However, the peace is shattered one night when soldiers of the Emperor arrive and kidnap the storyteller.Everyone knows that the Emperor wants something called the Luminous Stone That Lights the Night. Determined to have her grandmother returned, Pinmei embarks on a journey to find the Luminous Stone alongside her friend Yishan, a mysterious boy who seems to have his own secrets to hide. Together, the two must face obstacles usually found only in legends to find the Luminous Stone and save Pinmei's grandmother--before it's too late.A fast-paced adventure that is extraordinarily written and beautifully illustrated, When the Sea Turned to Silver is a masterpiece companion novel to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Starry River of the Sky.

    Even though she was the daughter of the emperor, Izta had no desire to marry a man of wealth and power. Instead, she fell in love with Popoca, a brave warrior who fought in her father’s army—and a man who did not offer her riches but a promise to stay by her side forever.   The emperor did not want his daughter to marry a mere warrior, but he recognized Popoca’s bravery. He offered Popoca a deal: If the warrior could defeat their enemy, Jaguar Claw, then the emperor would permit Popoca and Izta to wed. But Jaguar Claw had a plan to thwart the warrior. Would all be lost?   Today two majestic volcanoes—Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl—stand overlooking Mexico City. They have been admired and revered for countless generations, and have formed the basis of many origin and creation myths. In The Princess and the Warrior, award-winning author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh retells one of Mexico’s cherished legends.

    As you’d expect from Daniel McCoy, the creator of the enduringly popular website Norse Mythology for Smart People, it’s written to scholarly standards, but in a simple, clear, and entertaining style that’s easy to understand and a pleasure to read. It includes gripping retellings of no less than 34 epic Norse myths – more than any other book in the field – while also providing an equally comprehensive overview of the fascinating Viking religion of which Norse mythology was a part. You’ll learn about the Vikings’ gods and goddesses, their concept of fate, their views on the afterlife, their moral code, how they thought the universe was structured, how they practiced their religion, the role that magic played in their lives, and much more. With its inclusion of the latest groundbreaking research in the field, The Viking Spirit is the ultimate introduction to the timeless splendor of Norse mythology and religion for the 21st Century.

    Featuring beautiful illustrations from award-winning artist Kathleen Edwards, a variety of ways to celebrate the Wheel of the Year, and powerful wisdom from practicing Witches, this indispensible, on-the-go tool will make your days more magical.Find fresh ways to celebrate the sacred seasons and enhance your practice with inspiring sabbat musings by Thuri Calafia, tasty sabbat recipes by Monica Crosson, magic stones by Ember Grant, and Anglo-Saxon traditions by Alaric Albertsson. Also included are articles on fascinating topics, including the magic of language by Elizabeth Barrette, an energetic fence spell by Ellen Dugan, amulet pouches by Charlie Rainbow Wolf, and smile meditation by Robin Ivy Payton.At-a-glance guide to the best days to plant and harvest Wiccan holidays, sabbat musings, and tasty seasonal recipes for celebrating the Wheel of the Year Daily planetary and color correspondences to empower your magical work Moon lore and esbat rituals, plus Moon phases for successful spellcasting

    Primarily looking at the Irish Goddess but including a discussion of her Pan-Celtic appearances, particularly in Scotland. Her different appearances in mythology are discussed along with the conflation of the pagan Goddess with Catholic saint. Modern methods for neopagans to connect to and honor this popular Goddess include offerings and meditation, and personal anecdotes from the author's experiences are included as well. Who was Brigid to the pre-Christian pagans? Who is she today to neopagans? How do we re-weave the threads of the old pagan Goddess and the new? Learn about Brigid's myths among the pagan Irish, the stories of Bride in Scotland, and the way that people today are finding and honoring this powerful and important deity to find the answer.

    The stories are based around a series of musically-themed illustrations first created by Jackie for Help Musicians UK.Foreword by Jon Boden.

    It had fountains of cool, refreshing water to quench the thirst of the desert, and storytellers to bring the people together. But as the kingdom grew, the people forgot the dangers of the desert, and they forgot about the storytellers, too. All but one young boy, who came to the Great Square for a drink and found something that quenched his thirst even better: wonderful stories. As he listened to the last storyteller recount the Endless Drought, and the Glorious Blue Water Bird, he discovered the power of a tale well told. Acclaimed illustrator Evan Turk has created a stunning multidimensional story within a story that will captivate the imagination and inspire a new generation of young storytellers.

    He's adrift too, lost in the big city with his father, longing for the wild and frozen north. The fox offers a way back, a chance to reconnect, to find his way home.

    The book is broken into 12 chapters, for each of the 12 months of the year, and throughout, stories are matched to internationally celebrated dates, including Valentines Day and the International Day of Friendship, as well as seasonal events and festivals. Collected and retold by award-winning author Angela McAllister, and illustrated by internally recognised artist Christopher Corr, this is a book that will be treasured by families and appeal to teachers and librarians around the world.CONTENTS --Dedication --JANUARY --New Year's Day Father Frost (A Russian story) --Wintertime The Magic Porridge Pot (A German story) --Chinese New Year King of the Forest (A Chinese story) --FEBRUARY --Candlemas The Empty Barn (A Latvian story) --Valentine's Day The Frog Prince (A German story) --The Mole's Wedding (A Korean story) --Shrove Tuesday The Runaway Pancake (A German story) --MARCH --St. David's Day Gelert the Hound (A Welsh story) --World Wildlife Day The Bird Wife (An Inuit story) --Purim The Blue Coat (A Jewish story) St. Patrick's Day The Pot of Gold (An Irish story) --World Water Day Tiddalik, the Thirsty Frog (An Indigenous Australian story) --APRIL --April Fools' Day Rabbit and Crab (A Mayan story) --Easter The Basket of Eggs (A Canadian story) --World Health Day How the Bear Clan Learned to Heal (An Iroquois story) --St. George's Day The Glass Knight (An English story) --The Shoemaker and the Dragon (A Polish story) --MAY --May Day The Cracked Pot (An Indian story) --Springtime Spring and Autumn (A Japanese story) --Vesak The Hare in the Moon (A Buddhist story) --JUNE World Oceans Day Prince Fire Flash and Prince Fire Fade (A Japanese story) --Ramadan The Boots of Hunain (An Arabic story) --Midsummer Anansi and Turtle (A Caribbean story) --World Music Day Skeleton oman (An Inuit story) --JULY --Eid ul- Fitr Zirak and Ring-dove (An Iraqi story) --Tanabata The Weaving Maiden and the Oxherd (A Japanese story) --St. Swithin's Day Elephant and the Rain Spirit (An African Bushman story) --International Day of Friendship Heungbu and Nolbu (A Korean story) --Androcles and the Lion (A Roman story) --AUGUST --Lammas Day The Little Red Hen (A Russian story) Harvest The Ship of Wheat (A Dutch story) --Persephone (An ancient Greek story) --SEPTEMBER --Yom Kippur Jonah and the Whale (A Bible story) --International Day of Peace The Two Kings (A Buddhist Story) --Autumn Why the Evergreeens Keep Their Leaves (An American story) --The Gifts of the North Wind (A Norwegian story) --OCTOBER --World Food Day The Raja and the Rice (An Indian story) --Why the Bananas Belong to the Monkey (A Brazilian story) --Diwali Rama and Sita (An Indian story) --Halloween The Buried Moon (An English story) The Shortest Ghost Story in the World (An English story) --NOVEMBER --Thanksgiving How the Pine-tree Chief Got His Name (An Iroquois story) --The Gift of a Cow-tail Switch (A West African story) --Bonfire Night How Grandmother Spider Brought Fire (A Choctaw story) --National Tree Week The Woodcutter and the Wolf (A French story) --The Tree of Magical Leaves (A Chinese story) --St. Andrew's Day Conall and the Thunder Hag (A Scottish story) --DECEMBER --Human Rights Day The Bell of Atri (An Italian story) --Midwinter East of the Sun, West of the Moon (A Scandinavian story)

    Jennifer Givhan is a dangerous poet in all the necessary ways. Connie Voisine"Landscape with Headless Mama" explores the experiences of becoming and being a mother through the lens of dark fairy tales. Describing the book as a surreal survival guide, Givhan draws from the southwestern desert, incorporating Latin American fine art and folkloric influences. Drawing inspiration from Gloria Anzaldua, Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, tattoo artists, and comic book heroes, among other sources, this is a book of intelligence, humor, deep feeling, and, above all, "duende." "

    She shows that old ethnic names for “witch” signify wise-woman, prophetess, diviner, healer, and dreamer.

