Amazon.com
Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom offers an exploration of the secret universe we all carry inside us, the connections we forge with the worlds of our friends and loved ones, and the products of our worlds reflected in the things we create outside of ourselves. Anam Cara, Gaelic for "soul friend," is an ancient journey down a nearly forgotten path of wisdom into what it means to be human. Drawing on this age-old perspective, John O'Donohue helps us to see ourselves as the Celts did: we're more than just flesh, blood, and bone; we comprise individual worlds. The comprehension of the sublime architecture of the worlds we are born with will engender a new appreciation for the outside world and the way we contribute to its evolution.
Book Description
When St. Patrick first came to Ireland in the 5th century A.D, he encountered the Celts, a unique race of people who found divinity all around them: in the rivers and hills, the sea and sky and in every kind of animal. Surviving to this day, the Celts' reverence for the spirit in all things, and their celebration of the continuous mysteries of everyday existence is a vibrant spiritual legacy unique in the Western world, one that has captured the imaginations of thousands of Americans rediscovering the wisdom of the past.
In Anam Cara (Gaelic for "soul friend"), O'Donohue takes readers into a world where God's passionate side is celebrated and the Fates are not feared. Drawing on the wisdom of the Celts and their Druid shamans; the imbas (inspirational sagas) of the wandering bards; and the sacred fountainhead of the Christian monasteries, Anam Cara goes beyond traditional religious programs to provide an intuitive and truly accessible approach to spirituality. Exploring themes such as the divinity of solitude, the spirituality of the senses, the mystery of friendship, the beauty of aging and the concept of death in the Celtic tradition, it helps readers reconnect with the world around them and awaken the power hidden in their souls.
Customer Reviews:
The Philosophy, Poetry and Spirituality of Life.......2007-09-08
John O'Donohue's best-selling "Anam Cara" is one of the most profound books I have read this year and is a must read for those searching for the deeper meaning of life, purpose and eternity. "Anam Cara" (soul friend) is a rare synthesis of philosophy, poetry, and spirituality with O'Donohue moving your mind, heart and soul on every page. He has packed so much into this book that you may, as I did, want to read just few pages a day.
O'Donohue integrates philosophy, poetry, and spirituality as he reveals the mystery of friendship, the spirituality of the senses, the importance of solitude, the poetry of work, the beauty of aging, and our daily companion, death. You will be rewarded with uncommon wisdom and unique insights on each topic.
On friendship, O'Donohue speaks to the circle of belonging, love being the nature of the soul, and the soul being the divine echo.
On the senses - the holiness of the gaze, listening as worship, the language of touch, and the body being both the angel and mirror of the soul.
On solitude - the world of the soul is secret, transfiguring the ego is to liberate the soul, the natural is to be holy, and one of the greatest sins is the unlived life.
On work - the expression of the soul, weakness and power, the false trap of belonging, work and imagination, and how heartful work brings beauty.
On aging - time as a circle, our harvest, memories, passion and aging, wisdom as poise and grace, and the freedom aging brings.
And death - the unknown companion, the faces of death in everyday life, death as the root of fear
the dead are our nearest neighbors, birth as death, and how the dead bless us.
"Anam Cara" is a beautiful book that will increase your understanding of yourself, your relationships, the world around you, and how we relate to the divine in all aspects of life.
Anam Cara.......2007-05-31
Parts of this book were very readable and understandable, but much of it was too philosophical and only understandable if raised in the Celtic traditions.
Excellent Overview of Celtic Wisdom.......2007-05-23
John O'Donohue truly has the Irish gift of storytelling, and the skills with language to make this topic come alive.
One of the best in this genre..
"Soul Friend".......2007-05-12
Anam means Soul and Cara means Friend in Irish Gaelic. This is a truely wonderful and spiritual book.
Its funny. When we think of rich culture and spirituality most of us look to the east and far east for inspiration. It's amazing how much spirituality and culture is here at our doorsteps and especially in Ireland!
I love this book because it echoes the wisdom of all the philosphers and prophets that have lived throughout history. It talks about how each of us has an "Anam Cara", a soul friend to help us learn and develop along this lifes journey. It describes how your Anam Cara helps you to see yourself completely and honesty. Even the bits you don't like and would rather hide!
John Donohue combines the rich Irish culture with christianity to discribe a way of being that requires no religion. A way in which each soul can be free and know its full potential.
Thank you John for enriching my life with this gem of a book.X
Words to ponder.......2007-01-18
This is a Sunday afternoon read or before a time of meditation. The author gives words of wisdom,inspiration and comfort. He speaks to the mind, heart and spirit.
Book Description
Reveals how the super-science of the sun and the higher orders of spirituality are concealed and contained in the Holy Grail
• Connects the discovery of 4,000-year-old Celtic mummies in China with the transmission of this ancient knowledge
• Documents the truth of the Holy Grail’s connection with King Arthur and Joseph of Arimathea
• Confirms the pedigree of the Grail using secret information from the Mayan Pyramid of Inscriptions in Mexico and the Gateway of the Sun in Peru
Using the same knowledge that enabled him to break the codes of the Mayas, Peruvians, Egyptians, and Chinese, Maurice Cotterell now follows the migration of the Celts 4,000 years ago from Asia, across Europe, to Ireland. His account of this epic journey together with his knowledge of the secret codes of the Celts help him to identify and locate the Holy Grail, the actual cup used by Christ and his disciples at the Last Supper.
The author explains the true story of the Grail: how it contains the secret super-science of the sun and the higher orders of spirituality; how it was carried to England by Joseph of Arimathea; how in A.D. 453 it was found by King Arthur, who engraved it with the same esoteric information found on the Pyramid of Inscriptions in Palenque, Mexico, and the Gateway of the Sun at Tiahuanaco in ancient Peru. His discoveries reveal that the Grail does actually radiate light, in accordance with the Arthurian legends, proving that the so-called legends are actually based on fact. The author goes on to show how the holy cup was passed for safekeeping to the monks of Lindisfarne, who copied the secrets of the Grail into the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Kells. Fleeing from Viking raids, the monks carried their treasures to Ireland, explaining how the cup found its way to the Dublin Museum--where it rests today.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyable read with fun research.......2006-08-29
This book was an enjoyable read. Like many coast to coast authors his research is great and very interesting, but ... The conclusions he comes up with I do not share with him. He relies too much on a set of numbers and that could be found on any evidence if looked hard enough for. Overall a fun and interesting book, but still doesnt prove his claims to my satisfaction. File this book under specualtion.
Average customer rating:
- The Celts, Wiccafied Again (Unfortunately)
- A broad but readable introduction to Celtic Wicca, but historically and mythologically inaccurate. Only recommended to Wiccans.
- New Age "Celtic" Fluff
- Great book!
- pretty decent
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Celtic Women's Spirituality: Accessing the Cauldron of Life
Edain McCoy
Manufacturer: Llewellyn Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Women of the Celts
ASIN: 1567186726 |
Amazon.com
The popularity of the Celtic revival is evident by the number of books on the subject, yet an assessment of women's spirituality within this cultural tradition has remained elusive. Edain McCoy addresses this very topic and thus opens new doors for women, allowing them access to a tradition that can be easily blended into most current beliefs, including Christianity and paganism. McCoy skillfully examines the history of women in ancient Celtic society and reveals its significance to the women of today. Celtic Women's Spirituality details commonly practiced rituals such as the Celtic festivals of the year, and includes more uncommon traditions such as the soul-friend bonding known as Anamchara, and aspects of Celtic shamanism such as shape shifting. Women who have felt distanced from their spirituality should explore these traditional pathways for incorporating the power of their warrior archetypes into their 20th-century lives.
