moira Smith, Journal of Folklore Research, "Emma Wilby examines in abundant detail the statements in which witches and cunning folk described their encounters with spirits . . . [and] argues that these statements . . . are evidence of archaic animistic beliefs persisting into early modern × occasionally, they hint at experiences of religious intensity comparable not merely with shamanism, but with the visions of medieval Christian mystics. This is bold stuff . . . Emma Wilby's views challenge those of other current historians, notably Owen Davies, who sees cunning folk as far more pragmatic and down-to-earth, and Diane Purkiss, who interprets the encounters of witches with fairies as compensatory psychological fantasies. The debate between these and other scholars will be very instructive." Jacqueline Simpson, Folklore, "Wilby's thesis is that the image of the familiar spirit is not an elite fiction imposed by prosecutors, but represents the folk beliefs of magical practitionerscunning folk who practiced beneficent magic, and witches who were more malevolent. She goes further, arguing that the concept of the witch's familiar derives from ancient British animistic religion. . . . Wilby points out, correctly, that we do not think of cunning folk as mystics because they do not conform to the pious and ascetic norms established by Christian saints. The book is carefully organized and clearly written." Moira Smith, Journal of Folklore Research, "...riveting and downright encouraging review of the magical underpinning of mainstream culture." -- Sacred Hoop, Issue 51, 2006., "Wilby demonstrates that the acquisition of familiars and other types of 'spirit guide' is something that is part of a shamanic tradition stretching way back before the early modern period. The way this experience has been demonized and made part of the witchcraft 'heresy' has distracted modern researchers from seeing it for what it is. It was a hugely important part of the experience of a cunning person and it's neglect has meant that our view of cunning folk has been somewhat distorted until now. Wilby's book is fascinating and well researched. It is a genuine contribution to what is known about cunning folk and lays very solid foundations for future work on the subject." Brian Hoggard, White Dragon "Wilby valuably sets the ground for further exploration of the role and character of folk magic within community and tradition and is to be recommended for that." -John Billings, Northern Earth, "...valuably sets the ground for further exploration of the role and character of folk magic within community and tradition and is to be recommeded for that." -- Northern Earth Issue 105., "Emma Wilby's conclusions and her explanation of how she drew them, laid down here in the commendable modern academic tendency towards plain English that has moved away from the previous generation's overly complex sentence structure, is worth its weight in gold." Ian Read in Runa Magazine, Issue 19, October 2006., "Emma Wilby examines in abundant detail the statements in which witches and cunning folk described their encounters with spirits . . . [and] argues that these statements . . . are evidence of archaic animistic beliefs persisting into early modern × occasionally, they hint at experiences of religious intensity comparable not merely with shamanism, but with the visions of medieval Christian mystics. This is bold stuff . . . Emma Wilby's views challenge those of other current historians, notably Owen Davies, who sees cunning folk as far more pragmatic and down-to-earth, and Diane Purkiss, who interprets the encounters of witches with fairies as compensatory psychological fantasies. The debate between these and other scholars will be very instructive." --Jacqueline Simpson, Folklore
Dewey Decimal
133.4/3/094109031
Table Of Content
Part One: Demon and Fairy Familiars: The Historical Context -- A Harsh and Enchanted World; Cunning Folk and Witches; The Magical Uses of Spirit; Human and Spirit: The Meeting; The Relationship; Renunciation and Pact; Demon and Fairy: The Interface. Part Two: Anthropological Perspectives. The Shaman's Calling; SPirit Worls and High Gods; Part Three -- The Experimental Dimension: Phantasticks and Phantasms; Psychosis or Spirituality?; The Unrecognised Mystics; Greedigut and the Angel Gabriel; The Freedom of Magic; Index.
Synopsis
This book contains the first comprehensive examination of popular familiar belief in early modern Britain. It provides an in-depth analysis of the correlation between early modern British magic and tribal shamanism, examines the experiential dimension of popular magic and witchcraft in early modern Britain, and explores the links between British fairy beliefs and witch beliefs. In the hundreds of confessions relating to witchcraft and sorcery trials in early modern Britain there are detailed descriptions of intimate working relationships between popular magical practitioners and familiar spirits of either human or animal form. Until recently historians often dismissed these descriptions as elaborate fictions created by judicial interrogators eager to find evidence of stereotypical pacts with the Devil. Although this paradigm is now routinely questioned, and most historians acknowledge that there was a folkloric component to familiar lore in the period, these beliefs, and the experiences reportedly associated with them, remain substantially unexplored. This book examines the folkloric roots of familiar lore from historical, anthropological and comparative religious perspectives. It argues that beliefs about witches' familiars were rooted in beliefs surrounding the use of fairy familiars by beneficent magical practitioners or cunning folk', and corroborates this through a comparative analysis of familiar beliefs found in traditional Native American and Siberian shamanism. The author explores the experiential dimension of familiar lore by drawing parallels between early modern familiar encounters and visionary mysticism as it appears in both tribal shamanism and medieval European contemplative traditions. These perspectives challenge the reductionist view of popular magic in early modern Britain often presented by historians., 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 often dismissed these descriptions as elaborate fictions created by judicial interrogators eager to find evidence of stereotypical pacts with the Devil. Although this paradigm is now routinely questioned, and most historians acknowledge that there was a folkloric component to familiar lore in the period, these beliefs and the experiences reportedly associated with them, remain substantially unexamined. Cunning-Folk and Familiar Spirits examines the folkloric roots of familiar lore from historical, anthropological and comparative religious perspectives. It argues that beliefs about witches' familiars were rooted in beliefs surrounding the use of fairy familiars by beneficent magical practitioners or 'cunning folk', and corroborates this through a comparative analysis of familiar beliefs found in traditional native American and Siberian shamanism. The author explores the experiential dimension of familiar lore by drawing parallels between early modern familiar encounters and visionary mysticism as it appears in both tribal shamanism and medieval European contemplative traditions. These perspectives challenge the reductionist view of popular magic in early modern British often presented by historians., Contains the examination of popular familiar belief in early modern Britain. This book provides an analysis of the correlation between early modern British magic and tribal shamanism, examines the experiential dimension of popular magic and witchcraft in early modern Britain, and explores the links between British fairy beliefs and witch beliefs.
LC Classification Number
BF1557
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Seller feedback (1,566,131)
- 6***6 (74)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseThis delivery was earliest date! Condition, value, quality - all as described. (My mistake was not requiring the publishing date to be 1958. This was 1977.) This IS a Viking Portable Library copy of Dante's Divine Comedy in English, translated by Laurence Binyon, but it is with a cover DIFFERENT from what was shown. The tracking number was listed as from "UPS", but should have been listed as from "USPS." Contact with this seller alleviated tracking issues. I recommend this seller! Thank you!
- p***a (187)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseI purchased two books from the same seller; both were accurately advertised in product write ups. Seller responded promptly and securely packaged both books for swift arrival. I am very happy with my purchase and highly recommend this seller.
- n***n (746)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseAs usual with this seller: Accurate description, 11 days transatlantic delivery, cracked jewel case due to flimsy (paper-thin plastic) packaging. Overall, worth dealing with for good value (free shipping).