    She’s crippled but possesses a secret strength. Can they save the kingdom… and each other? Prince Everard was raised to be a warrior, but after the death of his father, his entire life has fallen apart. Unsure of who he is and unable to cope with the pain, Everard makes a choice that puts both his Fortress and himself in great jeopardy… Isabelle wishes she could be rid of the prince and his unruly temper. But when Everard summons the merchant’s daughter to help him break a curse, she wonders if the prince is the beast she always thought him to be. As she moves from resentment to acceptance to affection, she discovers the sheer joy love can bring… as well as the utter devastation of loss. And even if Everard and Isabelle find love, can they defeat the forces of evil for their story to have a happy ending? The Becoming Beauty Trilogy Boxed Set is a collection of three novels with unique takes on Beauty and the Beast, The Princess and the Glass Hill, and Hansel and Gretel. They are also the first three books in the Classical Kingdoms Collection. If you like complex characters, rich stories, and sweet, passionate romance, then you’ll love Brittany Fichter’s captivating retelling of three beloved classics. Buy the boxed set to relive your favorite fairy tales today!

    Filled with the ancient wisdom-sayings, proverbs, and stories of the Old Norse people, Havamal is a tried-and-true manual of wise living and cunning strategy for navigating the subtle complexities of human interaction and avoiding dangers of all sorts. Travelers, wanderers, guests, friends, and seekers of the ultimate wisdom within human life can benefit from Odin's perennial cleverness and timeless advice. This annotated edition contains a clear and nuanced rendering of Havamal into English, preserving its original poetic richness, and is followed by many detailed and informative notes regarding the cultural, mythological, and historical background from which the verses of wisdom arise, all to help readers from any background to understand the beauty and depth of the text. It also contains the text of Havamal in Old Norse.

     Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you're only seventeen?Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire...But Akaran has its own secrets -- thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most. . .including herself.A lush and vivid story that is steeped in Indian folklore and mythology. The Star-Touched Queen is a novel that no reader will soon forget.

    The first account of the gods of Irish myth to take in the whole sweep of Irish literature in both the nation's languages, the book describes how Ireland's pagan divinities were transformed into literary characters in the medieval Christian era--and how they were recast again during the Celtic Revival of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A lively narrative of supernatural beings and their fascinating and sometimes bizarre stories, Mark Williams's comprehensive history traces how these gods--known as the Tuatha De Danann--have shifted shape across the centuries, from Iron Age cult to medieval saga to today's young-adult fiction.We meet the heroic Lug; the Morrigan, crow goddess of battle; the fire goddess Brigit, who moonlights as a Christian saint; the mist-cloaked sea god Manannan mac Lir; and the ageless fairies who inspired J.R.R. Tolkien's immortal elves. Medieval clerics speculated that the Irish divinities might be devils, angels, or enchanters. W. B. Yeats invoked them to reimagine the national condition, while his friend George Russell beheld them in visions and understood them to be local versions of Hindu deities. The book also tells how the Scots repackaged Ireland's divine beings as the gods of the Gael on both sides of the sea--and how Irish mythology continues to influence popular culture far beyond Ireland.An unmatched chronicle of the Irish gods, Ireland's Immortals illuminates why these mythical beings have loomed so large in the world's imagination for so long.

    He has been investigating strange phenomena in the area since 2002. The coastal area around Bridlington has a deep history of folklore, strange sightings and mysterious disappearances and Paul is in the middle of it all. Published in 2016, Paul's first book entitled Truth-Proof, is a collection of first-hand accounts and recollections of local UFO activity, missing people, alien big cats, missing aircraft and other anomalous phenomena. Paul is the most thorough investigator, who is not content with hearsay or rumours. He studies and researches his subjects to the minutest detail, looking for documented evidence that backs up everything in Truth-Proof. If the evidence is not available - he looks further and deeper until it is found. For Truth-Proof, Paul has interviewed witnesses to events far stranger than anything reported worldwide. Some are recent, some historical, but they are always fascinating. Paul is well known locally for his work and has made many friends who rely on his credibility and confidentiality. Truth-Proof is his first published work, which show-cases his efforts to collate the strange truths that surround him every day... ...from the 'intelligent' lightforms that are seen by many, both on land and out to sea, to the mysterious disappearances of ordinary men around the cliff-tops of nearby Flamborough and Bempton. His fascination with the mysterious activities surrounding nearby Air Force bases is included in Truth-Proof, together with reports of tragedies out to sea which leave the reader wanting to know more... Truth-Proof also contains reports of strange creatures seen locally, including small humanoid beings stalking farmland, giant cats on the Yorkshire Wolds and even werewolves ! Paul Sinclair not only presents this amazing collection of accounts in a logical, yet down-to-earth way, he provides his own theories in an attempt to understand them... Truth-Proof - containing evidence of The Truth that Leaves No Proof on the North East Yorkshire coast.

    Circumscribing the metaparadigm of herbal magical practice, providing useful examples of its manifestation, as well as demonstrating its time-honored routes of inquiry, it examines the ways in which knoweldge of this type is acquired and put into practice. This perennial wisdom animates many global spiritual traditions, especially those that have maintained their integrity of transmission even in the face of industrial development and cultural destruction.Often concealed within the deepest strata of the Western Esoteric Traditions, this green strand of wisdom, though obscured, is a potent legacy of all magic, sorcery, and occult science. In addition to the hard sciences of botany, ethnology, agriculture and ethnopharmacology, a number of pathways can assist the magical herbalist in furthering the depth of understanding and integrity of personal approach.

    With the appearance of the demonic Christmas character Krampus in contemporary Hollywood movies,....

    What could go wrong? But things do, when two bodies wash ashore and Ketch stumbles upon clues that lead to the sunken treasure of an old-time buccaneer off Portsmouth Island. Ketch isn't the only one who has an interest in the treasure, and it exposes both him and his adversaries to unexpected obligations and consequences. It seems everyone has to pay the port fee...Good guys and bad guys, boating and diving, a dash of romance, and a mysterious otherworldly presence all come together in THE PORT FEE, Ketch's most challenging adventure to date.

    Its pages are animated with colorful tales of the fairy folk in all their many guises: the changeling, the banshee, the headless dullahan, the leprechaun, the merrow, and the ever-mischievous pooka. In addition, this volume includes tales of ghosts, witches and fairy doctors, priests and saints, encounters with the devil, titans of Ireland's historical past, as well as popular treasure legends.Contents: The trooping fairies. The cave fairies --Popular notions considering the Sidhe race --Changelings --The solitary fairies. The lepracaun, the cluricaun, and the Far Darrig --The pooka --The banshee and the dullahan --Ghosts --Witches and fairy doctors --T'yeer-na-n-oge --Priests and saints --The devil --Giants --Rocks and stones --Treasure legends --Legends of the western islands --Kings, queens, princesses, earls, and robbers

    Many of the fairy tales we are most familiar with today have their roots in this oral tradition of storytelling.The World Treasury of Fairy Tales and Folklore is a stunning collection of fairy tales organized by date of printing. From tales of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries (Little Red Riding Hood, Fair Goldilocks, Beauty and the Beast), to familiar tales collected by The Brothers Grimm in the 19th century (The Frog King, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Snow White), to some lesser-known tales and stories from outside Europe, this book showcases a broad range of examples from this extraordinary genre. Tales are compiled and introduced by leading academics in the field, adding to a deeper understanding of beloved stories. This beautifully illustrated collection of fairy tales and folklore is an essential addition to all family libraries.