Customer Reviews:
The Celts, Wiccafied Again (Unfortunately).......2007-07-15
Yet another non-scholarly Llewelyn publication, this time by a Wiccan trying to cram all things Celtic into their system, when the two just will NEVER fit correctly. Some glaring errors;
1. Ms. McCoy asserts that the Celts had triple goddesses; the "maiden-mother-crone," but these aspects are purely Wiccan and have NO place in a discussion about the Celts. Although the Celts did have some triune deities, they were typically triple-faced & not split into the modern, Wiccan divisions that Ms. McCoy places them. Considering that this is the basis of the entire book, we can throw the book away.
2. Ms. McCoy shows the Celtic wheel of the year as identical to the Wiccan wheel of the year, but there's no evidence that the Celts celebrated Yule, Ostara OR Mabon. If anything, the glaring lack of that evidence suggests they did NOT celebrate those modern, Wiccan inventions.
3. Ms. McCoy gets into the use of the "crane bag." Again, this is a later invention, not a purely Celtic one.
4. The book is so full of meditations & made up rituals that there's very little to learn from it, unless you base your spirituality on someone else's belief system.
The author's blurb states; "Edain is also an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church." For those who don't know it, the ULC will ordain ANYONE, for free, over the internet.
The Celts believed that all things were inherently connected, all things were one. As such, Celtic systems will never fit properly in a Wiccan context, where everything is split into dualities, triplicities, quadruplicities & more.
Maybe someday Wiccans will stop trying to dilute & distort Celtic principals. Until then, far too many people are going to waste too much money on too many really bad books.
My credentials; I have been studying the Celts & Druids for at least a decade now and have been Druid of two groves.
A broad but readable introduction to Celtic Wicca, but historically and mythologically inaccurate. Only recommended to Wiccans........2006-07-27
Celtic Women's Spirituality is at best an introduction to Celtic Wicca. Without delving much into history or myth and legend, McCoy pulls out some aspects that she sees in ancient Celtic religion and connects them to aspects of mainstream Wicca. She envisions the three-faced Goddesses in Celtic mythology as the triple-goddess (virgin, mother, and crone) in Wicca, overemphasizes the female warrior in Celtic history in order to create a strong archetype for women to follow, has a number of sections about "Celtic shamanism," and provides a lengthy, somewhat arbitrary wheel of the year. The book is a broad introduction to Celtic Wicca, with a general overview of the factors that she sees as important and a sprinkling of guided meditations and rituals. What Celtic Women's Spirituality is not is an introduction to historic pre-Christian Celtic religion. Many of the factors that McCoy focuses on don't arise from Celtic myth or Celtic history, and they are heavily adapted to fit Wicca. If you are interested in "actual" Celtic religion and culture, or Celtic Reconstruction, this is not the book for you.
McCoy does her audience a disservice by not clearly separating Celtic myth and history from Wiccan aspects or showing where fact ends and her extrapolations begin. She writes as if everything she says comes directly from and applies well to Wicca, implying that aspects such as the three-fold Goddess and Celtic shamanism are authentic aspects of pre-Christian Celtic religions. However, the version of Celtic religion that McCoy presents in this book is actually highly adapted and modified to fit Wicca, sometimes picking up on similar strains, sometimes extrapolating from what was into what could be. As such, this book should be considered Celtic Wicca, not Celtic Paganism.
As a book on Celtic Wicca, McCoy writes a broad but clear introduction to the faith as she sees it. She doesn't delve into great depth but she gives an overview of a number of aspects (conceptions of self, conceptions of Goddess figures, a few rituals, a number of guided mediations, and a number of correlations between symbol/deity/meaning). The few Celtic aspects that she focuses on she translates well into a Wiccan context. The entire book is geared towards women, and encourages strength, independence, and self-association to the female deities. It is actually a rather enjoyable, self-affirming read.
That said, this book shouldn't be confused with Celtic myth, history, or pre-Christian religion. McCoy's basis in Celtic myth and history is limited at best, and all of the aspects she focuses on are highly adapted and interpolated. While she sums up the myths on a broad scale, the detail that she draws from them, as well as from Celtic society and ancient religious practice, are more opinion that fact. If your interest lies in actual Celtic Pagan religious beliefs and practices, for either academic or religious reasons, then you will have better luck reading textbooks and history books. I'd direct you towards the "Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism" religion and encourage you to skip this text--no matter how easy it is to read, it has a limited basis in history, comes highly adapted, and is misleading. Doing research on actual Celtic history and religion will take longer, but it will unearth facts rather than opinions and will provide much more depth than McCoy's text.
New Age "Celtic" Fluff.......2006-03-18
She's a good author for those who want to take a teeny side step from the Wiccan tradition, without fully departing from Wicca. All of her works have a firm foundation in Wicca and this book is no exception.
Great book!.......2005-01-03
I think that this book is a great book for any woman who feels connected with Celtic spirituality. This book gives insight on the different celtic goddesses, the triple goddess, and several other aspects. The rituals and guided meditation is great. She poses questions that will truly have you thinking about yourself as a woman. I give it five stars because I have read one of McCoy's books before and I think that this is definitely one of the best celtic books I have read.
pretty decent.......2004-04-07
I'd ordered this back on one of my deployments for something to read. Its pretty good - I enjoyed the historical aspects, but didn't have much used for the rituals as they were mainly geared towards 2 or more people. I think I'm probably still looking for more solid history, less ritual practice. But, all in all, it was a good book and will probably cover what most folk are looking for.
Book Description
Irish Witchcraft From an Irish Witch is a delightful mixture of academia and accessibility; a book that explores Witchcraft in Ireland: how it was, is, and will be. It succeeds where many books have failed-fulfilling the longing for real Irish Witchcraft, while crafting the delicate balance between learning from the past and weaving a modern system based on truth and respect. Lora O'Brien is a genuine Irish Witch, making no claims of "fraudulent family traditions"-she is simply a woman who walks her path and shares her experiences, working closely with her heritage and land in a contemporary setting. Irish Witchcraft From an Irish Witch explores the past: * Providing an investigation of the Witches' place in Irish mythology. * Looking at Witchcraft and magic by examining the customs connected with the Sidhe. * Examining historical evidence of the Witch trials that swept across the isle. And the present and beyond by: * Working with Irish deities, landscapes, energies, and antiquities. * Examining the wheel of the year, with its festivals, cycles, and seasons of Irish culture. * Looking at ritual progression through a Witch's life: magical training, physical growth. * Providing alternatives to the traditional stages of a child's life in modern Irish culture.
Customer Reviews:
Irish Witchcraft from an Irish Witch.......2007-01-04
This book is just grand. It shows how to pronounce Gaelic and tells of Irish Witches of the past which drew me in . I think it is one of the more fun books to read. I would buy more books from this author!!!
A Wake-up Call!.......2006-12-07
Lora O'Brien has written a book that is both dead serious in tone and puncuated with her Irish wit.
This is not a book for fluffy bunnies, wanna-be's, 'Charmed' fans, et al. This is the experience of a woman who is Irish and a witch, and lives it. She pushes aside layers of blatant and not so blatnat misinformation on beign Irish and being a witch. While realizing we cannot all move to Ireland and pick up the language, we can understand the experience she shares with us on being as authentic as possible.
