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
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