    The magical storytelling of award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli dramatizes these timeless tales and ignites childrens' imaginations.

    The Banjo invites us to hear that sound afresh in a biography of one of America's iconic folk instruments. Attuned to a rich heritage spanning continents and cultures, Laurent Dubois traces the banjo from humble origins, revealing how it became one of the great stars of American musical life.In the seventeenth century, enslaved people in the Caribbean and North America drew on their memories of varied African musical traditions to construct instruments from carved-out gourds covered with animal skin. Providing a much-needed sense of rootedness, solidarity, and consolation, banjo picking became an essential part of black plantation life. White musicians took up the banjo in the nineteenth century, when it became the foundation of the minstrel show and began to be produced industrially on a large scale. Even as this instrument found its way into rural white communities, however, the banjo remained central to African American musical performance.Twentieth-century musicians incorporated the instrument into styles ranging from ragtime and jazz to Dixieland, bluegrass, reggae, and pop. Versatile and enduring, the banjo combines rhythm and melody into a single unmistakable sound that resonates with strength and purpose. From the earliest days of American history, the banjo's sound has allowed folk musicians to create community and joy even while protesting oppression and injustice.

    With precise language and rich detail, these poems unflinchingly create an eerie world marked by abuse, asking readers not just to bear witness but to try to understand how we make meaning in the face of the meaningless violence.

    In one of the most original books of poetry to appear in the last decade, Jackself spins a kind of 'fictionalized autobiography' through nursery rhymes, riddles and cautionary tales, and through the many 'Jacks' of our folktale, legend, phrase and fable - everyman Jacks and no one Jacks, Jackdaw, Jack-O-Lantern, Jack Sprat, Cheapjack and Jack Frost. At once playful and terrifying, lyric and narratively compelling, Jackself is an unforgettable exploration of an innocence and childhood lost in the darker corners of Reiver country and of English folklore, and once more shows Polley as one of the most remarkable imaginations at work in poetry today.

    This is the 1st episode in the second season of Tremontaine, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Ellen Kushner. All eyes are on Duchess Diane Tremontaine at the Convocation, an annual soiree that opens the Council of Lords. With her mad husband exiled to the country, Diane is on the hunt for a new lover and better fortunes. But the path to power—and revenge—is never without obstacles. Welcome to Tremontaine, where ambition, love affairs, and rivalries dance with deadly results. A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a handsome young scholar with more passion than sense; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius whose discoveries herald revolution when games of politics begin, no one is safe. Keep your wit as sharp as your steel in this world where politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers.

    Stanley Brigham and his family have moved to London, and his parents have decided to finally hire a governess for their unusual son. But as they settle into their new life, Stanley realizes the house may already be occupied.

    Elaborate outfits, made from textiles as well as branches, straw, and other materials plucked from the natural environment, are donned in rural, agricultural, and fishing communities throughout Japan to celebrate seasonal rites of fertility and abundance. Yokainoshima (literally “island of monsters”) explores the extraordinary crop of masks, costumes, and characters that reappear with the return of each season.Charles Fréger’s photographs combine the attention to detail of a documentary photograph with individual portraiture in a fresh and distinctive style. Texts by specialists in Japanese folk culture and anthropology accompany the photographs, putting the huge variety of eclectic costumes in context with descriptions of the local festivals, dances, and rituals where they are worn.This compelling sequence of new portraits by an internationally acclaimed photographer will captivate enthusiasts of fine art photography and far off places as it pulls back the curtain on a strange and magical centuries-old tradition.

    From a young age Graham has held a keen interest in traditional folk music and dances as well as folk magic. During a walk in the English countryside (one of his favourite activities) in 1996, he encountered and was made welcome by a group of travelling folk gathering to celebrate the ancient Tan Hill Fair. It was this encounter that set in motion Graham's decision to leave behind the corporate lifestyle, leading to his purchase of the Museum of Witchcraft from Cecil Williamson. Graham made the 200 mile journey on foot to Boscastle, where at midnight on the 31st October that same year, the purchase was finalised. Graham and his team went on to develop The Museum of Witchcraft into one of Cornwall's most popular museums. Serving 10 years as an auxiliary Coastguard, it was Graham who raised he alert when the 2004 flood struck Boscastle leading to the incredible rescue operation which saved hundreds of lives; a role for which he was awarded the Chief Coastguard Commendation. On the 31st of October 2013, Graham retired as Director of the Museum and appointed Simon Costin, founder of The Museum of British Folklore, as the new Director. Graham generously donated the museum's entire collection and its massive research library and archive to the Museum of British Folklore, securing the future of The Museum of Witchcraft. Troy Books is delighted to be publishing Graham's first book - 'The British Book of Spells & Charms' which explores the wealth of traditional spells and charms of Britain's folk-magical tradition, including those for good fortune, love, the healing of people and animals, curses and their removal, and acts of magic contained within traditional folk songs. In writing this book, Graham has been ideally placed to draw upon examples and parallels within The Museum of Witchcraft's collection and archives. The text of 'The British Book of Spells & Charms' is complemented by numerous illustrations and photographs, drawing mainly from the museum's fascinating collection of magical artefacts, printed in full colour throughout.

    Dublin dies in the wake of a disease, dragging its victims back from the grave, mindless and very hungry. The people of Ireland flee in fear of plague, but Stanley knows better, and this is no plague; this is a curse.Stanley Brigham only wants peace. Born a Chime Child, his second sight connecting him to England’s magical and supernatural, and long giving him grief as a secret world he shares with seldom few. The introverted British youth has only come to Ireland to introduce himself to his newly betrothed fiancée, but an outbreak of death and decay ruins the social call, unleashing a massacre on Dublin. Only Stanley hears the undead voices calling from the other side, and suspects something more magical is afoot. His suspicions are confirmed by Maggie MacNamara, an eccentric-but-powerful spiritualist keen on saving her home. Though returned to England, a reluctant Stanley finds himself involved once more when Maggie approaches both himself and his inventive companion, Vincent Cammish. She proposes that he can use his ability against the curse. Someone is behind these undead, and she wants them found. Armed with little save for a folklore guide, Stanley ventures back to Dublin in search of the curse’s mastermind. He is soon drawn across The Veil, into another Ireland: one full with Druids, good folk, and all manner of magical kin. He finds an ally in a faerie named Willow, as charming as she is suspicious. An erratic practitioner comes on her heels, deeply involved in the curse and aiming to take the faerie away, but to what end? Stanley, Vincent, and Willow must work together to find out and unearth to cause of Dublin’s undead, soon unleashing a world of ancient magic and dark creatures the British Isles had long forgotten. And perhaps with good reason.

    Tales of the Narts presents a wide selection of fascinating tales preserved as a living tradition among the peoples of Ossetia in southern Russia, a region where ethnic identities have been maintained for thousands of years in the face of major cultural upheavals.A mythical tribe of tall, nomad warriors, the Narts were courageous, bold, and good-hearted. But they were also capable of cruelty, envy, and forceful measures to settle disputes. In this wonderfully vivid and accessible compilation of stories, colorful and exciting heroes, heroines, villains, and monsters pursue their destinies though a series of peculiar exploits, often with the intervention of ancient gods.The world of the Narts can be as familiar as it is alien, and the tales contain local themes as well as echoes of influence from diverse lands. The ancestors of the Ossetians once roamed freely from eastern Europe to western China, and their myths exhibit striking parallels with ancient Indian, Norse, and Greek myth. The Nart sagas may also have formed a crucial component of the Arthurian cycle.Tales of the Narts further expands the canon of this precious body of lore and demonstrates the passion and values that shaped the lives of the ancient Ossetians.

