History Magic Medieval

The history of magic is as long as time and as wide as the world. In every culture, in every age, in every place and, probably, in every heart, there is magic. Harry Potter: A History of Magic reveals some of the hidden stories behind real-world magic and explores some of J.K. Rowling's magical inventions alongside their folkloric, cultural and historical forebears.

Black Magic, High Magic, Goetia, Thaumaturgy, Alchemy, Kabbalah, the Druids, the Egyptian Hierophants, the Astral Light, the Ancients, Sorcerers of the Middle Ages, Pythagoras, the Tarot, the I Ching, Curses, Spells, Mediums, the Black Mass, the Sphinx, Blood rituals, telekinesis, telepathy, The Knights Templar, Freemasonry, ancient androids, The Illuminati, the sacred geometry, Apollonius of Tyana, The Magi-- the French Transcendentalist Eliphas Levi tackled all of these subjects and more between the covers of his exhaustive History of Magic, and indeed was one of the first to do so. Levi ...

The History of Magic (1913) is an extensive work on the origins of ceremonial magic throughout the world's many cultures and religions. Written by mystic and occultist Éliphas Lévi and translated by British scholar A.E. Waite, this is a foundational book for any student of the occult.

In historian Tabitha Stanmore’s beguiling account, we meet lovelorn widows, dissolute nobles, selfless healers, and renegade monks. We listen in on Queen Elizabeth I’s astrology readings and track treasure hunters trying to unearth buried gold without upsetting the fairies that guard it. Much like us, premodern people lived in a bewildering world, buffeted by forces beyond their control. As Stanmore reveals, their faith in magic has much to teach about how to accommodate the irrational in our allegedly enlightened lives today.

Great Britain is an ancient land steeped in history and tradition. Its rolling countryside is dotted with prehistoric burial mounds and stone circles. Brooding castles hold tales of bloodshed and honor. Medieval churches have elaborate stained glass windows and gruesome carvings, reflecting a mixture of hope and darkness.

Examining trial records and the pharmacopoeia of witches, alchemists, folk healers, and heretics of the 15th century, Thomas Hatsis details how a range of ideas from folk drugs to ecclesiastical fears over medicine women merged to form the classical “witch” stereotype and what history has called the “witches’ ointment”. He shares dozens of psychoactive formulas and recipes gleaned from rare manuscripts from university collections from all over the world as well as the practices and magical incantations necessary for their preparation.

Medieval Robots recovers the forgotten history of fantastical, aspirational, and terrifying machines that captivated Europe in imagination and reality between the ninth and 14th centuries. E. R. Truitt traces the different forms of self-moving or self-sustaining manufactured objects from their earliest appearances in the Latin West through centuries of mechanical and literary invention. This original and wide-ranging study reveals the convergence of science, technology, and imagination in medieval culture.

Three great strands of practice and belief run through human history - science, religion and magic. Over the last few centuries, magic - the idea that we have a connection with the universe and that the universe responds to us - has developed a bad reputation. But it is still with us, as it has been for millennia, as Professor Chris Gosden shows in this extraordinarily bold and unprecedented history.

With the advent of the internet, any topic we want to know about is instantly available with the touch of a smartphone button. With so much knowledge at our fingertips, what is there left for our brains to do? At a time when we seem to be stripping all value from the idea of knowing things—no need for math, no need for map reading, no need for memorisation—are we risking our ability to think? As we empty our minds, will we one day be incapable of thoughtfulness?

Can a woman trapped in a loveless union escape without sacrificing her precious grandchild? Ireland, 1055. In an ancient realm where time weaves a tapestry of love and loss, a woman trapped in a loveless union must find the strength to break free, even if it means sacrificing everything for her precious grandchild. Étaín, forever locked in a youthful facade, lives in perpetual anguish, concealing her pagan long-life magic from her ambitious and malevolent priest-husband. Though her heart yearns to escape his clutches, she cannot abandon her eleven-year-old grandson to his tyranny. When a ...

After the mysterious disappearance of their parents, the Sanctus children are assigned to the Tradium Boarding School, where magic is studied but never truly practiced. Paul discovers a mystic book and his own magical gift which may save the school and his younger siblings' lives.

Through passages of narrative, deeply researched explanation and beautifully illustrated by the author with thirty paper-cutouts, Saints retells stories that enjoyed centuries of popular appeal among medieval Christians but were suppressed when their shrines were destroyed. These stories embraced the darkness of their heroes: sinister saints who sacrificed their followers and women who communed with geese, saints whose decapitated heads spoke to wolves.

A magical gift from the fae. A disturbing prophecy. An impending war. When a soothsayer faces her final days, can she find her lone heir before she’s gone forever? Ireland, 1177. In an ancient realm where fate and enchantment intertwine, a magical gift bestowed by the fae holds the key to a seer's legacy. As Orlagh, a revered soothsayer, nears the end of her days, her prophecies of imminent war are dismissed by those deaf to the echoes of destiny. Left with nothing but an innocent young apprentice in a world plagued by ignorance, Orlagh yearns to find her lone heir and pass on the family ...

When every choice he makes unleashes disaster, can a young man save his sister before he loses everything he loves? Ireland, 520. In a mystical realm where the veil between mortals and the Otherworld is thin, a young hero must navigate a treacherous journey to reclaim what he holds most dear. Conall, a courageous nineteen-year-old with a heart of gold, would defy fate itself to protect his beloved little sister. When he witnesses his wicked stepfather assaulting her, he unleashes a hidden power to enable their escape. But their flight into the untamed wilderness brings them face to face ...

A barely remembered childhood. A search for enchanted treasure. Can a gentle man discover his past and be reunited with his birthright? Ireland, 500. In an ancient land where forgotten tales and mystical wonders abound, a man with a fragmented past embarks on a quest to reclaim his true identity. Fingin, a gentle soul plagued by an abusive childhood, ekes out a meager existence as a fisherman, hiding his inner kindness from the world. Bound by the crippling weight of his stutter, he chooses solitude over the risk of being branded as a fool. Everything changes when he rescues a drowning dog,...

Steven Adler examines the dynamic life and workings of the theatre company responsible for some of the world's most compelling performances and influential productions of the last 40 years, including Marat/Sade, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Les Misérables, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and Nicholas Nickleby.

A world in turmoil. A new religion. A struggling community. Can a pagan woman protect her family without falling prey to both Christians and power-hungry Fae? Ireland, 470. In an ancient world torn between old traditions and new beliefs, a pagan woman finds herself caught in a perilous struggle to protect her family from the clutches of both zealous Christians and power-hungry Fae. Clíodhna mourns the presumed loss of her husband, and as the months pass with no sign of his return, she clings to her ancestral customs. She distrusts the encroaching dominance of the burgeoning Christian faith...

The Mirror of Alchemy is a short alchemical manual, known in Latin as Speculum Alchemiae. Translated in 1597, it was only the second alchemical text printed in the English language. Long ascribed to Roger Bacon, the work is more likely the product of an anonymous author who wrote between the 13th and the 15th centuries.