In a lot of ways, her approach is akin to Ray Buckland in his groundbreaking books, "The Complete Book of Witchcraft" and "The Tree". Buckland had to dispell stereotypes and rumors of orgies, drug/alchol consumption, 'black mass', etc. As that has largely been cleared away thru the pagan/witch community, the new sterotypes-instant gratification, fancy, meaningless titles, spinning "burning times" icons, and using magick indiscrimatantly have to be dispelled to see the real soul of the Witch-not the trappings of "Pentacles, Inc.
O'Brien covers sabbats, stages of the Witch's life, persecution, sacred sites, and dieties. This book is a serious look at herself, her tradition and her future. It's also worth a look as your future, too.
I cannot reccomend this book enough. If you are a serious witch, you'll see some of yourself here and find new doors in your soul to explore. If you are looking to become a serious witch, and are ready to drop the party games, this book will help you map your escape route.
I read a lot of books. I attend lectures, teach, and just chat with others about our faith and craft. This book is destined to become a modern classic. You may not agree with everything, but you've got a real friend in this opus.
So mote it be,
Ty
This Book Is It Folks!!!.......2006-05-01
After reading numerous books on the subject of wicca/witchcraft, and hearing them used as the same word for so long, I am really glad someone finally put the fact that they are indeed two different things. This is not a book for the "frou frou" wiccans as I like to call them. If you want "frou frou" look elsewhere. This is a must have book in your library if you are truly trying to deciepher between that of the once very serious craft, now being over run by "frou frou's" who think that charmed is witchcraft at it's finest. If you are studying anything Celtic period this book is great, It's not just witchcraft in Ireland, it's history, it's geography it's IRELAND Period. Was a great read, finished it in 1 day actually, and I look forword to more from this author.
Slainte!
Irish Path Specific.......2005-10-28
I groaned when I first read the title of this book. I thought it was yet another in those series of inane "this is the True Way of witchcraft" books that glut the shelves on the big bookstore chains. You know the ones...real magick books, faery lore books and the White Witch spell books.
I decided to read it with an open mind, however. I was surprised by the second page of the introduction to find that Ms. O'Brien echoes many of my sentiments of walking one's talk. She suggests that witchcraft is one of many paths to Divine enlightenment and if you choose to follow the Irish Witchcraft Path, to do so in earnest and in all seriousness. In this chapter, she discusses the various definitions of Wicca, The Rede, witchcraft, Pagan, magic and what they mean in terms of Irish witchcraft. She is very clear to explain that this is the path she is following and that it may not be for everyone. She also makes the distinction that Irish witchcraft has to do with Ireland and a strong connection to that land, and that part of the world.
Part I of the book was the most difficult for me to follow. Ms. O'Brien has a strong belief that if one is to follow a path strongly connected to a certain area/culture that you learn the language. Failing that she advises learning the proper pronunciations of the various tribes, Gods, Goddesses and holidays. I must admit my head was swimming before I was halfway through this section. I was never much good at names, and the transliterations are not quite the same as having a real Gaelic speaker sitting next to you correcting your woeful mispronunciations.
My favorite part of the book was the second section, entitled "How it Is". In this portion of the book, which the author herself calls the most personal of the book, we follow her journey while she meets the land and its magical and supernatural inhabitants. She goes into her meeting of her chosen Goddess (or rather the Goddess who chose her). Although she maintained a rather general accounting of the actual ceremony, it was intriguing enough in the telling to hold the readers attention. The real meat and potatoes of the book are in this chapter of the book.
The final division of the book was about general Irish community, both Pagan and non-Pagan peoples. There are also numerous listings of resources and an index.
This is an excellent book, but by its very nature, it is not for everyone. However, if you are serious about following an Irish witchcraft path, this is a must for your Pagan library.
W. Lyon Martin Author/Illustrator of "An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child"
Disappointing.......2005-09-11
I don't know what I was expecting when I purchased this book. I guess I was expecting a real, ancient, generations past look into witchcraft in it's early stages and how it evolved in the authors family. After all, Irish Witchcraft from and Irish Witch? What more could one want? Considerably more. I assumed that there would be more on the history of her family as a multi-generation witch. And I assumed there would be more of the "real" witchcraft, not this "Wicca for a new Milennium" stuff. Yes, there is some good information here, but my expectations were apparently too high.
Amazon.com
A must-read for anybody who believes she or he may be housing a haranguing haunt, hypnotherapist Louise Ireland-Frey packs this 333-page volume with hundreds of case histories to illustrate how and why the living may become "possessed," "obsessed," or "influenced" by the dead. Making the case that most invading spirits do not have evil intent but rather are frightened, confused, or just plain lost, she describes how she and her colleagues have learned to release the living from the dead and the dead from the living. The doctor's down-to-earth delivery may make a believer out of the most devout skeptic, thereby providing an alternative therapeutic approach for a host of possibly misdiagnosed physical, mental, and emotional disorders previously deemed impervious to treatment. --Randall Cohan
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating.......2007-09-26
The author does a splendid job of describing various forms of "attachment" with accompanying case histories. It is a most thought provoking book, and I would recommend that everyone read it. It does provide an alternative explanation to many of the unexplainable behaviours, illnesses, and unusual situations that often plague humanity. It also removes the "fear" that many have regarding death and the afterlife....how easy it is to just simply 'go to the light'.
Highly recommended for Spirit Releasement.......2004-08-01
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The reader who was disappointed and gave this book "1 star" must have missed the point and the purpose of this book. The books is about Spirit Releasement and it contains an abundance of real-life stories, which make it for an enjoyable and easy reading.
The author doesn't state that all problems in anyone's life are related to spirit releasement, however she does tactfully and routinelly check for the possibility of any mental and energetic influences from external sources. It simply makes it easier when assisting the client to deal with issue that actually relate to the client.
It is not the purpose of spirit releasement techniques to place all the blame and responsibility on outer sources. After all, it is the individual's own thoughts and emotions that open the person to any external influences. And even when spirit releasement does indeed provide speedy relief from some perplexing problems, unless the individual invests some conscious effort in maintaining healthy state of mind, emotions and body, he may very well open himself to more unhealthy influences.
The thing that I particularly like about spirit releasement books as opposite to exorcism books is that the therapist doesn't just remove the unhealthy influence, but makes sure to help it to understand and exprience that there is a better way to live and that it is in its best interests.
I like Irene Hickman's metaphor (from her book "Remote Depossession") that compares the exorcism method to taking nails out of one's tire and then tossing them out on the road, so they can pierce someone else's tires, or even one's own should the individual drive along the same road at a later time; whereas she compares spirit releasement method to actually disposing of the nails so that they don't cause damage to anyone later on.
I have particularly appreciated the compassionate approach in this book of providing a brief therapy even to disembodied spirits before directing them into the light.
The book lists and provides examples of extremely wide range of external influences - the greatest number of external influences being by lost and confused human beings who have not successfully made a transition to the spirit world.
The influences are not always by those we'd consider "dead", but also by mental influences from other living human beings. Again, I find it important to add that nothing and noone can influence the person, unless the person has first created some kind of an opening to be influenced. Most of us take daily care that our bodies and clothes are clean - not many take care that their thoughts and emotions are clean, too.
Freeing the Captives: The Emerging Therapy of Treating Spiri.......2001-07-03
Sometimes a spirit, or soul, gets confused when its earthly body dies. It either doesn't see the light that awaits it, or fails to turn to the light. And sometimes these confused spirits attach themselves to new living bodies, interfering with the soul that already inhabits that body. In Freeing the Captives: The Emerging Therapy of Treating Spirit Attachment, hypnotherapist Louise Ireland-Frey, M.D. details how and why these "obsessing entities" must be released.