    This is the 3rd episode in the second season of Tremontaine, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Mary Anne Mohanraj. Alliances shift as relationships on both the Hill and in Riverside grow complicated. Shade and Florian seek out Tess, causing concern for her safety. As his family tries to cheer him, Rafe takes stock; finding himself wanting, he ventures out to renew his friendship with Micah.Welcome to Tremontaine, where ambition, love affairs, and rivalries dance with deadly results. A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a handsome young scholar with more passion than sense; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius whose discoveries herald revolution when games of politics begin, no one is safe. Keep your wit as sharp as your steel in this world where politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers.

    Tolkien’s narrative theology, synthesizing his Christian worldview with his creative imagination. She illustrates how, within the framework of a theological aesthetics, transcendental beauty is the unifying principle that integrates all aspects of Tolkien’s writing, from pagan despair to Christian joy.   J.R.R. Tolkien’s Christianity is often held in an unsteady tension with the pagan despair of his mythic world.  Some critics portray these as incompatible, while Christian analysis tends to oversimplify the presence of religious symbolism.  This polarity of opinion testifies to the need for a unifying interpretive lens. The fact that Tolkien saw his own writing as “religious” and “Catholic,” yet was preoccupied with pagan mythology, nature, language, and evil, suggests that these areas were wholly integrated with his Christian  worldview.  Tolkien’s Theology of Beauty  examines six structural elements, demonstrating that the author’s Christianity is deeply embedded in the narrative framework of his  creative imagination.

    Looks at dog ghosts and various non-physical dogs of British tradition such as grims, shucks, and gytrashes. Discusses both threatening and protective folkloristic dogs, as well as dogs in dreams. Contains an incomplete register of sightings.

    Each striking image tells its own vivid tale of belief and ceremonial practice.Accompanying the photographs are informative texts from Sara Hannant and Museum director Simon Costin, as well as an illuminating introduction by the leading historian of British witchcraft and magic, Ronald Hutton.

     The inadvertent discovery of the bewildering Land of Faerie throws her into a perilous journey to find magic only she can wield. Along with a band of magical misfits and warriors, she must fight past innumerable dangers, surpass unimaginable hardships, and face all who are bent on sabotaging her mission to the very end. The more Shade’s magic grows, the more the power of the Land of Faerie calls to her. Blood, memory, treachery, and most of all, love will push her past boundaries she never knew existed. All those she’s bound to must take arms against an unrelenting evil determined to rule all of Faerie and humankind, the Unseelie Queen Aveta, or all will be lost. This set includes books 1 & 2 of A DARK FAERIE TALE SERIES Also available in this series: The Withering Palace Evangeline Ever Shade Ever Fire Ever Winter The Cursed Ever Wrath History of Fire Without Armor Ever Dead Legends of Fire Guardians of Fire

    Accompanied throughout with atmospheric imagery by an impressive collection of contemporary photographers. 100% of sales profits from this book are charitably donated to The Wildlife Trusts

    Noticeably absent from these stories are the perspectives and experiences of the people who lived on the land long before European settlers arrived. Historian William Bauer seeks to correct that oversight through an innovative approach that tells California history strictly through Native perspectives. Using oral histories of Concow, Pomo, and Paiute workers, taken as part of a New Deal federal works project, Bauer reveals how Native peoples have experienced and interpreted the history of the land we now call California. Combining these oral histories with creation myths and other oral traditions, he demonstrates the importance of sacred landscapes and animals and other nonhuman actors to the formation of place and identity. He also examines tribal stories of ancestors who prophesied the coming of white settlers and uses their recollections of the California Indian Wars to push back against popular narratives that seek to downplay Native resistance. The result both challenges the "California story" and enriches it with new voices and important points of view, serving as a model for understanding Native historical perspectives in other regions.

    And every loch in Scotland has its kelpie. But it's easy to forget those dangers on a sunny afternoon..." Flora is playing with her brothers and sisters by the loch when she notices a stunning white horse. While her siblings clamour for a chance to ride the beautiful animal, Flora is worried. Where has this strange horse come from? Why are its hoof prints wet? Too late Flora realises this is no horse! It's a kelpie: a shape-shifting water horse from Scottish folklore known to steal children. Can Flora reveal the secret of the kelpie in time to save her family? The kelpie, once a lesser-known creature of Scottish mythology, is now enjoying legendary status as Andy Scott's magnificent Kelpies statues have become a world-famous tourist attraction. The classic tale of the kelpie is wonderfully retold for 4-7 year olds in this gripping adaptation by renowned Scottish children's author and storyteller Lari Don, with breathtaking illustrations by artist Philip Longson.

    From the ritzy clubs, hidden speakeasies, luxurious brothels, and down-on-their-luck dives of old to the seedy massage parlours and back alleys of today, the sporting life has always intersected with the culture of African-American hoodoo, conjure, and rootwork. Now Professor Porterfield takes you into the clandestine milieu of underworld beliefs and secret practices, and shows the impact that the sporting life has on the world of magic and spirituality. With more than 150 practical spells, charms, recipes, and authentic old-style tricks, The Sporting Life pulls back the velvet curtain that has for too long concealed the life, times, and history of the demimonde.Presenting the magic of the prostitutes of the Bible, the working girls of Storyville and Memphis, the high-stakes bettors, the magnetic madams, the persuasive pimps, the cagey corner dope dealers, and members of oppressed lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and transgender communities of colour — The Sporting Life is sure to startle your senses and thrill your heart. This exhaustively researched book blows open the hidden world of love, lust, vice, and danger that is the sporting life.Professor Charles Porterfield is an Old Testament, old-school reader and rootworker. His previous books include Hoodoo Bible Magic and A Deck of Spells. He is a natural man who specializes in men's issues and the Biblical and historical aspects of hoodoo and conjure. Texas born and raised, he lives with his wife, children, grandchildren, and two cats.CONTENTSDedication 4Acknowledgement 4Preface 5Hoodoo, Conjure, and Rootwork 7What is the Sporting Life? 8Slinging Slang 9Working Girls and Hustling WomenFancy Ladies, Call Girls, and Hookers 14Madams and Aunties 18Spells for Prostitutes and Escorts 20Flesh Peddlers and Gentlemen of LeisurePimps, Loverboys, and Sugar Daddies 26Bringing Them In and Turning Them Out 30Spells for Procurers and Panderers 32Sissy Men and Bull Dagger WomenBoy-Girls, Queers, and Drag Queens 38You Sure Gotta Prove It On Me 42Spells for Gay Men and Lesbian Women 44Gamblers, Runners, and PlayersPolicy and the Numbers 50Beating the Odds 54Spells for Games of Chance and Skill 56Bootleggers, Traffickers, and PushersTo Live Outside the Law You Must Be Honest 62Keeping The Man Away 66Spells for Breaking the Rules While Staying Safe 68Dives, Houses, and HolesBrothels and Cathouses 74The Juke Joint 79Spells for Drawing Trade to an Illegal Business 81Dressing for the DemimondeNice Shoes and the Walking Blues 86Hide My Eyes 89Spells for Looking Good and Staying Sharp 92Bibliography 96

    It was the cultural phase of the New Negro movement, a social and political phenomenon that promoted a proud racial identity, economic independence, and progressive politics.In this Very Short Introduction, Cheryl A. Wall captures the Harlem Renaissance's zeitgeist by identifying issues and strategies that engaged writers, musicians, and visual artists alike. She introduces key figures such as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, and Jean Toomer, alongwith such signature texts as Mother to Son, Harlem Shadows, and Cane. In examining the New Negro, she looks at the art of photographer James Van der Zee and painters Archibald Motley and Laura Wheeler and the way Marita Bonner, Jessie Fauset, and Nella Larsen explored the dilemmas of genderidentity for New Negro women. Focusing on Harlem as a cultural capital, Wall covers theater in New York, where black musicals were produced on Broadway almost every year during the 1920s. She also depicts Harlem nightlife with its rent parties and clubs catering to working class blacks, wealthywhites, and gays of both races, and the movement of Renaissance artists to Paris.From Hughes's The Negro Speaks of Rivers to W.E.B. Du Bois's novel Dark Princess, black Americans explored their relationship to Africa. Many black American intellectuals met African intellectuals in Paris, where they made common cause against European colonialism and race prejudice. Folklore -spirituals, stories, sermons, and dance - was considered raw material that the New Negro artist could alchemize into art. Consequently, they applauded the performance of spirituals on the concert stage by artists like Roland Hayes and Paul Robeson. The Harlem Renaissance left an indelible mark notonly on African American visual and performing arts, but, as Cheryl Wall shows, its legacies are all around us.

