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Turn your gaze toward the skies Where wyvern, lung, and phoenix fly. As mermaids swim through oceans blue Under Arctic ice, past coral hues. Accounts arise from here and there, Of manticores in hidden lairs, And faeries dance ’round mushroom caps As brownies steal your fabric scraps. But beware the moon and mind the howls For many hungry beasts doth prowl. My dearest trav'lers, enjoy these pages Filled with creatures throughout the ages That wander ’cross the lands of lore Where few have dared to venture forth.
"From myth to manga, an artistic visual history of the human mind through an imaginative collection of fantastical monsters from around the world"--Provided by publisher.
Windows into magical realms await readers inside this creature compendium inspired by myths from around the world. Readers are obsessed with dragons—but have they heard of the South American Amaroca or Celtic Beithir? Do they lie awake at night pondering the difference between a mermaid and a siren? In this fresh take on supernatural lore for adults, vintage field guide illustrations and captivating stories from a mysterious narrator bring the mystic beasts of folktales and legends to life. At every turn of the page, Gryphons stalk the skies, Faeries frolic through the forests and Kelpies lurk beneath the waves. Learn their origins, lifespans, diets, habitats and other invaluable reference information for mythology buffs, fantasy writers, artists or anyone looking to track down these strange creatures for themselves. This gorgeously bound bestiary will bring whimsy to any bookshelf and a spark of imagination to every reader!
What made Athena furious with a local weaver that she transformed her into Greek mythology's first spider woman, Arachne? What is the tall tale behind Filipino folklore's sea serpent Bakunawa, who flies through the night skies devouring moons? What is the symbolism behind French folktale's infamous night rider, Cheval Mallet? We have all been exposed to a mythological beast in one form or another. Whether it is the three headed guard dog Fluffy in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, or even the story of Smaug in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth in The Hobbit; all these pop culture mythical creatures have a deep connection to the mythologies and folktales of ancient cultures. Where did they come from? What relevance do they serve in mythology? Why are some so obscure, while others become pop-culture enigmas? Get the answer to these questions, and learn about beasts from different world cultures. Folklorist Zayden Stone dives deep into the stories of these magical beasts and provides a fictional anecdote, a retelling of the original myths, an analysis of the symbolism and relevance of the creatures, and then pairs it with some beautiful black and white illustrations reimagined by artist Herdhian. In the Mythical Creatures and Mythological Beasts book, the illustrated guide takes you through six themes that have been specifically chosen since they are consistent across cultures. The categories include: arthropods for insects, crustaceans, and arachnids; avian for birds; canines for wolves and dogs; serpents for snakes and dragons; ungulates for hooved animals like horses and cows; and aquatic for water dwelling beasts. Presenting the creatures in categories makes it easier to see what the beasts have in common. You will find some overlapping themes across ancient cultures that point to universal ideas in how humans perceive the world. If you wonder where your favorite creature is, you will probably find them within these pages, even if they do not have their own chapter. For example, the ever-popular Pegasus can be found in the tale of the Gorgon sisters. He also had a half-brother, Arion, who features in the ungulates section. There is also a brilliant white-winged horse from Islamic tradition which may sound very familiar to Pegasus as well. If you have a love for the myths and want to learn about the unique beasts that dwell within them, this book is a great way to do it. Not only will you learn about ones you may have never heard of, but you will also be able to draw parallels between cultures and see how they interpreted their surroundings through stories of mythical creatures and magical beasts.
