An eclectic mix of book and music reviews, ramblings and other flotsam and jetsom encountered on an expedition to find a place in the pre-Christian religious traditions, and practices of the British Isles.
23 June 2011
Lost Scottish Folk Tales to be Published Online
I am going to try and find a way to see the Exhibit at the Edinburgh University Library.
04 June 2011
Revelation
As it turns out, my links to Ireland are to a protestant line in all but one branch of my family tree. The conversion is mostly likely because of my ancestors married a Catholic and, at the time, the church required those marrying a Catholic convert before marriage.
I have found it interesting to learn there are practices within my family line that would be considered dubious, if not wholly unacceptable by the church and to learn that there are two definite lines along which my predecessors were known for certain things that might fall under the heading of psychic or magical. Until I explored my personal beliefs and came to my current path, I had never heard these things discussed, yet the more I delved into my family tree, the more my family became open to discussing those who came before and, given my interests, provided me with information which they thought relevant.
I don't claim to come from a long line of witches - certainly no-one in my family wants to be associated with such a term - but what modern day pagans and witches might term magical practices or psychic ability certainly has shown itself in my family's past, they just didn't use the same terms I might. I have found it suprising, always believing I was the only one who held such interests. To learn, just last year that one of my cousins (whom I thought devoutly Catholic) is heavily into Crowley was also somewhat of a shock.
I have had some very interesting conversations with my grandmother about her little nuances but the idea that I might equate this with a religion or magical practices is abhorrent to her as she is extremely anti-religion/faith, being a confirmed atheist. Even so, her knowledge of certain areas is invaluable to me and, if I can catch her in the right frame of mind, we have interesting discussions about "knowing".
All in all, I realise now that rather than look to the outside for inspiration, or influence I should have been looking to my own clan all along.
22 January 2011
Another video to share with you, this time the trailer to Werner Herzog‘s Cave of Forgotten Dreams. This is a 3D film shot inside Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc Cave in southern France. These are some of the oldest cave paintings known. The film seems to have good reviews on IMDB and is set to be released on March 25th, 2011 in the UK.
Source: Anthropology.net
22 July 2010
Britain BC
Author: Francis Pryor
ISBN: 9780007126934
21 May 2010
The Mark of a Druid
Rhonda R. Carpenter has managed to pack a lot into "The Mark of a Druid". It features England, Ireland, the United States, the past, the present, druids, christians, sovereignty, shapeshifting, prophecy, reincarnation, past life regression, hypnosis, murder and drama.
I listened to the book in audio format via the free subscription at iTunes. The story seems slow to start and jumped quite a bit, from past to present, and between characters but, eventually, I was hooked. Towards the end, as all the elements started to come together, the pace quickened, but the author was careful to keep you waiting for the ending you knew just had to be.
One quibble I had with the podcast format was the Rhonda R. Carpenter's reading style. Strange punctuational pauses were distracting as was the apparently inappropriate changes in pitch giving emphasis were it was not warranted. After a while, I noticed it less and less, with only the occasional inner query arising. Still, it was worthwhile listening to the audio version on my commute to and from work.
I will purchase a hard copy of "The Mark of a Druid", eventually, to re-read at my leisure. I would imagine it would be a great book to take on holiday as the story is broken down into small segments, as it alternates between the past and present, thus allowing the reader to pick it up and put it down at will.
Rating: 4/5.
08 March 2010
Barry Cunliffe, Miranda Green & Alistair Moffat chat about the Celts
07 March 2010
How to know?
"There are two pieces of Celtic gnomic or proverbial wisdom recorded by the classical writers, and one attributed specifically to the Druids, that deserve comment here. Diogenes Laertius attributes to 'Gymnosophists and Druids' certain 'riddles and dark sayings', 'teaching that the gods must be worshipped, and no evil done, and manly behaviour maintained'. This is a statement in typically Celtic triadic form, and it is interesting to find what must be another version of it in an Irish tale, The Colloquy of the Elders, which dates from the end of the twelfth century, but may incorporate earlier material. Here St Patrick talks to one of the old pagan Celtic heroes, Caelte, and asks him: 'Who or what was it that maintained you so in your life?'; to which comes the answer, 'Truth that was in our hearts, and strength in our arms, and fulfilment in our tongues' – essentially the same three qualities in slightly different order."
