Author: Claude Lecouteux Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN: 1594776822 Category : Body, Mind & Spirit Languages : en Pages : 258
Book Description
Reveals the true nature of medieval belief in the Double of the Soul • Demonstrates the survival of a pagan belief that each individual owns three souls, including a double that can journey outside the physical body • Explains the nature of death and the Other World hidden beneath the monsters and superstitions in stories from the Middle Ages Monsters, werewolves, witches, and fairies remain a strong presence in our stories and dreams. But as Claude Lecouteux shows, their roots go far deeper than their appearance in medieval folklore; they are survivors of a much older belief system that predates Christianity and was widespread over Western Europe. Through his extensive analysis of Germano-Scandinavian legends, as well as those from other areas of Europe, Lecouteux has uncovered an almost forgotten religious concept: that every individual owns three souls and that one of these souls, the Double, can—in animal or human form—leave the physical body while in sleep or a trance, journey where it chooses, then reenter its physical body. While there were many who experienced this phenomenon involuntarily, there were others—those who attracted the unwelcome persecution of the Church—who were able to provoke it at will: witches. In a thorough excavation of the medieval soul, Claude Lecouteux reveals the origin and significance of this belief in the Double, and follows its transforming features through the ages. He shows that far from being fantasy or vague superstition, fairies, witches, and werewolves all testify to a consistent ancient vision of our world and the world beyond.
Author: Kim Harrison Publisher: Harper Collins ISBN: 0062356011 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 557
Book Description
It’s Rachel Morgan’s ultimate adventure . . . and anything can happen in this final book in the New York Times bestselling Hollows series. Rachel Morgan has come a long way from her early days as an inexperienced bounty hunter. She’s faced vampires and werewolves, banshees, witches, and soul-eating demons. She’s crossed worlds, channeled gods, and accepted her place as a day-walking demon. She’s lost friends and lovers and family, and an old enemy has unexpectedly become something much more. But power demands responsibility, and world-changers must always pay a price. Rachel has known that this day would come—and now it is here. To save Ivy’s soul and the rest of the living vampires, to keep the demonic ever after and our own world from destruction, Rachel Morgan will risk everything. . . .
Author: Walter Scott Publisher: Read Books Ltd ISBN: 1473342899 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 352
Book Description
A collection of Sir Walter Scott’s letters to his son-in-law, publisher J. G. Lockhart, divulging his extensive knowledge on the subject of paranormal events, including substantial notes on demonology and witchcraft. This volume features ten letters from the famous Scottish historian Sir Walter Scott, addressed to his publisher and son-in-law, J. G. Lockhart. First published in 1830, this collection demonstrates Scott’s thorough knowledge on demonology and witchcraft via his informal, conversational tone, making the book an accessible guide for beginners in paranormal study. The contents include: - Origin of the General Opinions Respecting Demonology Among Mankind - The Belief In the Immortality of the Soul Is the Main Inducement to Credit Its Occasional Re-Appearance - The Philosophical Objections to the Apparition of an Abstract Spirit Little Understood by the Vulgar and Ignorant
Author: Rachel Hawkins Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers ISBN: 142314743X Category : Juvenile Fiction Languages : en Pages : 319
Book Description
Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth. Turns out, Sophie's a demon, one of only two in the world-the other being her father. What's worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a risky procedure that will either destroy her powers forever - or kill her. But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new housemates? They're demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they're using Acher to do it. But it's not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?
Author: Rosemary Guiley Publisher: Infobase Publishing ISBN: 1438130015 Category : Monsters Languages : en Pages : 369
Book Description
Monsters and shape-shifters have always held a special fascination in mythologies, legends, and folklore the world over. From ancient customs to famous cases of beasts and vampires and their reflections in popular culture, 600 entries provide definitions, explanations, and lists of suggested further reading.