    All of karate's legendary masters have studied it, applied its teachings, or copied passages from it. No other classic work has had as dramatic an impact on the shaping and development of karate as the Bubishi. Karate historian and authority Patrick McCarthy spent over ten years researching and studying the Bubishi and the arts associated with it. The first English translation of this remarkable martial arts manual includes numerous explanations and notes. McCarthy's work also includes groundbreaking research on Okinawan and Chinese history, as well as the fighting and healing traditions that developed in those countries, making it a goldmine for researchers and practitioners alike. For the final word on the true origins and spirit of classic Okinawan martial arts, one need look no further. This karate book is one of the best karate training supplements available. This new paperback edition includes additional commentary from the translator, as well as a new foreword.

    As an expression of raw creativity, outsider art remains associated with self-taught visionaries, psychiatric patients, trance mediums, eccentric outcasts, and unschooled artistic geniuses who create things outside of mainstream artistic trends and styles. Outsider Art: Visionary Worlds and Trauma provides a comprehensive guide through the contested terrain of outsider art and the related domains of art brut, visionary art, "art of the insane," and folk art. The book examines the history and primary issues of the field as well as explores the intersection between culture and individual creativity that is at the very heart of outsider art definitions and debates.Daniel Wojcik's interdisciplinary study challenges prevailing assumptions about the idiosyncratic status of outsider artists. This wide-ranging investigation of the art and lives of those labeled outsiders focuses on the ways that personal tragedies and suffering have inspired the art-making process. In some cases, trauma has triggered a creative transformation that has helped artists confront otherwise overwhelming life events. Additionally, Wojcik's study illustrates how vernacular traditions, religious worldviews, ethnic heritage, and popular culture have influenced such art. With its detailed consideration of personal motivations, cultural milieu, and the potentially therapeutic aspects of art making, this volume provides a deeper understanding of the artistic impulse and human creativity.

     Ten years ago I went on a hunting trip in northern Washington State with my cousin Jason. I am far from an outdoors-man but I still jumped on the opportunity for a long weekend getaway with my crazy cousin. Had I know what I know today I am not sure if I would have gone, but what is certain is that my life forever changed that weekend. After getting separated from my cousin the first evening I found myself lost in the vast wilderness, scared, and alone – at least I thought I was alone. Unbeknownst to me I was being hunted in the woods by a Bigfoot. I am not sure how long he was stalking me but I know I was lucky to get away with my life. For years after that weekend I was a different man. I was constantly in fear and scared to go anywhere outside of my home city in Austin, Texas. To help cope with the psychological trauma I found myself immersed in research studying Bigfoot, the Yeti, Sasquatch, and all other variations of the creature commonly referred to as Bigfoot. My research became an obsession as I tried to come to terms with what had really happened to me. I found myself fascinated with cryptozoology. Of all the true Bigfoot encounters I came across I related most to the more terrifying Bigfoot stories. This book is a collection of those Bigfoot stories. It is the first book in a series: Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Paranormal. I am writing this series for those who are dealing with the aftermath of a Bigfoot encounter and need validation that they are not crazy, or perhaps they simply want someone to relate to. I am also writing this book as a therapeutic outlet as well as a way to reach people regarding the realities of Bigfoot. Bigfoot is real, I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt, and I am far from crazy! For those of you familiar with my other books, this book has both terrifying and fascinating encounters. Enjoy! What’s inside? 10+ Different Violent and True Bigfoot stories!

    There she discusses folklore, fairy tales and fantasy, taking their study seriously, in the spirit of scholars such as Katherine Briggs and Jacqueline Simpson, but always with a light and graceful touch.In her book for The Greystones Press, Katherine explores fairy tales, ballads and folk tales. She reflects on the role of women in fairy tales, discusses specific tales such as Briar Rose and The Juniper Tree, and looks at wider themes of White Ladies, Water Spirits, Fairy Brides and many more.Seven Miles of Steel Thistles will be published in paperback and e-book on 23rd April 2016.

    Winner of the 2015 Noemi Press Fiction Award. UNCOUNTRY: A MYTHOLOGY is a collection of narratives that aim to expand creative pathways into historical space, particularly histories of migration and displacement. It is divided into four Histories: Ash, Breath, Hunger and Blood. The four Histories explore the gaps between "remembered" official history and the more unreliable spaces of private memory and unspoken unofficial history. The storylines re contextualize and re imagine content from mythic spaces, such as German folktales and Eastern European Jewish lore, historical narratives as well as anecdotes from oral family memory. UNCOUNTRY furthermore explores the notion of invisible landscapes; an accumulation of stories, memories, dreams and desires, over layering the visible place: a record of the human, animal and geographical history that we move through."

    Never making friends. When, on the cusp of her eighteenth birthday, she is brought to a remote island off the coast of Maine to live, everything changes—for this is a homecoming of sorts. Here she will connect not only with her family history but also the destiny of her blood. Here she will be expected to grow into powers beyond all imagining and unseat an ancient evil poised to destroy mankind.

    Proud as towering pines, their history is as an old language etched into ruins. They are now known as the Woodcutters. Folks are not sure what to make of their Ghost-lights, eerie glowing orbs that sit on their brow. The patriarch, Alaric, is a descendant of the first Warden, having the ear of the woodland goddess, Lhodyn. She is the embodiment of all that is wild - capricious at best, vindictive at worst. War descends over Alaric’s village as borderland marauders murder and enslave all. In reaction, Lhodyn seizes the village children and hides them within her woodland realm. Alaric is now faced with a hard choice, to remain and endure certain brutality while he searches for the young ones or flee with the remainder of his family, their best chance for survival. THE WOODCUTTER KING is a fusion of narrative styles, blending literary sensibilities with fantasy aesthetics. The heart of the story is about a father and son and their experiences after a family tragedy. But in true epic fantasy form, there is more at play than their personal struggles. Something mysterious lays hidden in the Wudelic Woods, just as they are beginning to discover.

    Hidden in the dense brush and around oxbow lakes wait sinister secrets, unnerving vestiges of the past and wraiths of those claimed by the winding river. The spirit of a murdered student in Brownsville paces the locker room where she met her end. Tortured souls of patients lost in the Harlingen Insane Asylum refuse to be forgotten. Guests at the LaBorde Hotel in Rio Grande City report visions of the Red Lady, who was spurned by the soldier she loved and driven to suicide. Author David Bowles explores these and more of the most harrowing ghost stories from Fort Brown to Fort Ringgold and all the haunted hotels, chapels and ruins in between.