A pioneer in "spirit releasement therapy," Dr. Ireland-Frey practiced medicine until 1979. At age 67, she then began a new career as a hypnotherapist. Since then she has studied with others doing releasement and helped hundreds of clients.
Dr. Ireland-Frey believes there are two parts to releasement: the living person must first have the obsessing entity freed from it; and then the freed entity must be shown the way to light, so that it finds its proper place and doesn't attach itself to others.
Releasement is also known as "dispossession" by other practitioners.
Persons who have attached spirits may experience personality changes, become inexplicably depressed, or find themselves doing things they normally wouldn't do. Dr. Ireland-Frey has included dozens of case studies that illustrate how attached spirits affect people, and how she, and other practitioners, have released them.
"The earthbound souls of deceased human beings are by far the most commonly found kind of obsessing or oppressing entity," according to Dr. Ireland-Frey. There are, however, various other kinds of entitles, such as past-life personalities, negative thought-forms, elementals, and "dark beings of a demonic nature." The obsessing entities can occupy physical locations, such as homes, as well as living bodies. For those readers interested in helping others with releasement, the final chapter offers basic instructions and cautions. Dr. Ireland-Frey says "the need is great; many souls are wandering or hiding, some in bewilderment, some in fear of hell, some in fear of continuing terrors of war, abuse, or betrayal." She urges readers to "reach out to these souls and rescue or release some of these needy ones." Practitioners must take care, however, to first protect themselves from possession.
Freeing the Captives sheds new light on the age-old problem of possession and offers hope and encouragement to those whom invading entities have attached themselves, as well as providing guidance to those wishing to help free the living person and the obsessing entity.
Entities in our daily lives.......2000-09-13
I am in the healing field and found this book most helpful. During the time I was reading the book, four people came to me who had entity possessions. I followed the format in the stories, and was able to help these people release the thoughtforms and entities. There are more things influencing our lives then what we see with the naked eye. I feel this is a growing field and more information is needed.
Freeing the Readers.......2000-04-03
I awaited my order of "Freeing the Captives" by Dr. Ireland-Frey with great interest. It seemed to address a specific problem I was researching from a novel point of view. However, my dissapointment upon obtaining it and reading it was extreme. Even after redefining possession in this rather politically correct view of 'spirit attachment', the author fails to offer more than bone or two toward the how's and why's. Fully 85 percent of the book are recountings of seemingly effortless 'healings'. Dr. Ireland-Frey lays the probable cause of everything from mood swings to cancer to Multiple Personality Disorder to some level of 'spirit obsession'. If you are looking for a book to aid you in seeking to understand why certain things might occur, this is not your book. If, however, you want a book full of happy endings, and not a hair mussed in achieving them, indeed "Freeing the Captives" might be exactly what you are looking for.
Book Description
Forget the myth of the sweet Irish colleen. Real Irish women were no cream-puff debs. From the ancient warrior queens Marrigan, Macha, and Badbh to the labor-movement maven Mother Jones, Irish women have backbones of steel. Wild Irish Roses is a fascinating look at wild Irish women throughout history; serious information imparted in Trina Robbins' trademark style, with verve and humor.
The women in Wild Irish Roses are not always nice girls or even good girls, but they are women who know how to get things done, whether on the battlefield or in the bedroom. These are women who preserved and handed down the old stories. They are women who fought in revolutions with either gun or pen, wrote books, starred in books others wrote, and stormed heaven itself.
Author Trina Robbins is an impeccable researcher whose knack for telling stories and embellishing them with engaging illustrations and photos, brings each of these wild Irish roses to life, including:
• Maeve and six other warrior queens
• Grania and Deirdre, who ran away from kings for the love of younger men
• Five women who turned themselves into birds to get the job done right
• Saint Brigit and the saintly Kathleen O'Shea
• Cultural revivalist Maude Gonne and friends
• Irish-American beauty roses, including Scarlett O'Hara
• And warriors in their own right, such as Mother Jones and company
Wild Irish Roses is a celebration of tough, independent, beautiful Irish women from myth to modernity. It's a book that is sure to entertain, inform, and inspire readers of every background to find the Irish rose in themselves—to discover what they want and have the courage to go out and get it.
Customer Reviews:
The power of Irish women.......2006-12-17
I read this book after having loved Ms. Robbins's 'Eternally Bad: Goddesses with Attitude,' and was not disappointed. She's now one of my favorite feminist writers, and has such a fresh hip writing style, combining the academic side of things with modern language making these tales relevant for the modern reader. As she makes clear many times throughout the book, Irish women have never exactly been shrinking violets. They knew what they want and they took it, even if it meant starting a colossal war, double-crossing a relative, selling one's soul, having to go to prison, or disfiguring oneself. According to legend, the first people to land on Irish soil were a queen and her 50 female subjects. It didn't stop there, what with plenty of feisty empowered (and not always very nice or "ladylike") goddesses, such as Maeve and the Morrigan. Women were so revered by the ancient Irish, in fact, that when Claudius Caesar came to Ireland, the people thought that Empress Agrippina was the real ruler and paid no attention to Claudius at first. Irish women also fought alongside the men, until the British outlawed female fighters in the year 697. The status of women and these legendary goddesses was so strong, in fact, that many of them were turned into saints when the Christian missionaries were converting the Emerald Isle. (I was delighted to find out that my own favorite saint, Dymphna [a real historical person and not a goddess], is also Ms. Robbins's favorite Irish saint!) And to top it all off, Irish women were among the original Lucy Stoners, keeping their names after marriage until sometime in the 19th century. You wouldn't find any women identified as Mrs. Husband's Full Name in Irish history, that's for sure!
The book goes forward in chronological order, starting with the Irish goddesses such as Maeve, Macha, and Aoife (EE-fa), and other women of ancient mythology and legend, such as Deirdre, Fand, and Grania. (I was a bit disappointed by how my own favorite Irish goddesses, Flidais and Nemetona, were left out.) It then moves onto Brigit, the most prominent example of a beloved goddess transmogrified into a saint by the early Church, and revered folk figures such as Countess Kathleen O'Shea and Biddy Early, the Witch of Clare. (It really speaks volumes about just how revered Irish women still were by how only about four women were burnt at the stake in Ireland during the Burning Times, as opposed to the hysterical fear of "witchcraft" and the women suspected of being "witches" back in Continental Europe. Most of Ireland would have been excommunicated or burnt at the stake by the Continental Church's standards!) Then we get the tales of legendary pirate queens and the bawdy entertainer Lola Montez, and finally more modern women, some of whom led the reawakening in Irish culture and nationalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fighting for freedom from the oppressive British rule, and some who fought the good fight in America. This final section includes women such as Margaret Sanger, Mother Jones (the classic "I'm not a feminist, but..."), Maud Gonne, Countess Markievicz, Lady Wilde, aka Speranza (mother of Oscar Wilde), and the fictional character Scarlett O'Hara. All in all, the stories of these truly amazing women should make anyone feel deep pride in being Irish, and make those of us who aren't Irish wish we were, or at least partly Irish. A lot of people seem to wish they were Irish already, or to take great pride in being even .0000000001% Irish on their four-greats-grandmother's side, but Irish pride and national literacy should be about knowing these ancient myths and the stories of these inspiring modern-day heroes, not drinking green beer on St. Patrick's Day or naming one's child some ridiculous pseudo-Irish name like Azzlyn (for real). (And speaking of names, I really would have appreciated some sort of pronunciation guide, even though Ms. Robbins said she used the most simplified spellings wherever possible. Let's be honest--most non-Irish folks have no idea how to pronounce names like Badb, Aedh, Cimbaoth, Skathach, or Bodb without pronunciation instructions.)