Author: Claude Lecouteux Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN: 159477806X Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 287
Book Description
An exploration of the many forms of the ancient myth of the Wild Hunt and its influence in pagan and early Christian Europe • Recounts the myriad variations of this legend, from the Cursed Huntsman and King Herla to phantom armies and vast processions of sinners and demons • Explains how this belief was an integral part of the pagan worldview and was thus employed by the church to spread Christian doctrine • Reveals how the secret societies of medieval Europe reenacted these ghostly processions for soul travel and prophecies of impending death Once upon a time a phenomenon existed in medieval Europe that continuously fueled local lore: during the long winter nights a strange and unknown troop could be heard passing outside over the land or through the air. Anyone caught by surprise in the open fields or depths of the woods would see a bizarre procession of demons, giants, hounds, ladies of the night, soldiers, and knights, some covered in blood and others carrying their heads beneath their arms. This was the Wild or Infernal Hunt, the host of the damned, the phantom army of the night--a theme that still inspires poets, writers, and painters to this day. Millennia older than Christianity, this pagan belief was employed by the church to spread their doctrine, with the shapeshifters' and giants of the pagan nightly processions becoming sinners led by demons seeking out unwary souls to add to their retinues. Myth or legend, it represents a belief that has deep roots in Europe, particularly Celtic and Scandinavian countries. The first scholar to fully examine this myth in each of its myriad forms, Claude Lecouteux strips away the Christian gloss and shows how the Wild Hunt was an integral part of the pagan worldview and the structure of their societies. Additionally, he looks at how secret societies of medieval Europe reenacted these ghostly processions through cult rituals culminating in masquerades and carnival-like cavalcades often associated with astral doubles, visions of the afterlife, belief in multiple souls, and prophecies of impending death. He reveals how the nearly infinite variations of this myth are a still living, evolving tradition that offers us a window into the world in which our ancestors lived.
Author: Emma Hamm Publisher: ISBN: 9781733558235 Category : Languages : en Pages : 242
Book Description
To save her sister, she must beat a goblin at his own game... Freya knows the sound of goblin bells. She knows to move to the side of the road and let them pass. Never buy any of their wares. And above all else, never make a deal with the monstrous beasts. But when her sister takes a necklace and is kidnapped, Freya knows there is no other choice. She must journey to the realm of the fae where the Goblin King himself has stolen her sister. Once there, she must perform four tasks to save the only family she has left. The Goblin King won't make this easy, however. He always seems one step ahead of her. To defeat him, she'll have to put everything on the line. Even her heart. Fan of Sarah J. Maas and Ursula K. Le Guin will be left guessing at every turn! Scroll up and one click to get tricked by the fae right alongside Freya in this Labyrinth-inspired fantasy today!
Author: Claude Lecouteux Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN: 1594776938 Category : Body, Mind & Spirit Languages : en Pages : 240
Book Description
What poltergeist accounts through the ages reveal about our own worldviews • Provides a wide array of case studies from ancient Greece and Rome to medieval Europe to the modern world • Explores the relationship between poltergeists and troubled adolescence • Looks beneath the Christian adulteration of pagan practices to reveal the hidden ancestral beliefs tied to poltergeists and haunted houses Stories of poltergeists and their mischievous and sometimes violent actions--knocking, stone or chair throwing, moving objects with invisible hands, and slamming or opening doors--are a constant through the ages. What changes is how we interpret this activity. For our pagan ancestors this phenomenon was caused by helper spirits whose manifestations revealed their unhappiness with a household. The medieval Christian church demonized these once helpful spirits and held exorcisms to expel them from the houses they haunted--which proved effective less than half the time. The Age of Enlightenment cast these incidents as clever hoaxes, and many still believe this today. But poltergeist manifestations continue to appear and often defy attempts to debunk them as pranks. What then is behind this phenomenon? Exploring accounts of poltergeists from ancient Greece and Rome, medieval Europe, and the modern world, Claude Lecouteux finds that while our interpretations of poltergeists may change, the manifestations always follow a similar course and evolution. He shows how modern scientific studies of poltergeist manifestations have found a strong tie between these visitations and the presence of a troubled adolescent in the house. Looking beneath the Christian adulteration of pagan practices to reveal the hidden ancestral beliefs tied to poltergeists and haunted houses, the author shows how these unhappy spirits serve as confirmation of the supernatural beings that share the earth with us and of our relationship with the natural and unseen world, a relationship we must take care to keep in balance.
Author: C. C. Hunter Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin ISBN: 1429965827 Category : Young Adult Fiction Languages : en Pages : 417
Book Description
Welcome to Shadow Falls, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen... Kylie Galen has never felt normal. One night she finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens—but within hours of arriving, it becomes clear that her fellow campers aren't "troubled." Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic, and live in the normal world. They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought to Shadow Falls for a reason. As if life wasn't complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek's a half Fae who's determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a brooding werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn't be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart. Even though Kylie is uncertain about everything, she starts to realize that Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs... Don't miss this spectacular, New York Times bestselling, young adult paranormal romance series from C. C. Hunter! Born at Midnight will steal your heart and haunt your dreams.
Author: Claude Lecouteux
Author: Kim Harrison
Author: Walter Scott
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Author: Peter Haining
Author: Rosemary Guiley
Author: Claude Lecouteux
Author: Emma Hamm
Author: Claude Lecouteux
Author: C. C. Hunter