<< BACK
Go to the home page

Aspects of Anglo-Saxon Magic

Bill Griffiths

Magic is something special, something unauthorised; an alternative perhaps; even a deliberate cultivation of dark, evil powers. But for the Anglo-Saxon age, the neat division between mainstream and occult, rational and superstitious, Christian and pagan is not always easy to discern.

To maintain its authority (or its monopoly?) the Church drew a formal line and outlawed a range of dubious practices (like divination, spells, folk healing) while at the same time conducting very similar rituals itself, and may even have adapted legends of elves to serve in a Christian explanation of disease as a battle between good and evil, between Church and demons; in other cases powerful ancestors came to serve as saints.

In pursuit of a better understanding of Anglo-Saxon magic, a wide range of topics and texts are examined in this book, challenging (constructively, it is hoped) our stereotyped images of the past and its beliefs. Texts are printed in their original language (e.g. Old English, Icelandic, Latin) with New English translations. Contents include:- twenty charms; the English, Icelandic and Norwegian rune poems; texts on dreams, weather signs, unlucky days, the solar system; and much more.

£16·95 ISBN 978 1898281665 252 pages



Rudiments of Runelore

Stephen Pollington

The purpose of this book is to provide both a comprehensive introduction for those coming to the subject for the first time, and a handy and inexpensive reference work for those with some knowledge of the subject.

The Abecedarium Nordmannicum and the English, Norwegian and Icelandic rune poems are included as are two rune riddles, extracts from the Cynewulf poems and new work on the three Brandon runic inscriptions and the Norfolk 'Tiw' runes.

Headings include: The Origin of the Runes; Runes among the Germans; The Germanic Rune Row and the Common Germanic Language; The English Runic Tradition; The Scandinavian Runic Tradition; Runes and Pseudo-runes; The Use of Runes; Bind Runes and Runic Cryptography.

Rune tables and illustrations

£5.95


<< BACK TO O.E. TEXTS



Book cover for Aspects of Anglo-Saxon Magic




Book Cover for Rudiments of Runelore
Go to
Go to
Go to
Go to
Go to
Go to
Go to
Go to



Anglo-Saxon Books ©




We aim to publish good books at a reasonable price

Anglo Saxon Books, Hereward, Black Bank Business Centre, Little Downham, Ely, Cambs., CB6 2UA
home pagebook listsubject listrecent titles O.E. audioO.E. textsorderingAnglo Saxon Bookslinks

e-mails to: enq@asbooks.co.uk

Designed by: CreativeScience Consultants 2013