Overall, this book is a fun read and hard to put down, and highly recommended for all those interested in Irish history in general and Irish women in particular.
A bit simplistic.......2006-05-18
While I loved the tales that were told in this book, I wasn't crazy about the way the author told them. Her language is a bit simplistic and in today's vernacular. Comes across as a bit odd when telling ancient legends. But good to maybe read to kids to tell them about their heritage.
Ireland's most famous mothers, sisters & daughters.......2005-07-14
Long before the Equal Rights Amendment was even a twinkle in anyone's eye, Irish women were asserting their place in the world -- sometimes with a well-placed word, and sometimes with a well-aimed sword.
Trina Robbins provides a delightful, educational look at some of Ireland's most famous mothers, sisters and daughters in "Wild Irish Roses." Subtitled "Tales of Brigits, Kathleens & Warrior Queens," the book is packed with stories about women dating back to the far reaches of legend and as fresh as the early 20th century. Whether lusty or greedy, passionate or political, scholarly or savage, these are women with a positive, independent outlook on the world around them.
Robbins saves the tales from being dry biographies and historical anecdotes by injecting a modern woman's perspective into the prose. The dialogue she employs in her stories sounds modern, not ancient; for instance, when the goddess Macha implores her husband, Crunden, not to go to the Ulster fair, he whines, "All the other guys are going. If I don't go, they'll say I'm henpecked." (He goes anyway; bad things happen.)
Other featured characters of legend include Queen Maeve, whose desire for a powerful bull led Connaught into bloody conflict with Ulster; Skathach of Skye, the mighty warrior who trained the hero Cuchulain in the arts of war and love; Deirdre, who defied the high king of Ulster, Conor Mac Nessa, and ran off with the studly fighter Naoise; Grania, who similarly fled the wedding bed of aging warrior Finn Mac Cool with young lover Dermot; and many more.
Although the Christian church took a dim view of uppity women in later years, the coming of Christianity to Ireland didn't diminish the Irish women's strength and independence, as later chapters show. Take for example Kathleen O'Shea, who reportedly sold her soul to the devil to save the people under her care, or the Meath princess Dervorgilla, whose preference for one man over another led to England's invasion of Ireland. (OK, that turned out badly for the Irish.) The Clare witch Biddy Early defied church laws to help people as a mystical healer and seer, while Grania O'Malley, who made her home on Clare Island, grew to be Ireland's fiercest pirate queen.
There's also the goddess Brigit, whom the church made into a saint to help with its conversions, and Eliza Gilbert, who fooled the world into believing she was the Spanish beauty Lola Montez. By the 19th century, Lady Jane Wilde (Oscar's mom) was writing columns fomenting rebellion, and Lady Isabella Gregory was resurrecting Ireland's mythic past and Maud Gonne was inspiring Yeats to greater literary heights (while thrice spurning his more familiar urges). In 1916, Countess Constance Markievicz, who grew up in Sligo and married a Polish count, fought in the Easter Rising, while across the ocean, Irish Americans like Mother Jones, Elizabeth Flynn and Margaret Sanger redefined the boundaries of equal rights.
And there are more. Robbins has compiled an enoyable collection of Irish history, lore and mini-biographies to delight those with an interest in Ireland's past as well as the bold strides women have made to seize their place in the world.
A Legend of Its Own.......2005-02-08
The title "Wild Irish Roses" is an exquisite way of
saying"Read Me" and this book doesn't stop there.
The introductory illustrations by the late Nell Brinkley
grace the book as if it were an extension of Trina
Robbins's book:" Nell Brinkley and the Early 20th
Century Woman."
Simultaneously,"Wild Irish Roses" has a stunning and
exciting similarity to Trina Robbins's book
"Eternally Bad : Goddesses With Bad Attitudes" almost
like another extension ,however,set in Ireland.
This book,no matter what similarities may grace it with
with their uniqueness,is more than capable of standing
on its own with its' uniquess and quality.
Through legends,myths, history,and folklore there is
never a dull moment.In fact,there's never a moment when
you willingly want to put the down!
It is so intricately put together with obvious research
and gifted writing I became a part of the book.
I would give it more than 5 stars if I could!
Book Description
It is hard to overestimate the importance of the contribution made by Dame Frances Yates to the serious study of esotericism and the occult sciences. To her work can be attributed the contemporary understanding of the occult origins of much of western scientific thinking, indeed of western civilization itself. The Occult Philosophy of the Elizabethan Age was her last book, and in it she condensed many aspects of her wide learning to present a clear, penetrating, and, above all, accessible survey of the occult movements of the Renaissance, highlighting the work of John Dee, Giordano Bruno, and other key esoteric figures. The book is invaluable in illuminating the relationship between occultism and Renaissance thought, which in turn had a profound impact on the rise of science in the seventeenth century. Stunningly written and highly engaging, Yates' masterpiece is a must-read for anyone interested in the occult tradition.
Customer Reviews:
Remarkable Insights; Insanity Abounds.......2005-12-02
Although she probably did not intend the work to serve such a purpose, Dame Frances Yates' book is certainly key to understanding the history of sixteenth and early seventeenth century Western Civilization. For between these covers, we find the essential truth that Elizabethan England represented the joining of forces of Hermetic Western occult traditions with Jewish cabalistic mysticism. These streams of thought resulted in a messianic view of Elizabethan England as a kind of British Israel mystique, to use the author's phrase. With this, we see England shorn of the traditional Faith of her people now allied with the international bankers and tradesmen of the Low Countries and Asia Minor, in defiant opposition to Christian Spain and the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. These insights are remarkable and essential to the understanding of this crucial epic of history. For these insights, we are forever grateful.
However, much of the corpus of this text is filled with complete and utter insanity. For instance, we have Pfefferkorn, who inveighed strongly against the teaching of Reuchlin, identified by the author as an "anti-semite". The problem with this identification is, of course, that Pfefferkorn was a Jewish convert. One wonders in seeing a formulation such as this how a Jewish scholar could be an "anti-semite". But it gets better. Throughout the text, the phrase, "Christian cabala" recurs. The "cabala" here referred to is the black magic canon of Jewish lore, that is the primary basis for much of modern Western occultism. The notion of "Christian cabala" is then pretty much equivalent with the idea of a promiscuous virgin. But then, in a way, it is consistent with an author who could identify a Jewish scholar as an "anti-Semite".
Despite the foregoing, the text is eminently readable and important. As previously mentioned, the insights contained are essential for the student of Renaissance and Reformation Western Civilization.
Compelling and Insightful Work on the Esoteric Tradition.......2005-04-11
Frances Yates was a scholar of world renown most famous for her text, The Art of Memory, and the biographical study, Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition. In this work, The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age, what has been known as `occult philosophy' in the Renaissance, revived by Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola, she explores the "Christianized" version of the Jewish Cabala, and its manifestation and influential affects on religious and philosophical ideas, including the arts, during the Elizabethan Age.
Yates begins with her proposed theses that, in past analyses of occult philosophy, it has focused primarily on the Hermetic tradition. She claims that this occult tradition should be called the "Hermetic-Cabalist", as the ideas are not solely Hermetic in nature, but have a strong Jewish Cabalistic influence, albeit in a Christianized form, as formulated by Marsilio Ficino.
