Demons and Spirits of the Land

Ancestral Lore and Practices

Häftad, Engelska, 2015

229 kr

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Our pagan ancestors knew that every forest has brownies and fairies, every spring its lady, and every river malevolent beings in its depths. They told tales of giants in the hills, dragons in the lakes, marshes swarming with will-o'-the-wisps, and demons and wild folk in the mountains who enjoyed causing landslides, avalanches, and floods. They both feared and respected these entities, knowing the importance of appeasing them for safe travel and a prosperous homestead. Exploring medieval stories, folk traditions, spiritual place names, and pagan rituals of home building and site selection, Claude Lecouteux reveals the multitude of spirits and entities that once inhabited the land before modern civilization repressed them into desert solitude, impenetrable forests, and inaccessible mountains. He explains how, to our ancestors, enclosing a space was a sacred act. Specific rites had to be performed to negotiate with the local spirits and ensure proper placement and protection of a new building. These land spirits often became the household spirit, taking up residence in a new building in exchange for permission to build on their territory. Lecouteux explores Arthurian legends, folk tales, and mythology for evidence of the untamed spirits of the wilderness, such as giants, dragons, and demons, and examines the rites and ceremonies used to gain their good will. Lecouteux reveals how, despite outright Church suppression, belief in these spirits carried through to modern times and was a primary influence on architecture, an influence still visible in today's buildings. The author also shows how our ancestors' concern for respecting nature is increasingly relevant in today's world.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2015-08-13
Mått152 x 229 x 13 mm
Vikt363 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
SerieInner Traditions
Antal sidor224
FörlagInner Traditions Bear and Company
ISBN9781620553992

Tillhör följande kategorier

Övernaturliga fenomen / det paranormala inom Ande, kropp och själ

Foreword by Régis Boyer Introduction: We Dwell in a Haunted Place Part One A Haunted Universe 1 Unusual Manifestations 2 The First Inhabitants of the Earth 3 Demons and Fallen Angels 4 Cult Remnants 5 The Local Land Spirits 6 The Underside of Idolatry 7 The Evidence of Place-Names 8 Silvanus and Company 9 The Metamorphoses of Spirits 10 A Provisional Assessment Part Two Conquering and Defending the Land 11 Encountering the Spirits of the Local Land 12 Taking Possession of a Piece of Land 13 Circumambulation: Appropriation, Expropriation, and Protection Rites 14 Boundaries and Their Markers 15 The Enclosed Space Is Sacred 16 The Contract with the Spirits 17 The Circular and the Rectangular: A Hypothesis 18 The Conquest of the Space Part Three Survivals and Transformations 19 Waters, Springs, and Fountains 20 The Forest 21 The Mountain and Its Spirits 22 The Problem of Parédrie 23 A Composite Site: The Dwelling of Grendel and His Mother 24 The Moor 25 The Hybridization of Myths 26 The Return of the Place Spirits Afterword Notes Bibliography Index