    Truly, no one is more amazed than they are.Dave and Pam were living aboard their boat in Georgia's low country. They returned to the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York and realized how much they missed its beauty. They bought land and rented a small cabin to live in while they built their mountain home.In the first year, they were oblivious to the amazing beings that lived near and passed by their cabin. Some odd things happened, though, such as strange knocking in the woods near the cabin, and a weird animal sound that they couldn't positively identify. But the second year, they found their first Sasquatch footprint. They discovered that Sasquatches were not only real, but they lived among them. It was understandably unsettling. This book chronicles their path from non-believers to knowers over a very short period of time, but also reveals many amazing things about these incredible beings.

    Each story is first presented in the original Old Irish and then in English so that a reader can experience the story as it existed in the original before reading a new translation. Many of the existing translations are around a hundred years old, and often either exclude material or else skew the retelling to fit the mores of a more Victorian audience. The translations included here in stories including The Struggle of the Two Swineherds and the Wooing of Emer are an attempt to find a balance between a more literal translation that is still enjoyable to an English speaking audience. Material included focuses on the Irish Gods and related mythic beings, as well as some fragments of wisdom texts.

    From firesides to books, these tales have been passed from generation to generation. Some are well known, such as the Irish legend of Diarmaid and Gráinne, while those less frequently told, including The Magic Pail from Cornwall, deserve their place in this unique collection. Tales from all celtic lands, including Brittany, The Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales, meet here. Skillfully retold by author and poet Una Leavy and brought to life by Fergal O’Connor’s lively illustrations. Read of giants and dragons, of fairies and princesses: all beautifully illustrated and told for a new generation of children.

    But the peacock isn't sure this should be done - after all, Nature doesn't usually make mistakes - and summons a council of birds to make a decision. A huge feast takes place, and Nature herself appears and orders all the birds present to give the owl one of their feathers. But the result is not what they expect. The howlat's initial joy turns to unbearable arrogance at his new-found beauty, and drastic action must be taken ...

    This is the 2nd episode in the second season of Tremontaine, a 13-episode serial from Serial Box Publishing. This episode written by Tessa Gratton. When Micah and Joshua venture into Riverside, they accidentally rouse the interest of local criminals, forcing Kaab to come to their rescue. Meanwhile, a formal duel on the Hill brings Vincent Applethorpe to the covetous attention of both the Duchess Tremontaine and the Chartil ambassador, Reza. Welcome to Tremontaine, where ambition, love affairs, and rivalries dance with deadly results. A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a handsome young scholar with more passion than sense; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius whose discoveries herald revolution when games of politics begin, no one is safe. Keep your wit as sharp as your steel in this world where politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers.

    From the Lovecraftian laments of “The Song of Sighs” and “Only the Dead and the Moonstruck” to the uncanny notes of “The October Widow” and the stunning new “The Red Forest”, it’s clear that Slatter is, in the words of Stephen Jones, ‘a powerful and eloquent voice in horror fiction.’ Each tale is a darkly crafted gem.

    In this handsome English-language edition of the critically acclaimed German book, Christian Marek masterfully weaves together illuminating citations from the ancient sources with vivid sketches of civic institutions, urban and rural society, agriculture, trade and money, the influential Greek writers of the Second Sophistic, the notoriously bloody exhibitions of the gladiatorial arena, and more.In the Land of a Thousand Gods is truly panoramic in scope. Blending rich narrative history with in-depth analyses of political, social, and economic achievements, it traces Asia Minor's shifting orientation between East and West in the ancient world and examines its roles as both a melting pot of nations and a bridge for cultural transmission. Marek takes readers from the earliest known Stone Age settlements to the appearance and downfall of Bronze and Iron Age empires. He covers the emergence of early Greek poetry and science, the invention of coinage, Persian domination and the prosperity of cities under the Hellenistic kings, and the establishment of Roman provinces. Marek draws on the latest research--in fields ranging from demography and economics to architecture and religion--to describe how Asia Minor became a civilized and wealthy part of the Roman Empire, and shows how the advancement of Hellenization and civic autonomy was the irreversible legacy of the Pax Romana.A breathtaking work of scholarship, In the Land of a Thousand Gods is destined to become the standard reference book on the subject in English.

    This book is not your usual reference work, but a complex and engaging exploration of the subject matter, written with Forsyth’s distinctive flair.

    In Sheep, Philip Armstrong traces the natural and cultural history of both wild and domestic species of ovis, from the Old World mouflon to the corkscrew-horned flocks of the Egyptians, from the Trojan sheep of Homer’s Odyssey to the cannibal sheep of Thomas More’s Utopia, from the vast migratory mobs of Spanish merinos all the way to Dolly—the first animal we have ever cloned—and Haruki Murakami’s sheep-human hybrids.             As Armstrong shows, humans have treated sheep with awe, cruelty or disdain for many thousands of years. Our exploitation of them for milk, meat, and wool—but also for artistic and cultural purposes—has shaped both our history and theirs. Despite all that we owe them we have often dismissed sheep as the least witted and least interesting of mammals: to be accused of “sheepishness” or behaving “like a flock of sheep” is to be denigrated for lack of courage, individuality, or will. Yet, as this book demonstrates, sheep actually possess highly sophisticated social skills and emotional intelligence. Above all, Sheep demonstrates that sometimes the most mundane animals turn out to be the most surprising.

    This is the English translation of "Le secret de l'Ourse". (Translated by Marie Cachet and Varg Vikernes and prefaced by Varg Vikernes)

     With their power base the rugged grandeur of Argyll, this proud and powerful Scottish clan was stalwart in its support for the great warrior king Robert the Bruce, victor of the battle of Bannockburn in 1314, while in later centuries they gained high honours and distinction that include an earldom In more peaceful times, and in the twentieth century, Sir Malcolm Campbell and his son Donald broke both land and water speed records. The high drama and romance that is the tale of the Campbells is presented here.

    Whether you wanted to hunt game, bake the old-fashioned way, or learn the art of successful moonshining, The Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center had a contact who could teach you how with clear, step-by-step instructions.Today, Foxfire's mission remains the same, and The Foxfire Book of Simple Living is both a rich look back at five decades of collected wisdom, as well as an intriguing look forward at the artists and craftsman who are working to preserve the Appalachian tradition for future generations. We hear from doll and soap makers who continue to use and adapt the time-tested methods outlined in The Foxfire Book, not to mention hunters, blacksmiths, musicians, and carpenters whose respect for those who preceded them enhances their own art. We see how the mountain community has responded to the films, books, and plays that have tried (and sometimes failed) to represent them. And, above all, by listening to the voices of those who came before, we celebrate the people who have preserved the stories, crafts, and customs that define life in the Appalachian mountain region.

    As she travels through a strangely familiar storybook landscape she uncovers clues that lead her to question whether the worlds she travels are reality, a hallucination or the creation of an unknown author. To find the answer, Lucy must pass three trials – one of courage, one of compassion and one of logic. Only then she can finally choose what it is she believes.

    Our logic and science, our philosophy, politics, literature, architecture, and art are all indebted to the ancient inhabitants of the small mountainous Mediterranean country. And the powerful myths of the Greeks, refined by Homer, Hesiod, Herodotus, and the great Greek dramatists, still resonate at the core of our culture.Taking as his starting point many of the famous tourist sites in the Peloponnese, where the stories are set, John Spurling, winner of the 2015 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, freshly imagines key narratives from the Greek canon, including tales of the doomed house of Atreus (notably Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks at Troy, murdered by his wife in his palace bathroom); of the god Apollo; goddess Athene; Theseus, scourge of the Minotaur; the Twelve Labors of Heracles; and Perseus, rescuer of Andromeda. In this vibrant, gripping and often grisly retelling of the Greek myths, stories of murder, power, revenge, love, and traumatic family relationships are made new again for our time with wit and relish by a gifted author. Spurling has added scene, dialogue, and context, while always staying true to the spirit of the original myth.