This text is a rich analysis on the history of ideas. Yates adeptly sketches the influences of the hermetic-cabala in the Renaissance, moving forward to one of the more influential texts that affected this tradition more than any other treatise, Henry Cornelius Agrippa's, Three Books of Occult Philosophy. She also focuses her study on three other influential personages, the Cabalist Friar, Francesco Giorgi, and his work, "De harmonia mundi", and the works of Johannes Reuchlin. Yates also looks at the mysterious Elizabethan magus, Dr. John Dee, known as the "Queen's Conjurer" citing the doctor's primary sources of his own work directly to Agrippa. Her claim is that John Dee, was in fact, along with Agrippa, Giorgi and Reuchlin, Christian Cabalists.
The theme of this work is that there was a philosophy of the occult from the Italian Renaissance that operated and was renewed in the Elizabethan Renaissance. To back this thesis, she cites examples from great works of Elizabethan literature that have strikingly blatant examples of this occult philosophy, such as Spenser's The Faerie Queene; Christopher Marlowe's famous play, Doctor Faustus; and Shakespeare's A Mid Summer Night's Dream, Hamlet, King Lear and, of course, The Tempest. What these works of literature have in common are expressed tenets of the Christian Cabalist occult tradition, alluding to the works and lives of Agrippa and John Dee. Yates' arguments are compelling and deserve, as she herself notes, further study by scholars.
This was Yates' last work. She has become one of the most read and respected scholars on the history of the esoteric tradition. This work brings to light an intellectual movement that has been suppressed or dismissed by "serious' scholars as superstitious or irrelevant at best. It is because of her research that these once suppressed intellectual movements have regained legitimacy in the history of ideas and their relevance to the development of Western thought.
The text's style is not only written for the scholar or academic, but fortunately can also be read by the laymen interested in the history of the Western occult tradition.
Tip of the iceberg.......2003-06-23
Frances Yates was first recommended to me more than a decade ago and I'm sorry that I waited so long to read her. THE OCCULT PHILOSOPHY IN THE ELIZABETHAN AGE challenged many things I thought I knew about the Renaissance and Reformation, and it more than whetted my appetite for Yates's biography of Giordano Bruno.
Beginning with the strange figure of Raymond Lull, a 13th-century Spanish mystical philosopher who could read both Arabic and Hebrew (an unusual accomplishment for a Christian of his or any other time), Yates traces the influence of the "occult philosophy" on Western Christendom through the Italian and continental Renaissance to Elizabethan England. "Occult philosophy" seems to me be the wrong terminology for the Hermetic/Cabalistic spiritual science that inspired some of the greatest minds of the age, if for no other reason than that it rather discredits the whole enterprise from the outset. Part of Yates's design, after all, is to remind us that there was a time when science and religion were not at loggerheads with one another, a time before "the connections of the psyche with the cosmos" were cut off at their roots.
In the first part of the book, Yates sets the stage with brief discussions of the thought of Lull, Pico della Mirandola, Johannes Reuchlin, Francesco Giorgi, and Henry Cornelius Agrippa, and she offers a new interpretation of an engraving by Albrecht Durer. At the heart of what Yates calls Christian Cabala were two central ideas: that the name of Jesus is the Tetragrammaton, the "ineffable name" of God; and that there is a unity of truth behind the appearance of things accessible to those afflicted (or blessed) by "inspired melancholy".
In the second part of the book, Yates examines the influence of Christian Cabala on English philosphers and poets, including John Dee, Edmund Spenser, Shakespeare and Milton. The backlash against the occult philosophy -- signalling the end of the Renaissance -- is also examined.
You will walk away from this book with a profound sense of the largely unrecognized contribution made by Jewish culture to the development of modern Western philosophy and science. The expulsion of the Jews (and the Moors) from Spain after 1492 (not to mention the unintended consequences of forced conversions) takes on new meaning in the light of Yates's researches.
One weakness of this book, however, is its failure to consider the possible Islamic influence on the development of the occult philosophy in Western Europe. Lull, after all, studied not only Cabala but also the great Muslim philosopher Ibn Rushd (Averroes). While one cannot discount the enormous influence of the exiled Sephardic Jews, one should also remember that medieval Spain was home to a most fruitful cross-fertilization of Jewish and Islamic thought. Yates admits that she's no Hebrew scholar, but a knowledge of Arabic might also have been of benefit here.
Another weakness is Yates's rather prosaic and unengaged approach to her subject matter. This is understandable perhaps in a scholar, but her reluctance to let slip her passion is our loss.
Important synthesis of Renaissance history.......2002-05-26
As the title states this book sets out to find the philosophical roots of Elizabethan culture of the late XVI and early XVII century. The question posited by Dame Frances Yates is : What was the underlying Philosophy of the Elizabethan age and she points unmistakably to the occult philosophy i.e. Hermeticism tempered by Christian Neoplatonism and Qabbalah. Origins of the Elizabethan culture are traced straight to the Medici court, Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola. Yates being no believer of the operative work of magic, still provides enough food for thought for the student of Renaissance humanism, history of ideas or budding hermeticist. Although this book grew out from a series of lectures on "Inspired Melancholy" it still manages to tie in such diverse subjects as historical background of Ben Johnson's The Alchemist and Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus (Henry Cornelius Agrippa seen as the inspiration for the character), philosophico/magical/religious meaning of Elizabethan poetry (Spencer, Raleigh), the dramas of Shakespear (specially the Tempest and King Lear) and content of Durer's famous print Melencolia. The strengths of Frances Yates writing is precisely the ability to show the unifying idea behind these seemingly diverse works of art and philosophy. An important part of this book is connected to the destiny of the exiled Spanish Sephardim jews who spread the medical writings of Avicenna and rich literature of Iberian Qabbalism.
Yates history provides an alternative view of English history at the time of Tudor and Stewart dynasties most importantly in their relation to Ecclesiastical powers and politics of continental Europe.
This is a wonderful book that will stimulate a fundamental rethinking of the view of European Political and intellectual history.
Writer of this review is the translator of the book into Serbian .
Good, but not Yates at her best.......2001-11-26
Dame Frances Yates had an incredible impact on the study of early modern magic and occultism. Although she wrote on other subjects, her primary legacy is in this field, particularly her books _Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition_ and _The Art of Memory_. For anyone interested in the occult Renaissance, these books are both absolutely required reading.
As a scholar, Yates had some bad habits, and these are most obvious in _The Rosicrucian Enlightenment_ and, to a lesser extent, _The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age_. In these books, we see her habit of beginning with a "What if?" proposition, then repeating it in stronger and stronger formulations until it has become an accepted fact.
_The Occult Philosophy_ has this problem to some degree, but the primary problem is that Yates tries to deal with a subject on which she is not qualified to pronounce: Kabbalah. As she asmits, she is not a Hebraist, and her only access to Kabbalah comes from reading some of Gershom Scholem's work. Of course, she cannot be faulted for writing on the subject before Kabbalah became a large and accepted field of study within Jewish Studies, but Yates here displays her usual tendency to overstate her case.
A related problem is that she can be rather offhanded in her treatment of figures peripheral to her obsessions (i.e. anyone not John Dee or Giordano Bruno), and this can lead her to distort matters by repeating others' second-hand analyses.
Having said all this, bear in mind that it's Frances Yates we're talking about here. Stacked up against her best books, _The Occult Philosophy_ looks pretty sad; stacked up against almost anything else in the field, it's drop-dead brilliant: it's very well written, charming, stimulating, and extremely accessible. If you like Yates, read this book now, just take it with a little grain or so of salt; if you haven't experienced Yates yet, DON'T buy this --- read _Giordano Bruno_ NOW!