20 November 2008
The Night of the Bard
This time the talk was centred on charms and Steve brought with him a lovely collection of items for us to view whilst he discussed various aspect of folk magic through the ages in Cornwall. There were only two tales this evening and, unfortunately, less attendees. I made the mistake of believing you had to book, and I passed this erroneous information to others, who obviously decided it was too much trouble. Alas, it was open to all.
Steve also had some items he had made himself available for purchase. One item of particular interest was made from the nails of a church floor and blackthorn. He had a lovely collection of bull-roarers, athames (one made from 40,000 year old bones retrieved from the North Sea), wands, labyrinth boxes, obsidian mirrors, hag stones, and various other charms for sale, too. I have not seen anything to match his work anywhere in the UK and its worth tracking him down if you can.
And, if you happen to hear he is in the area offering his bardic delights, make sure you go, as you are sure to be entertained.
09 September 2008
Explore Folklore
ISBN: 1872883605
This book provides an introduction into folklore studies eventually focussing on developments in the last 30 years. The author has produced a great introduction to the study of folklore, providing definitions and great references so I could follow-up on those topics that are of interest.
One of the most helpful items was "Warhsaver's helpful distinction between three 'levels' of folklore" (Warshaver 1991), which separated out various activities, leading to a greater understanding of what is actually being studied (and what is not). The book does take a while to get to the sections on what most would consider "folk customs", but its worth reading all the chapters.
I enjoy reading Mr Trubshaw's books. Sure, I've seen criticisms about some of his theories, but for someone, like myself, who has come to folklore without any previous understanding, this book has been very enlightening and I consider it a worthwhile read for any newcomer to the field. The book focusses on the British traditions, with only light references to American studies in folklore and music.
Mr Trubshaw's enthusiasm shines through, and helps to involve the reader. He writes with a good sense of humour, too. What I most enjoy is his ability to incorporate modern life as examples, making the reader think about their own behaviour and that of their friends - something I had not previously considered as being a part of "living folklore".
I recommend this book to anyone wanting to get a start in British folklore and/or folkmusic studies. And, do check out the fabulous bibliography. Mr Trubshaw has a website where ideas in this book can be explored further. Its called "Foamy Custard".
Rating: 4.5/5.
01 September 2008
History or Myth - Which should come first?
I know that I need to read the myths associated with the British Isles, but I have also been informed, by people I respect, that I need to read them in context. But, how is this achieved if you havent' read the history first? And, just how much history do you need to know before you start reading the myths?
Its all very confusing to me. I try to read a book a week and I try to alternate between myth/folklore, history and general pagan subjects. The problem I'm finding is that when you read one history book, (e.g. Hutton's "The Druids"), it often contains references to other works with comments like "If you wish to explore further, then read ...". Well, fine. Except I will be reading a book under the myth/folklore section next week and, after that, I have this history book which is relevant to the next myth/folklore book I'm reading and so on.
I checked my library catalogue the other day to find 125 books on my "to be read" list and 75 on my wishlist. If you add that up, that's about 16 years reading, provided I ignore all bibliographies and recommendations contained within those books. This is quite daunting and I am having to consider whether I should just read the myths/folklore/tales and disregard the history; applying a modern sensibility to the texts.
I wonder how others have managed or are managing to do this?
17 July 2008
Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle
Seachd (also known as The Crimson Snowdrop outside of the United Kingdom) is the first ever Scots Gaelic feature film and what a film it is. The tag line, "The truth is in the story" sums up the movie well. Its hard to explain what the movie is about as there are so many themes running through it. The main relationship is between Aonghas and his grandfather, with whom he goes to stay, along with his sister, Mairi and brother, Donnchadh. The grandfather regails the children with his tales of times past whenever he gets a chance. Aonghas is not enamoured with these fictitious offerings and seeks the truth ... about his parent's death and his grandfather's stories.