    Sometimes we slip into someone else’s and live in their shape for a while. But try as we might, the old shadows linger. They’ve grown dusty, perhaps, brittle and faded, but look there—straggling out behind you and before you—the shadows of every shape you ever were, or once hoped to be. And when a new shape grows too heavy, when it gnaws holes in you or binds you, when your feathers fall to the carpet or the sand drags you underground, all your old shadows are still there… waiting.A hauntingly powerful new voice in British fiction, this highly anticipated short story collection from Claire Dean showcases fourteen stories of wonder and memory, wind and water, metamorphosis and regret.

    Can she prove to the fiance she’s never met that she’s his lost love… or will he be lost to her forever? This is Brittany Fichter's short story addition of nearly 10,890 words to the fairy tale anthology "Once Upon A Happy Ending" published by Casey Lane featuring 13 stories from 14 different authors. [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...]

    It inspired Robert Louis Stevenson, Henry James, and E. F. Benson. M. R. James was a worshipful devotee who resurrected his legacy and modeled his ghost stories after his style. Bram Stoker reworked his erotic vampire fiction to write his masterpieces, "Dracula" and "The Judge's House." J. Sheridan Le Fanu was the most influential, original, and inspirational horror writer of his time, and unlike many of his peers, his writing has not become dated or quaint: it still carries his trademark atmosphere of unsettling discomfort and uncanny fear. Le Fanu's psychological ghost stories and weird fiction are remarkable for the way in which they merge elements which should be diametrically opposed: the conscious and unconscious, life and death, heaven and hell, right and wrong, light and darkness, public self and private self. He sets his stories in a world of deep twilight -- a chiaroscuro of deep shadows broken up with faint light and vague definitions. His cosmos is unforgiving, malicious, and misanthropic: unlike Lovecraft who feared a world where mankind didn't matter, Le Fanu depicted a punishing spiritual order where every sin, every misstep, and every crime was closely watched and viciously, mercilessly punished. His murky universe is populated with demon lovers, haunted portraits, seductive ghosts, hanging judges, demonic rats, maddening visions of hell, animated corpses, sensual vampires, evil fairies, shape-shifting goblins, spectral hands, haunted candles, malevolent phantoms, and the ghosts of evil men who cozy up to the living in disturbingly intimate ways.TALES INCLUDED in this ANNOTATED EDITION: The Drunkard's Dream - The Sexton's Adventure - The Familiar - Disturbances in Aungier Street - The Ghost of a Hand - Narrative of a Haunted House - Wicked Captain Walshawe - Squire Toby's Will - Stories of Lough Guir - Madam Crowl's Ghost - Dickon the Devil - Sir Robert Ardagh - Schalken the Painter - Ultor de Lacy - Green Tea - The Child That Went with the Fairies - White Cat of Drumgunniol - Sir Dominick's Bargain - Laura Silver Bell - Carmilla - Mr Justice Harbottl

    It explores the changing attitudes and diversity of opinions towards witch belief, the interface between folk conceptions and the philosophies of the learned.

    Everyone sees things through their particular lens. In the media, not only in America but worldwide, news reports of extra-terrestrial phenomena are on the increase. Whether you refer to them as unidentified flying objects or unidentified aerial phenomena, it matters not. The fact is stuff is happening worldwide at an increasing speed as if this planet is being prepared for something big. Something that could radically alter the way we live our lives and the way we view existence. Grant Cameron, who has for decades dedicated himself to researching what American presidents have known about the UFO phenomena, has reached the conclusion that presidents' denying knowledge is just a cover, and that they actually have known and do know. To what end? Despite your individual view, the information in this intriguing book will validate the fact that Americans stand on a threshold and must make a choice.The President of the United States is the most powerful person in the world. Thirteen of them have dealt with the modern UFO phenomena. Bill and Hillary Clinton have been the most open about their handling of the mystery.Bill said he was fascinated with the subject and has talked about it many times. Hillary has said she is very interested in the UFO subject saying she doesn’t believe all the witnesses could be making it up. She has gone on the record as the first high-level politician to state that aliens may already be here. She has promised to disclosure as many classified UFO files as she can on the subject if she becomes president.This book provides a historical look the Clinton’s UFO story. It starts with the efforts during the Clinton administration by billionaire Laurance Rockefeller to get UFO disclosure, and the story ends talking about the box that was built by Hillary’s 2016 presidential campaign chairman John Podesta to try and ensure that UFO disclosure happens.

    You’ll find beloved classics like Clement C. Moore’s The Night Before Christmas, plus The Fir Tree, The Little Match Girl and more. These stories of Christmas originate not only from the United States, but also England, Denmark, Germany, Canada, Russia, Bulgaria and more, offering a look at Christmas around the world. The book contains 22 stories by Hans Christen Andersen, Lucy Maude Montgomery, Eugene Field, Laura Lee Hope, E.T.A Hoffman and other great storytellers, and features more than 70 illustrations. Enjoy this specially-designed collection of Christmas stories for Kindle! List of stories, including author/editor and origin: The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, United States Christmas Every Day by William Dean Howells, United States The Fir Tree by Hans Christen Andersen, Denmark The Symbol and the Saint by Eugene Field, United States The Elves and the Shoemaker by the Brothers Grimm, Germany The Night After Christmas by Unknown, United States The Osbornes’ Christmas by Lucy Maude Montgomery, Canada The Legend of the Christmas Tree by Lucy Wheelock, United States The Little Match Girl by Hans Christen Andersen, Denmark The Nutcracker by E.T.A Hoffman, Germany Story of a Nodding Donkey by Laura Lee Hope, United States Old Father Christmas by J.H. Ewing, England Boreas Bluster’s Christmas Present by Mrs. W.J. Hays, England Babouscka by Adelaide Skeel, Russia A Night with Santa Claus by Anna R. Annan, United States Piccola by Kate Douglas Wiggin & Nora A. Smith, United States Father Christmas at Home by Mrs. M.H. Spielmann, United Kingdom The Animals’ Christmas Tree by John P. Peters, United States The Christmas Princess by Mrs. Molesworth, United Kingdom The Little Girl and the Winter Whirlwinds by Unknown, Bulgaria The Cat on the Dovrefell by Asbjørnsen & Moe, Norway The Bad Little Goblin’s New Year by Mary Stewart, United Kingdom

    Composed of seventeen recipes based on the most beloved fairy tales, Cook Me a Story offers young cooks their first opportunity to create deliciously enchanting dishes. Throughout each recipe, well-known fairy-tale characters act out cooking instructions that are woven into each scene of the tale.

    The Pied Piper of Hamelin is set in the north of Germany in the year 1283. It is nearly Christmas and the townspeople are ready to celebrate when a rodent infestation interrupts their everyday lives. The mayor announces a seemingly straightforward proposition: rid the town of the rats and be given one thousand gold coins. A stranger with a small pipe entices the rats beyond the town gates, but when he is unfairly denied his reward, the story takes an unexpected turn. Fictional or historical, the medieval legend of the Pied Piper has long fascinated generations of readers with its swarm of rats drawn away by a cloaked stranger and his magical melodies. Now, the beloved tale is given new life with Thomas Baas contemporary illustrations in a vibrantly dark palette of blues and reds. The mysterious tale helps teach and reinforce the importance of keeping one's word and the consequences of broken promises."