Yates had her faults, certainly, but she almost singlehandedly invented a field of study. This is an important part of the Yates corpus, but by no means its core.
Book Description
For all those who have felt the tug of memory or a connection to some time and place that came before, this book explores the depths of one's connections to ancestors, to the land, to the mysteries of life. Continuing with themes from his first book, The Mist-Filled Path, the author brings readers along as he journeys to Ireland for a shamanic conference and shares his experiences and how they tie in to the meanings of Celtic traditions. Readers recognize connections to other spiritual traditions and shamanic teachings of other indigenous peoples. They also discover ways to reconnect with their own heritage and to cull the good teachings and incorporate them into their personal spiritual practices. Offering evocative writing, a fresh look at ancient ideas, practical exercises, and guided meditations, the book makes a perfect entry point for readers seeking shamanic wisdom and guidance.
Customer Reviews:
The Spiral Speaks.......2006-10-27
How rare it is to discover the voice of the Ancient Ones in modern writing. Truelly this is a book to reread and nurture over and over as your heart awakens from its own dreaming. I especially enjoyed the three segments as spirals of initiation for those called to the path of Celtic shamanism. My own experiences resonate with MacEowens as I too have walked backwards in time to remember from where I came. We are the ones we have been waiting for and may the Clan awaken globally.
Recently I have also read a book that has similiar energy and she too has some very amazing experiences from the days of old. Eclipse of Fate...my healing journey through past-life recall written by Barbara Burritt echoes the voices of ancient mysteries. Try it as well as Franks first book, The Mist-filled Path. Waiting to read your next one Mr. MacEowen!
An On-Going Journey.......2006-03-21
As someone who has some basic experience with shamanism, I find Frank's second book a most enjoyable and informative read. He takes us further along his personal journey and shares his well-researched material in a practical manner that we can easily integrate into our own practises and beliefs, whatever they may be. He has inspired me once again to explore my own Celtic Scotish shamanic heritage.
A wonderful spiritual journey!.......2005-07-21
I would like to recommend this wonderful book on Celtic Shamanism. The Spiral of Memory and Belonging is a journey of the soul, and our connection with the earth and spirit realms that our ancestors were attuned to.
There are exercises in here to help you get in touch with your ancestors, and explanations as to what a shaman really is. This book really opened my eyes to the Otherworld.
I bought this book to help me to understand the ancient tribes of Scotland. I found that and much more. I discovered my own hidden spirituality. It was a very inspirational book for me and written in a poetic style that made it a joy to read.
Compelling.......2005-06-16
The Spiral of Memory and Belonging is a good book but it is not a great book by any means. I was at first riveted and then the fire died down as the author plunged into fluff and repetition without going anywhere. Then the book redeemed itself at the discussion of the three spirals. I was slightly taken aback at the description of the downward spiral. I believe there are many reasons why someone could head downward. The threshold and upward spiral were also useful. I found the section on healing family/ancestral wounds also pertinent. Although I wanted more. I think the author has experienced much more and has a LOT to offer but this book only hints at it. Definitely worthwhile reading for anyone new to shamantic practise but it is still vague and full of fluff for those familiar with these experiences.
the spiral in terms of energy work.......2005-05-25
I am a reiki master. As I started reading this book I was struck by the simularities between Dana energy and Reiki energy. I believe them to be the same. This book explained some of the imagery in my initiation visions. It is a great book for energy workers and those who are begining or in the process of shamanic initiations. This book is more profound than his first book. It is more on am intermediate level. I strongly recomend it and for those more interested in Dana energies I recomend Reiki
Average customer rating:
- This is a fascinating idea...
- Interesting read
- Some Interesting Insights but No Overall Unity of Vision
- An awesome yet frustrating book.
- Earlier roots of the English Founding Myth - in Turkey?
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Beowulf & Grendel: The Truth Behind England's Oldest Legend
John Grigsby
Manufacturer: Watkins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Beowulf & Grendel
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ASIN: 1842931539 |
Book Description
The legend of Beowulf and Grendel is one of the founding works of modern Western literature. It tells the story of the monster-slaying hero, Beowulf, who frees the feasting hall of a Danish king from the 12-year tyranny of the hideous creature Grendel. For decades, scholars have assumed that the warrior Beowulf was based on an actual historic person, but that Grendel was the work of imagination. In Beowulf and Grendel, John Grigsby reveals the true basis for Grendel's battle with Beowulf. Grigsby explains how a cult migrated to England from Denmark and Germany, bringing with it a practice of human sacrifice. It is the violent suppression of this cult in the fifth century that underlies Beowulf's fantastic deeds. Fusing historical research with literary study, Grigsby presents a compelling case for the true-life roots of a classic work of art.
Customer Reviews:
This is a fascinating idea..........2007-05-14
I'm a medical researcher with special interests in neuroscience, and Grogsby's thesis is fascinating. Neuroscientists, especially the bench scientists, like to play with historical events. One example was the rise of both flagellation and tarantella, which has been linked to humid warm weather and therefore mold on the rye harvest. So, it's a believable idea.
I am less familiar with the cultures that slew the king on a yearly basis - that sounds as though it wouldn't sustain itself very well. There may be other books on that subject, whether Fraser or others, that I should look into to see how this could work.
Finally, either I missed it or Grigsby didn't mention the dragon part of the Beowulf legend in any depth. One wonders how that links up with the religious shift theme.
Interesting read.......2007-05-13
The book reads a little like a college essay. Some of the author's points are better supported than others. In several cases he assumes the reader must agree with him and no further proof is needed. In some cases no real proof is available because the lack of historical data. However, the author discusses some very interesting topics and writes in an accessible style. If you have any interest in Beowulf or Germanic, Norse, or Celtic cultural roots, this book is certainly worth a look. I enjoyed reading it and was motivated to further explore the topic when I finished the book.
Some Interesting Insights but No Overall Unity of Vision.......2007-04-18
This book makes the interesting case that the Beowulf poem is less a dim recollection of a particular historical incident or of a strictly mythological tale, than it is a veiled recounting of a religious change that overwhelmed the cultural lives of the ancestors of the English. John Grigsby brings archeological and ethnological studies to bear on this effort to reconstruct the actual circumstances and practices of the peoples who were to become the Angles, Saxons and Jutes (who in turn became the Anglo-Saxons who became today's English). In so doing he suggests that the Norse mythos and pantheon, as we have it from later times, was, in fact, relatively late on the scene and that the proto-English, whom he identifies with the Ingaevones of Roman times, were agriculturalists with a religion that reflected agriculturalist predilections long before they worshipped Woden and Thunor (Odin and Thor in later Viking times).
According to Grigsby, the Beowulf myth is a dim echo of the era in which latecomers in the area, worshippers of the sky gods identifiable with large segments of the later Norse pantheon, overthrew the old ways, ways that required the annual sacrifice of a king to a fearsome goddess and her son. Grigsby makes many connections with the triple goddess worshipping neolithic age that apparently once predominated in the Mediterranean and European areas, with the old myths of the Nile valley and with the old faiths which suffused the area in which Rome arose. But in the end his argument boils down to this: that the Beowulf story is a somewhat corrupted and confused recollection of some events which altered forever the older beliefs and practices of these peoples, traditions that the Angles, Saxons et al brought with them out of the old country (today's southern Denmark) when they conquered the British Isles. They were not yet sky god worshippers, not yet Wodenists, Grigsby maintains, but came from a backwater part of Scandia which had remained more primitive than other parts of Germania and Scandinavia in the Dark Ages that followed Rome's fall. Thus, the story of Beowulf is as native to the early Germanic English as to the land from which they hailed.
