Popular Magic: Cunning-folk in English HistoryCunning-folk were local practitioners of magic, providing small-scale but valued service to the community. They were far more representative of magical practice than the arcane delvings of astrologers and necromancers. Mostly unsensational in their approach, cunning-folk helped people with everyday problems: how to find lost objects; how to escape from bad luck or a suspected spell; and how to attract a lover or keep the love of a husband or wife. While cunning-folk sometimes fell foul of the authorities, both church and state often turned a blind eye to their existence and practices, distinguishing what they did from the rare and sensational cases of malvolent witchcraft. In a world of uncertainty, before insurance and modern science, cunning-folk played an important role that has previously been ignored. |
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User Review - ritaer - LibraryThingAnother review of a book a read a few months ago. We are in the midst of a bloom of historical effort directed at early modern witchcraft and other magical traditions after a few decades in which the ... Read full review
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User Review - Dead_Dreamer - LibraryThingOver all this book was really good, but not at good at his newer book, GRIMOIRES. This one was a bit drier, but still well worth reading. Davies really gets into the legal history of cunning folk ... Read full review
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Popular Magic: Cunning-folk in English History |
| Author | Owen Davies |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007 |
| ISBN | 082644279X, 9780826442796 |
| Length | 264 pages |
| Subjects | › › › History / Europe / Great Britain / General History / General History / World |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |