Dionysos is the Greek god of the grape-harvest and winemaking, of the growth and fertility of vegetation - especially orchards and vineyards - and, lastly, of insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity and theatre. Because of his links to plant growth, he also became associated with death, resurrection and regeneration. He was also known as Bákkhos to the Greeks, a name adopted by the Romans as Bacchus. The focus here is on the links between Dionysos' cult and the perennial human preoccupations of drugs, sex and ecstasy.

This book offers a series of biographies of some of the most significant and best-known of the faery folk. A lot of faeries are extremely familiar to us, being distinct characters with names and personalities. This Who's Who examines their origins, characters and development, from traditional folklore through to modern literature and the fine arts. In addition, it describes some of the less well-known faery individuals as well as faery beings that are named, but are really types or species.

The pixies are the faery folk of the South West of England, by which I mean Cornwall, Devon and the western part of Somerset (essentially Exmoor, the Quantocks and the Blackdown Hills). Beyond this area, moving into northern and eastern Somerset and into Dorset, it is far more common to speak of fairies. Pixies came to wider attention through the work of a handful of authors. Before that, they had been well-known within the south-west, and local people had speculated about their origins over centuries.

The revived cult of Pan recognizes him as the god of fields, groves and wooded glens. This connects him to fertility and the season of spring, with his entourage of fauns and satyrs pursuing and copulating with woodland nymphs.The word panic also ultimately derives from the god's name. He is the eponymous Piper at the Gates of Dawn in The Wind in the Willows. In the late 19th century Pan became an increasingly common figure in literature and art. and there was an astonishing resurgence of interest in the Pan motif. He appears in poetry, in novels and children's books, and is referenced in the name of the character Peter Pan.The conception of Pan has continued to evolve. He is now seen by many as an eco-guardian, a protector of the landscape and natural resources from human depredations. He remains a relevant and vital figure.

This book is concerned with the boundaries of faery. We will investigate the very limits of our understanding- and our definitions- of the faery folk. As we shall see, repeatedly- there are aspects of faery existence that still baffle our attempts to interpret and comprehend them, because they fail to adhere to ideas of a fixed nature and predictable behaviours that are encouraged by strict traditional scientific rationalism. Of course, there are aspects of modern physics which accept mutability and subjectivity, so perhaps faery nature isn’t so strange after all. What’s more, time and again we shall see the problems of providing permanent labels and classifications. Certain faery types are hard to pin down, and can shift from category to category- sometimes seeming like faeries, but at other times like ghosts, or demons or monsters. This may feel frustrating, but it is part of the wonder of our rich folklore that should be embraced. In this book, we will encounter a range of unfamiliar faeries. We shall discover those that act as witches’ familiars and that bring dreams and nightmares; we shall explore the strange forms they can adopt, the surprising ways they move from place to place and- even- the odd games they play. British faerylore will prove to be even more surprising and mysterious than we may ever have supposed.

This book is founded squarely upon an acceptance that faeries have a tangible physical reality and that we can describe them medically and biologically, in just the same manner as may be done for any other living being. It is, therefore, to some degree a natural history of faery kind, but it is limited to an examination of their bodies. A text that looks at the actual physicality of fairies- their anatomies, physiologies, even their psychology.

The Goddess of Love, Aphrodite- or Venus, or Astarte- she has had many names. She is the goddess of life, fertility and renewal, but she is also the patroness of carnal desire: "a thousand honey secrets thou shalt know" is her promise to the boy Adonis in Shakespeare's poem about the pair. Incredibly, perhaps, he resists this offer- but most of us do not.The enduring role of the goddess in human sex and passion is well known, but how well is she suited for love and sexuality in the modern world?To understand that, we must trace something of her origins, and focus our attention on the way in which more recent writers and artists have imagined her.

It is an article of faith central to fairy belief today that they are beings intimately connected with nature- they are the elemental spirits, even, of water, air and vegetation. In one form or another this view has long existed.

This is the only book on the market which attempts to give a thorough explanation of bailiff law in a consumer-friendly way. The book flags up pointers which you should be aware of if you are trying to ward off a forthcoming bailiff visit. It also contains tips for dealing with bailiffs if they actually make it to your door.

There is a distinct tendency today to assume that faery kind are friendly and helpful towards us humans. The evidence of over one thousand years experience, preserved in British folk tradition, tells a very different story. British faeries are (like humans) selfish, greedy, violent and cruel. What makes things worse, of course, is the fact that they have magical powers too.

The Isle of Man is full of faery beings. In a concentrated area, it has all the most fascinating supernatural creatures of the British Isles, not just fairies, but various goblins, faery beasts and mermaids. It provides a fascinating case study of the wider wonders of British faery-lore, a kind of microcosm of Britain's faeries.

The myths and legends of the Fair Folk are the oldest in Britain and our Fairy lore is unique to this island. Meetings with Faery are well recorded. Here is a deep analysis of the traditional knowledge of the nature of Fairies, and their importance to us, combined with an examination of our interaction with Faery.

There are several reasons for this book: The physical inaccessibility of the law: many of the reports are only to be found in the medieval Year Books, in the'English Reports' and in unreported cases The linguistic inaccessibility of the older reports The obscurity of older English court procedures; The complexity of English enforcement law. Until reformed bailiffs' law will remain multifarious governed by dozens of statutes and regulations and thousands of cases. Were that not enough, the law is further complicated by its division into execution, common law distress and statutory distraint. This tripartite classification has practical consequences: There are differences in the personnel involved: civil court bailiffs, landowners and public bodies; Differences in specific powers; and, Differences in remedies for creditors and debtors. As important as the differences listed are, they can work as much to conceal similarities of procedure as to alert us to unique features. This book contains a chapter of statutes and then chapters dealing successively with the key stages of the enforcement process. Each source (statute or case report) is supplemented with a commentary discussing its significance and linking it with other sources quoted here or to other applications of the principles brought out.

Beloved Pope John Paul II was one of the most popular and inspirational religious figures of our time. In "Lent and Easter Wisdom From Pope John Paul II, " the late Holy Father's thought-provoking words lead readers through a journey of conversion throughout the season Lent and Easter week.
Each daily reflection--from Ash Wednesday through the Second Sunday of Easter--begins with thoughts from Pope John Paul II on some appropriate theme, supported by Scripture, a prayer, and a suggested activity for spiritual growth.
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This book pulls together everything we know about how things work in Faery. The information is scattered across many narratives, but once it is assembled, we discover we have a detailed picture of their politics and economy. Much of this is entirely independent of human affairs. References from old books and oral traditions as well as the authors personal knowledge combine to make this a comprehensive work.