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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social institutions > Customs & folklore > Folklore
What is the most widely-used paranormal human ability? Why was this
extraordinary subtle magical art brought to England by sixteenth
century German miners? Does it really work? If so, how? In this
charming book, legendary Cornish master-dowser Hamish Miller shares
the secrets of his trade, tells the story of dowsing, and gives key
hints and exercises to assist wizards and witches, young and old,
in their search for keys, kids, cats, cables and cosmic
connections. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information.
"Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS.
"Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN
TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small
books, big ideas.
This collection of five tales and one play contains the definitive
Robin Hood. They are the earliest ballads and play and still the
best of the bunch. 'Robin Hood and the Monk' is the earliest
surviving manuscript, dated c.1450, and is considered the greatest
of the ballads, though it was probably not sung, being described as
a 'talkyng'; 'Robin Hood's Death' is one of the most satisfying
tragedies in the English language; while 'A Lytell Geste of Robyn
Hode' is a comprehensive account of the famous English outlaw -
complete, unified and pointing quite clearly to the reign of Edward
II as a probable time for an historical Robin Hood, despite the
opinions of most of the experts.
'A captivating tale of love and loss and finding connection in the
most unexpected places' Nikki Marmery, author of On Wilder Seas A
lyrical and atmospheric homage to the strange and extraordinary,
perfect for fans of Angela Carter and Erin Morgenstern. This is the
story of The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived... Born into a
post-war circus family, our nameless star was unwanted and
forgotten, abandoned in the shadows of the big top. Until the
bright light of Serendipity Wilson threw her into focus. Now an
adult, haunted by an incident in which a child was lost from the
circus, our narrator, a tightrope artiste, weaves together her
spellbinding tales of circus legends, earthy magic and folklore,
all in the hope of finding the child... But will her story be
enough to bring the pair together again? Beautiful and
intoxicating, A Girl Made of Air brings the circus to life in all
of its grime and glory; Marina, Manu, Serendipity Wilson, Fausto,
Big Gen and Mouse will live long in the hearts of readers. As will
this story of loss and reconciliation, of storytelling and truth.
From the asparas of Hindu myth to the swan maidens of European
fairy tales, tales of flying women-some with wings, others with
clouds, rainbows, floating scarves, or flying horses-reveal both
fascination with and ambivalence about female power and sexuality.
In Women Who Fly, Serinity Young examines the motif of flying women
as it appears in a wide variety of cultures and historical periods,
expressed in legends, myths, rituals, sacred narratives, and
artistic productions. She covers a wide range of themes, including
supernatural women, like the Valkyries, who transport men to
immortality; winged goddesses like Iris and the Greek goddess Nike;
figures of terror like the Furies, witches, and succubi; the
relationship of marriage and freedom; the connections between
women, death, and rebirth; dreams about flying and shamanistic
journeys; airborne Christian mystics; and wayward women like Lilith
and Morgan le Fay. Young also looks at the mythology surrounding
real-life female aviators like Amelia Earhart and Hanna Reitsch.
Throughout these examples of flying women, Young demonstrates that
female power has been inextricably linked with female sexuality and
that the desire to control it was and continues to be a pervasive
theme in these stories. The relationship between sex and power is
most vividly portrayed in the 12th-century Niebelungenlied, in
which the proud warrior-queen Brunnhilde loses her great physical
strength when she is tricked into losing her virginity. But even in
the 20th century the same idea is reflected in the exploits of the
comic book character Wonder Woman, who, posits Young, retains her
physical strength only because her love for fellow aviator Steve
Trevor goes unrequited. The first book to systematically chronicle
the figure of the flying woman in myth, literature, and art, Women
Who Fly sheds new light on the ways in which women have both
influenced and been understood by society and religious traditions
around the world.
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