Owen Davies est un lecteur en histoire sociale dont la recherche explore l'histoire de la sorcellerie et de la magie modernes et contemporaines. Ses intérêts académiques ont d'abord été suscités par le folklore et la mythologie, ce qui l'a amené à examiner la croyance persistante et déclinante en la sorcellerie et la magie à travers l'ère moderne. Le travail de Davies enquête sur l'influence durable des pratiques rituelles et des systèmes de croyance sur la société. Il offre une perspective savante sur l'évolution de ces phénomènes historiques fascinants.
This collection, crafted by practitioners and scholars, delves into contemporary performance and the concept of place. It explores how various performance sites—be they institutional, transient, real, or online—integrate into the essence of the artwork, enriching our experience of performance.
This study traces the history of witchcraft and magic from 1736 - the year of the Witchcraft Act - to the year 1951, when the passing of the Fraudulent Mediums Act finally erased the concept of witchcraft from the statute books.
Criminal Bodies and the Gallows in Popular Medicine
This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license This book explores the magical and medical history of executions from the eighteenth to the early twentieth century by looking at the afterlife potency of criminal corpses, the healing activities of the executioner, and the magic of the gallows site. The use of corpses in medicine and magic has been recorded back into antiquity. The lacerated bodies of Roman gladiators were used as a source of curative blood, for instance. In early modern Europe, a great trade opened up in ancient Egyptian mummies and the fat of executed criminals, plundered as medicinal cure-alls. However, this is the first book to consider the demand for the blood of the executed, the desire for human fat, the resort to the hanged man’s hand, and the trade in hanging rope in the modern era. It ends by look at the spiritual afterlife of dead criminals.
Cunning-folk were local practitioners of magic, providing small-scale but valued service to the community. They were far more representative of magical practice than the arcane delvings of astrologers and necromancers. Mostly unsensational in their approach, cunning-folk helped people with everyday problems: how to find lost objects; how to escape from bad luck or a suspected spell; and how to attract a lover or keep the love of a husband or wife.While cunning-folk sometimes fell foul of the authorities, both church and state often turned a blind eye to their existence and practices, distinguishing what they did from the rare and sensational cases of malvolent witchcraft. In a world of uncertainty, before insurance and modern science, cunning-folk played an important role that has previously been ignored.
The first ever history of magic books - or grimoires - from the ancient Middle East through to the modern day, from harmless charms and remedies to sinister pacts with the Devil.
From its origins to the present day, Owen Davies explores ideas about paganism that have existed over the last two millennia. He takes a chronological look at changing attitudes towards its beliefs, its practices, and its relationship with the Church.
The story of how widespread belief in fortune-telling, prophecies, spirits, magic, and protective talismans gripped the battlefields and home fronts of Europe during the First World War.
Magic continues to be an enduring topic of fascination, managing to pervade the popular imagination. In this Very Short Introduction Owen Davies explores the definitions and practice of magic over the millennia; highlighting the controversy, conflict, and debate it has caused.
Cofiant a Llythyrau y Parch Robert Jones Llanllyfni is a Welsh biography of Robert Jones Llanllyfni, an influential Welsh preacher, and pastor. The book provides rare insights into the life and work of Robert Jones Llanllyfni, including his contributions to Welsh literature. The book is written in Welsh and will appeal to Welsh scholars and fans of Welsh literature.
Challenging conventional interpretations, this book delves into the intriguing discoveries of concealed objects in post-medieval buildings, such as old shoes and mummified cats. It critiques the common tendency to categorize these finds as mere survivals or protective talismans. Instead, the author investigates the deeper meanings and evolving traditions surrounding these practices, offering fresh insights into the cultural significance of building magic. Through this exploration, readers gain a nuanced understanding of historical beliefs and rituals related to architecture.