    But what about the Women in Black?Just like their creepy, male counterparts, the WIB will stop at nothing to silencethose who get too close to the truths behind the UFO phenomenon andparanormal activity. Dire warnings, intimidation, and menacing death threatsare their cold-hearted calling-cards. Like the vampires of old, these black-clad,pale-faced women prefer to do their hunting by night. Their prey: us.Women in Black is the first, full-length study of the WIB mystery. The storyis a dark and disturbing one. It encompasses such issues as alien abductions,Mothman, strange and unearthly monsters, the secrets of alchemy, time-travel,and the dark domain of all things supernatural. Fearless and fearsome, theWomen in Black just might be your worst nightmare.Nick Redfern is the author of 36 books on UFOs, lake-monsters, the RoswellUFO crash, zombies, and Hollywood scandal, including Men in Black;Chupacabra Road Trip; The Bigfoot Book; and Close Encounters of the Fatal Kind.Nick has appeared on many TV shows, including: Fox News; the BBC’s Out ofThis World; the SyFy Channel’s Proof Positive; the History Channel’s MonsterQuest, America’s Book of Secrets, Ancient Aliens and UFO Hunters; the NationalGeographic Channel’s Paranatural; and MSNBC’s Countdown with KeithOlbermann. He can be contacted at: http://nickredfernfortean.blogspot.com

    The scope and diversity of these stories knows no bounds, sitting somewhere between the real and imaginary.Wild Quiet contains a world viewed from unexpected angles, where the ordinary is rendered extraordinary and the extraordinary sublime. These are stories woven with compassion and humour, announcing the arrival of a fresh new voice in Irish literature.In this astonishingly innovative and bold collection, Roisín O’Donnell examines the hurts and triumphs of being human, and the wild, quiet moments that approach something like grace.

    True Tales of the lost and missing in the Woods; hiking in the Woods can be a dangerous thing.... (From the Bestselling Book Series featuring unexplained mysteries of encounters with the unknown, in the woods, forests and national parks, unexplained mysteries of lost hikers, campers who never return, and hunters who come back changed.... the Woods are a mysterious and dangerous place to be.... the Woods will never be the same again....

    But his maimed right hand, inflicted by the same cruel factor responsible for his parents’ deaths, means he’s one of few men available when the beautiful woman makes her surprising announcement: she’s looking not for a hand but a husband, not just for the season but forever.Annie MacCallum is under threat from a brutal factor also, back at her home farm—one who preys on unmarried women. If she’s to protect all those who rely on her, including her beloved animals, she must have a husband, if only in name. Secretly glad when the attractive Tam takes up her proposition, she doesn’t realize she’s dragging him into a situation that will trigger old demons. Nor does she expect to give him her heart.

    

      This interdisciplinary collection introduces scholarly perspectives on how to teach fairy tales in a variety of courses and academic disciplines, including anthropology, creative writing, children’s literature, cultural studies, queer studies, film studies, linguistics, second language acquisition, translation studies, and women and gender studies, and points the way to other intermedial and intertextual approaches. Challenging the fairy-tale canon as represented by the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Andersen, and Walt Disney, contributors reveal an astonishingly diverse fairy-tale landscape.   The book offers instructors a plethora of fresh ideas, teaching materials, and outside-the-box teaching strategies for classroom use as well as new and adaptable pedagogical models that invite students to engage with class materials in intellectually stimulating ways. A cutting-edge volume that acknowledges the continued interest in university courses on fairy tales, New Approaches to Teaching Folk and Fairy Tales enables instructors to introduce their students to a new, critical understanding of the fairy tale as well as to a host of new tales, traditions, and adaptations in a range of media. Contributors: Anne E. Duggan, Cyrille François, Lisa Gabbert, Pauline Greenhill, Donald Haase, Christa C. Jones, Christine A. Jones, Jeana Jorgensen, Armando Maggi, Doris McGonagill, Jennifer Orme, Christina Phillips Mattson, Claudia Schwabe, Anissa Talahite-Moodley, Maria Tatar, Francisco Vaz da Silva, Juliette Wood

    A deathless evil born of traffic with the Devil stalks a lonely forest for generations. A Colonial American cult persists into the modern day, its corrupted members being among the not-so-dearly departed. The Mother of Werewolves is remembered in the dreaming hills and hollows of a distant land. A man obsessed with a woman of the Otherworld rushes to his own certain doom. A warrior stalks a powerful and savage Troll that none can kill, to save his family. Revenge comes from beyond the grave when a sorcerer delivers a magic potion that can restore memories of lives long ended to those alive today. These stories and many more are found within this collection of terrifying and disturbing short tales by Robin Artisson, somewhat notable and semi-well known writer of occult fiction and non-fiction regarding folklore, witchcraft, and spiritual ecology. Haunted wells, haunted mirrors, flying witches, and delirious visions proliferate in the pages of Soon Comes Walpurgis. With 40 Illustrations by Larry Phillips.

    Gothic horror appears in many guises including witches, warlocks, demons and vengeful ‘rusalka’. Strange soothsayers and malevolent visitors represent the forces of good and evil. In her foreword Dr Lana Krys describes Somov “as an initiator of an indigenous literary tradition of the Gothic in the Ukrainian literary canon”. Native folk traditions, ghost stories and European Romanticism are twisted together in Somov’s imaginative tales, most of which are published here in English for the first time.

    What happens when it lies shattered, the universe fragmented, the world out of kilter?

    Paksoy provides a rare glimpse into the subsequent struggle for cultural and national identity that unfolded in Central Asia.Paksoy's focus is the dastan, or oral epic. He explains the nature of the dastan, the attempts of orientalist Russian and then Soviet scholarship to subvert it, and the efforts made by a number of Central Asians to preserve and save their dastans.At the center of Paksoy's study is Alpamysh, probably the greatest of the dastans, which is here translated for the first time into English.

    It capitalises on the extensive research that has already been undertaken in this area, and elaborates on the increasingly important and interrelated notion of liminality within contemporary discussions of spatial practice and theories of place. Bringing together international scholarship, the book offers a broad range of cross-disciplinary approaches to theories of liminality including literary studies, cultural studies, human geography, social studies, and art and design. The volume offers a timely and fascinating intervention which will help in shaping current debates concerning landscape theory, spatial practice, and discussions of liminality.

    What he experiences that night changes his life forever... and not necessarily for the best. Over a century before that, in the last years of the Victorian Era, two young girls discover a book in the same house that might well have been written by the Devil- and it conjures forth unspeakable terrors and wonders that carry them both to the strange place beyond life and death. "The House that Cerrith Built" contains the short story "Meadowsweet's Red Chaplet" and the prequel novella to that story, "Yet Thy Spirit Shall Not Sleep." Drawing upon deep strands of folklore, mythology, history, and esotericism, it weaves together two related tales of horror and mystery that ask disturbing questions about the ordinary definition of reality, and the nature of good and evil.

    Includes over two dozen essays covering the spectrum of popular culture studies from food to folklore and from TV to technology Features contributions from established and up-and-coming scholars from a range of disciplines Offers a detailed history of the study of popular culture Balances new perspectives on the politics of culture with in-depth analysis of topics at the forefront of popular culture studies

    Some are fiction, some non-fiction, and some faction. Discernment is left to each reader. Writers included are: Susan Deer Cloud, Phyllis A. Fast, Gabriel Horn, Amy Krout-Horn, Evan Pritchard, Jim Stevens, MariJo Moore, Sean Milanovich, Clifford Trafzer, Dawn Karima Pettigrew, Lois Red Elk, Willliam Yellow Robe, Jr, Dean Hutchins.and Denise Low. All respected published authors in the Native American realm of literature. This book is unique in its presentation of the fact that ..".many of us do believe in the mysteries of the universe, even if they cannot be "proved" mathematically or scientifically. There are spirit beings who help us, who guide us, and there are spirit beings who can confuse us as well. Spirit beings are all around us at any given moment. These spirits have their work to do in helping us, so they need us as much as we need them."

    The region has played a key part in the history of Scotland since prehistoric times. From the Irish settlers who established the kingdom of Dál Riata, bringing with them the Gaelic language and the tales of Finn MacCool, to the Lords of the Isles, and the warring clans, their folk tales and legends are gathered together in this richly entertaining book by Highland-based storyteller Bob Pegg.

    In a certain sense Wales may be spoken of as the cradle of fairy legend. It is not now disputed that from the Welsh were borrowed many of the first subjects of composition in the literature of all the cultivated peoples of Europe.