A comprehensive exploration of familiars and their many forms and powers • Explores witch’s familiars in folklore, shamanic, and magical traditions around the world, including Africa, India, Scandinavia, ancient Greece, and China • Explains how familiars are related to shamanic power animals and how the witch draws on her personal sexual energy to give this creature its power • Examines the familiar in alchemical, Hermetic, and Egyptian magical literature, including instructions for procuring a supernatural assistant Exploring the history and creation of a “witch’s familiar,” also known as a spirit double or guardian spirit, Maja D’Aoust shows how there is much more to these supernatural servant spirits and guardians than meets the eye. She reveals how witches are not the only ones to lay claim to this magician’s “assistant” and examines how the many forms of witch’s familiars are well known in folklore throughout Europe and America as well as in shamanic and magical traditions around the world, including Africa, India, and China. The author explains how familiars are connected with shapeshifting and how the classic familiars of medieval witchcraft tradition are related to the power animals and allies of shamanic practices worldwide, including animal guardian spirits of Native American traditions and the daimons of the ancient Greeks and Romans. She examines the fetch spirit, also known as the fylgia in Scandinavian tradition, and how the witch or sorcerer draws on their personal sexual energy to give this creature its power to magnetize and attract what it was sent to retrieve. She looks at incubus, succubus, doubles, doppelgangers, and soul mates, showing how familiars can also adopt human forms and sometimes form romantic or erotic attachments with the witch or shaman. Reviewing alchemical, Hermetic, and Egyptian magical literature, including the nearly forgotten alchemical works of Anna Kingsford, D’Aoust explores their instructions for procuring the attention of a supernatural assistant as well as an extensive description of the alchemical wedding and how this ritual joins the magician and familiar spirit into a single unified consciousness. Exploring fairy familiars, she reveals how a practitioner can establish a “marriage” with a totemic plant or tree spirit, who, in return, would offer teachings about its medicinal and visionary powers. Delving deeply into the intimate relations of humanity with the spirit world, D’Aoust shows how forming connections with living forces other than human enables us to move beyond the ego, expand our magical abilities, as well as evolve our conscious awareness.
Creating Circles and Ceremonies is the accumulation of decades of circles, ceremonies, rituals, Mystery plays, initiations, rites of passage, and other magickal workings co-created by the Zell-Ravenhearts, today's foremost Wizard/Witch couple. For more than 30 years, Oberon and Morning Glory have traveled widely throughout the worldwide magickal community--participating in gatherings, conducting workshops, and creating rituals for groups large and small. They have met and made Magick with the leaders of many traditions: Celtic Shamanism, British Dianic, Italian Strega, Welsh Witchcraft, Faerie Trad, Ceremonial Magick, Ozark Druidry, the New Reformed Order of the Golden Dawn (NROOGD), Hinduism, Native American tribes, Greek and Egyptian mythology, and the futuristic Church of All Worlds. Here, in one easy-to-read volume, is their collection of chants, invocations, circle-castings, quarter-callings, spells, and ceremonies. It is also a "kit" to use to assemble your own rituals, for any season or reason: Book I presents a basic ritual outline. Each element is followed by numerous examples which may be "plugged in" to customize your own ceremony. Book II gives numerous examples of actual ceremonies: Esbats (full Moons) and special occasions; Rites of Passage; Mysteries and Initiations; spells and consecrations. These can be adapted and modified as needed for any size group--from small family gatherings in your living room, to huge outdoor celebrations involving thousands of people. Book III provides an assortment of full rituals and ritual elements for celebrations of the eight great seasonal festivals called the Wheel of the Year. Versions of these have been commemorated for millennia in most traditional cultures of the Northern Hemisphere; and today are universal throughout the worldwide Pagan community.
Expanded and revised, this comprehensive guide features magical uses of over 400 herbs and plants from all parts of the world. With over 500,000 copies in print, this reference book is a must for all who perform natural magic. It features illustrations for easy identification of every herb, in addition to common names, use, and rulership.
A whimsical and imaginative catalog of fantastical beasts and creatures of myth and legend from around the world-complete with a code that needs cracking to uncover the mystery of the monster atlas! One day a collection of very old maps is found in a dusty library. They show where in the world monsters and creatures from mythology and folklore can be found. According to the notes left with the maps, they were made by Cornelius Walters, an intrepid explorer from the 15th century. But did Walters really make these elaborate maps, or is it all a hoax? The librarian who discovered them is not certain . . . and what are the strange messages in a cryptic code that Walters records in his ship's log? The codes throughout, once cracked, may indeed lead to something sinister that will happen should the atlas ever be published! This is a gorgeously illustrated and comprehensive catalog of monsters, beasts, and mythical creatures from around the globe, with an easy-to-read format and incredible detail on each spread.