It's an interesting claim and there's a lot to chew on in the information Grigsby brings forward. But the book, itself, lacks cohesion or a clearcut thesis as to the actual events which underly the famous Old English poem set in Denmark's Heorot. The parallels he draws with other traditions (including the Hrolf Kraki saga which deals with many of the same personalities, in a roughly comparable time, albeit from the perspective of the much later Norse tradition) are intriguing. But there really isn't that much new here and the failure to offer a firm conclusion or really unravel the story behind the story mar this book. Good for scholars, I think, and for those with a strong interest in the area, but not really right for laymen and not ultimately as satisfying as I had hoped it would be.
An awesome yet frustrating book........2006-10-23
This is an inspiring work. John Grisby has brought a wide array of factors concerning early northern culture together to make his point. His understanding of culture and myth and his obvious enthusiasm for these subjects make this one of the more interesting (and fresh) books to appear on the subject in a long time. Before I go further, I would like to point out that I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Norse/Germanic Mythology. If you are not greatly interested in Germanic and Indo-European linguistics you will enjoy the book greatly, and needn't read the rest of this review. If you are interested in linguistics, please read on.
Be very careful when reading this book. As he is enthusiastic, he is also academically reckless. There are a lot of passages starting with "some have been led to believe..." or "some claim that..." that end with no citation or note - My question to these passages is always "Who believes that, and how do I know that "they" offering an opinion that can be trusted as objective?". Furthermore, he makes it obvious on several occasions that he is no linguist. He offers Indo-European etymologies that don't conform to any known transcription standard, and on several occasions he seems to have trouble discerning Indo-European forms from Proto-Germanic (there is a big difference).
My intention here is not to be harsh, disapproving, or unduly critical. The subject matter of this book resides in a field that has all too often fallen prey to misunderstanding. To exemplify the type of error I am talking about, and to add credence for my objectivity here, I would like to point out two linguistic oversights that can be illustrated without excess circumlocution.
On page 69 Grisby raises the issue of a double meaning in the phrase "beow waes breme blad wide sprang" "Beow was renowned, far and wide his glory spread", arguing that this was a metaphor for the spread of agriculture throughout the north. The indication, he claims, is that the name Beow means "barley". That's true. In Anglo-Saxon the word "beow" does in fact mean barley. But that isn't the name that appears in the manuscript. The sentence he's referring to appears on the first leaf of the manuscript, (which he included as the first photographic plate in the book, just after page 118). The original manuscript reads "Beowulf waes breme blad wide sprang" - The name Beowulf here belonging to another character by the name of Beowulf. The only place that I can recall ever seeing this name appear printed in the poem as "Beow" and not "Beowulf" is in Seamus Heany's translation where he intentionally removes the sequence "-ulf" from the name to avoid confusion between this character and the hero of the poem. Scholars have posited that "Beowulf" was written here due to scribal misunderstanding, and that the name was in fact originally "Beo", but again, that is not what appears in the manuscript, and Grisby makes no mention of the fact that this point is an educated theory and not an attested fact.
Also on p. 156 Grisby makes reference to an Indo-European root "inguz" as the source of Germanic theonym Yngvi/Ingui/Ing. "*Inguz" is a Proto-East-Germanic word not an Indo-European root. Furthermore there is no consensus as to where the early Germanic speakers got this word and what its original meaning was. The name Yngvi, Ingui, Ing, etc. has no universally agreed upon etymology and very few linguists posit an Indo-European origin for the name. Further, the meaning of the word which Grisby offers "son" is not directly attested in any of the languages. The Old Irish name, Oengus/Angus by which Grisby claims an etymological connection to "Yngvi/Ingui", is similar in appearance but it is not related etymologically. The old Irish name is compound form, from Oen-gus; literally "one-strength" the meaning being "having solitary strength" these "-strength" names are very common in Old Irish and Modern Gaelic.
Hopefully without turning this into a term paper my sources are:
Vladimir Orel "A Handbook of Germanic Etymology", Winfred P. Lehman "A Gothic Etymological Dictionary", J.P. Mallory and Douglas Adams "An Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture", and Calvert Watkins "The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots" all works that are available (to my knowledge) from Amazon.com.
There are quite a few more problems, those are just two that I found the hardest to swallow, but by now I hope I've made my point clear: be careful when reading this book and looking for solid answers. The author jumps to a lot of conclusions - linguistically and otherwise.
All that said, I still give it four stars. The book is highly readable, enjoyable and insightful. I wish the author followed through more thoroughly on many of his claims with more citation and less speculation, but it is overall a very inspired work. Despite it's weak details, I still support many of the author's overall conclusions. This could be a seminal work redefining how the general reader, rather than just the scholar, views the Old North. If the author's love of the subject were the only judgement criteria, I would give him ten stars.
I apologise for the lack of brevity.
Earlier roots of the English Founding Myth - in Turkey?.......2006-07-31
Mr. Grigsby's book is supplemental material for me as a historian exploring genealogy. A (fee-based) genealogy website that I use has detailed entries of the "Anglo/Swedes" back to a possibly semi-mythological figure named "Yngvi King In Turkey" b. 193 in Noatun, Sweden. Going further back, his antecedants are in fact listed as originating from Turkey, Macedonia, Persia and Mesopotamia, and many of them closely related to ruling families in those nations. I have been reviewing the history of this region and period, and there certainly were some displacements of large groups of peoples, especially with the expansion of Roman hegemony. Is it possible that some of these peoples migrated north along already known trade routes to Scandinavia, to become the parent group of the Anglo-Saxons?
Mr. Grigsby makes several references to Scandinavian/Anglo-Saxon rituals, e.g. references to a barley god, which he believes shares some similarities to rituals from the Middle East. Another comparison is to the depiction of a solar disk above a boat, which is clearly reminiscent of Egyptian artwork.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the earliest known history of the English-speaking peoples, and possibly a few others as well.
Average customer rating:
- These cards and book are a constant delight........
- an enchanting work - playful, inspiring and colorful!
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Irish Fairy Cards: For Inspiration & Guidance
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Customer Reviews:
These cards and book are a constant delight...............2007-01-02
I had these on my wishlist for a long time, one thing led to another and I ended up choosing to purchase other things. But I finally got this set last week and I just adore it!
It is warm and magical, but not so cutey and gooey as some other fairy cards out there (which is a huge turn off for me). The art is "alive" and very evocative. Some of the cards I fell in love with straight away. 33-Hideaway/49-The Rebel/29-The Wild One/30-Enchantment/15-Old Gateway...and many more!
I was more or less expecting just a little message for each card, but the book it comes with is full size and captivating in its own right. Each card has a sweet poem for it, a longer description/story about the card then a message the card is giving you. Most of the stories/messages are much deeper and complex than you would think. Also there is a ink line drawing of the image that is on the card. And the way the author writes is part of the magic. She swoops you along to this realm of enchantment with her play of words, evoking a sense of wonder, beauty, serenity and creative joy. There are 6 readings as well as a chart so you can use the cards as a "Fairy I-Ching"....wonderful idea!
I was much more happy and pleased with this set than I ever thought I was going to be. If you love all things Faery and enchanted, magical realms, I know you will love this deck and book. One of the best out there!
an enchanting work - playful, inspiring and colorful!.......1999-10-05
The Irish Fairy Cards are loaded with heart warming fairy messages and wisdom from the ages. Jaya Moran's colorful art and inspiring fairies are great for your inner child, and the messages are wise, serious and yet light hearted. A welcome change of pace in the serious world of divination and magic!
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