The movie is wholly in gaelic and its wonderful to hear the language spoken, but no different from watching a foreign film. Filmed entirely on Skye, the landscape features heavily in the movie, as does history spanning centuries of tales. For those that know the myths, legends and folklore of Scotland, some of the tales will be recognisable; only one having been written especially for the movie - the tale of the crimson snowdrop. Each tale is clearly distinguishable in terms of the flow of the language, the colour scheme and the storytelling, a result of involving several writers, directors and actors. I have to say that I almost wanted the whole movie to be full of the grandfather's stories.
The music is wonderful and the stories are engrossing. One of the main themes is about the importance of keeping culture alive through language - stories, music, etc. and this is clearly spelled out without detracting from the main storyline itself. Its a wonderfully woven piece of film making and with every viewing something new is revealed - it has that kind of depth.
It's a wonderful movie for all ages, though it does carry a PG rating. I had a few quibbles watching this film, but they are insignificant in comparison to the level of enjoyment this film provides.
If you don't speak Gaelic, subtitles are provided in English, Irish and Scots Gaelic on the DVD. Also provided are interviews in both English and Gaelic. As a bonus, the DVD also contains the original short of the story of the Crimson snowdrop - well worth watching.
08 July 2008
Residential History
17 June 2008
Historical Atlas of the Celtic World
This book traces the development of Celtic religion and mythology, and describes the flowering of their unique metalwork, sculpture, and illumination. An expertly crafted view into the Celtic past, while emphasising the relevance of Celtic culture and identity today.
01 April 2008
The Celts: A Very Short Introduction
ISBN: 0192804189
23 January 2008
Cliff Dreamers
Author: Jacqui Wood
This is a self-published book, available from Lulu by Jacqui Wood. I believe this is Jacqui's first fiction offering, having already written "Prehistoric Cooking". Jacqui Wood is an archaeologist, so it is not surprising to find the book set in a historical Europe.
I do have a few quibbles with the self-publishing aspect of this book, which I will get out of the way first. It is quite obvious that there was a lack of general editing as spelling errors can be found on nearly every other page; grammar is appalling and the tense can change several times within the same paragraph; and the narration also jumps from first to third and, most alarmingly in one paragraph to second, where the reader is addressed by the main character. I would dearly love to see a publishing hosue pick up this book just to sort out these technical quibbles. So, that's the critical part of this review over.
I had a wonderful time with this book. Not only was I drawn in by the turbulent life of its main character, Mia, but I learned quite a bit about Europe 6,000 years ago as the author effortlessly wove her knowledge of the period into the book. The story centres around an eleven year old girl, Mia, who lives on an island between Scanland (Norway) and Britland (Britain) which is fast disappearing into the sea.
Cliff Dreamers starts with Mia being chosen by the island's Shaman to be his priestess, an honour for most girls on Dogga Island, but not for Mia, who views this role as nothing more than slavery. Mia sits on her sand cliffs and wistfully watches the traders come in the their log boats and wishes she could travel far and wide with them. This soon becomes a reality when a fellow islander, Borg, discovers the Shaman's plans for Mia, who is not yet "of age".
Cliff Dreamers takes us along with Mia on her first ventures away from Dogger Island, and the various tribes she encounters with Kemit (the captain of the log boat in which she escapes), his crew and Borg. As the book progresses, we go back and forth from Mia's life on Dogger Island to her life at sea, trying to escape those who pursue her for her unusual magical powers.
The author is gifted when it comes to describing the various tribal settlements of neolithic times and I couldn't help but be drawn into Mia's world. I will be purchasing the sequel, Journey Through the Inland Sea, as soon as my finances allow. I will also be hoping that a publisher will pick up these books. I suspect the books will have a broad appeal because of the folding of history, archaeology, fantasy, magic and a thriller into one book makes them unique reading.
Rating: 4/5 (downgraded because of editing problems)