From controversial cryptozoologist and explorer Dr. Veronica Wigberht-Blackwater, The Compendium of Magical Beasts is a definitive field guide that explores the history, biology, and anatomy of mythological creatures. Approaching the fantastic with a scientific eye, Dr. Wigberht-Blackwater explains the history, habits, and biology of each creature's existence with equal attention to detail. Her research is accompanied by stunning scientific illustrations of each specimen's anatomy, providing a comprehensive view of creatures most often dismissed as pure fantasy. Combining biological fact with folklore, cultural studies, and history, this volume is crucial to science both fringe and mainstream. Locked in a dusty attic for almost a century, Dr. Wigberht-Blackwater's trailblazing work was recently discovered by writer Melissa Brinks, who spent months transcribing the journals she found. Brinks joined forces with artist Lily Seika Jones to digitize the doctor's amazingly detailed anatomical diagrams in order to share these revolutionary findings with the world for the first time. The Bestiary: Mermaid, Unicorn, Wild Man, Gnome, Werewolf, Troll, Fairy, Jackalope, Winged Horse, Centaur, Minotaur, Vampire, Dragon, Sea Monsters/Loch Ness/Kraken, Goblin, Sphinx, Phoenix, Harpy, Cyclops, Banshee, Incubus/Succubus, Nymph, Ghoul, Selkie, Kelpie
Fifty-two the pages count in the devil's picture-book, thirteen signs within four suits of blood, knife, stone, and crook... Exploring the common playing card deck as a book of magic authored by Old Scratch himself and drawing on cartomantic and folk-magical texts from hundreds of years in the past, The Witch's Pack offers readers a concise, well-sourced, and practical guide to the witch's card-based arts. Innovative approaches to old traditions in this volume include unique spreads, such as "the witch's table," advanced reading techniques, and rarely detailed methods of cartomantic craft, including Leland's Aradian spirit conjuration, card-based sigilization and incantation formulae, and ritual card pairings for sabbats and seasons. In addition to a solid introduction to divination and magic using playing cards, this volume includes a brief essay exploring the inherent pairing structure in the trump sequence of the Marseille tarot. The sound approaches in The Witch's Pack seek to offer a corpus of transferable lessons that can be utilized with any playing card deck or old-style tarot deck alike, emphasizing skillful pattern discernment over keywords and memorization. From the Introduction: The slim volume you now hold in your hand is inspired by the tradition of chapbooks from the mid-1800s detailing cartomantic operations, including works such as Mother Bunch's Golden Fortune-Teller (1857), The New Fortune Book or Conjurer's Guide (1850), and The Spaewife or Universal Fortune-Teller (1827). In the age of these concise books, now long passed, the reader could explore a variety of cartomantic methods and rhyming mnemonics without spending a fortune. Their methods were simple and accessible to all, designed for use by common folk. Anyone could pick up a deck of cards and begin to explore the subtle arts of cartomancy. In the spirit of this tradition, this work is intended to be both concise and practical. Today, one can find any number of oracle decks in a variety of themes and art styles, so why should the modern witch bother to train in the discipline of old folk cartomancy? Put simply, folk cartomancy offers us a connection to our past and to arts that are skill-based rather than product-based, cunning rather than consumerist. By learning these methods and approaches, the witch can read with cards in a variety of styles, including the elusive tarot minors in unillustrated decks like the Marseille tarot. The history of folk cartomancy is old and rich indeed. In fact, evidence suggests the existence of diverse folk-magical practices involving cards long before the tarot rose to its now prominent position. Huson (2004) notes that La Spagna Istoriata, published in 1519, makes reference to making a circle and "throwing the cards." Pierre de l'Ancre (1622) notes the use of cards to forge pacts with devils. In Witchcraft and the Inquisition in Venice, 1550-1650, Martin (1989) describes alleged witches Angela and Isabella Bellochio, who supposedly used cards extensively in their rites. Leland's (1899) collection of Italian folklore published as Aradia: The Gospel of the Witches of Italy lists the ability to "divine by cards" as a gift given to those who follow the path of witchcraft. Unfortunately, the practitioners who belonged to these currents of cartomancy were not so fortunate as to bequeath their work in the form of a cohesive tradition. Instead, it is up to us to reconstruct their wisdom from the fragments we collect like jewels...