Blood And Mistletoe

Crushed by the Romans in the first century A.D., the ancient Druids of Britain left almost no reliable evidence behind. Because of this, historian Ronald Hutton shows, succeeding British generations have been free to reimagine, reinterpret, and reinvent the Druids. Huttons captivating book is the first to encompass two thousand years of Druid history and to explore the evolution of English, Scottish, and Welsh attitudes toward the forever ambiguous figures of the ancient Celtic world. Druids have been remembered at different times as patriots, scientists, philosophers, or priests; sometimes portrayed as corrupt, bloodthirsty, or ignorant, they were also seen as fomenters of rebellion. Hutton charts how the Druids have been written in and out of history, archaeology, and the public consciousness for some 500 years, with particular focus on the romantic period, when Druids completely dominated notions of British prehistory. Sparkling with legends and images, filled with new perspectives on ancient and modern times, this book is a fascinating cultural study of Druids as catalysts in British history. -- Publisher description from http: //yalepress.yale.edu (Oct. 3, 2011).

Britain's pagan past, with its mysterious monuments, atmospheric sites, enigmatic artifacts, bloodthirsty legends, and cryptic inscriptions, is both enthralling and perplexing to a resident of the twenty-first century. In this ambitious and thoroughly up-to-date book, Ronald Hutton reveals the long development, rapid suppression, and enduring cultural significance of paganism, from the Paleolithic Era to the coming of Christianity. He draws on an array of recently discovered evidence and shows how new findings have radically transformed understandings of belief and ritual in Britain before the arrival of organized religion. Setting forth a chronological narrative, Hutton along the way makes side visits to explore specific locations of ancient pagan activity. He includes the well-known sacred sites—Stonehenge, Avebury, Seahenge, Maiden Castle, Anglesey—as well as more obscure locations across the mainland and coastal islands. In tireless pursuit of the elusive “why” of pagan behavior, Hutton astonishes with the breadth of his understanding of Britain’s deep past and inspires with the originality of his insights.

Lycanthropy is the theme of a special anthology of holiday tales featuring an outstanding collection of werewolf stories by Charlaine Harris, Simon R. Green, Keri Arthur, Dana Stabenow, Carrie Vaughn, Patricia Briggs, Rob Thurman, and others.

The acclaimed author of Witches, Druids, and King Arthur presents a “lucid, open-minded” cultural history of the Druids as part of British identity (Terry Jones). Crushed by the Romans in the first century A.D., the ancient Druids of Britain left almost no reliable evidence behind. Historian Ronald Hutton shows how this lack of definite information has allowed succeeding British generations to reimagine, reinterpret, and reinvent the Druids. Hutton’s captivating book is the first to encompass two thousand years of Druid history and to explore the evolution of English, Scottish, and Welsh attitudes toward the forever ambiguous figures of the ancient Celtic world. Druids have been remembered at different times as patriots, scientists, philosophers, or priests. Sometimes portrayed as corrupt, bloodthirsty, or ignorant, they were also seen as fomenters of rebellion. Hutton charts how the Druids have been written in and out of history, archaeology, and the public consciousness for some 500 years, with particular focus on the romantic period, when Druids completely dominated notions of British prehistory. Sparkling with legends and images, filled with new perspectives on ancient and modern times, this fascinating cultural study reveals Druids as catalysts in British history.

In Stations of the Sun and The Triumph of the Moon Ronald Hutton established himself as a leading authority on the historian of Paganism. His wealth of unusual knowledge, complemented by a deep and sympathetic understanding of past and present beliefs that are often dismissed as strange or marginal, and an ability to write lucidly and wittily, gives his work a unique flavour. The essays which make up Witches, Druids and King Arthur cover elegantly and entertainingly a wide range of beliefs, myths and practices.

Serves as a study of what people have thought about the ancient Druids and why. This work looks at the many ways in which Druids have been imagined in Britain since 1500, and what this tells us about modern and early modern society. It also offers insights into the development of British national identities, literary culture and protest movements.

The first book to consider British history from a magical perspective, and how these arcane magical themes developed over time.

What does it mean to be a Druid, circa 2020 c.e.? - What do modern-day Druids believe? - What are their religious practices? - How does Druidry vary with geography? - How has Druidry evolved over time? - What defines it as a religious tradition? In the past, the answers to these questions have, of necessity, taken the form of educated guesses based on limited data, often biased by ease-of-contact, or Druidry group affiliation. The World Druidry Survey of 2018-2020 was the first, large-scale global effort to collect, interpret, and learn from the stories of all the practicing Druids of the world. The questionnaire included 189 items, organized into 42 sets of questions, including 18 open-ended essay questions. It probed into details of modern Druids' physical, social, and cultural environments; their ethnicities; their theological beliefs, ritual practices, and celebrated holidays; and the factors that influenced their development as Druids. Completed surveys were returned by 725 Druids, in six languages, from 34 nations, representing 147 Druid groups from around the world, in addition to 131 unaffiliated, solitary practitioners. Their responses included thousands of pages of rich, narrative data, allowing for the use of robust, mixed-methods analytic tools to paint a vivid picture of the contemporary religious tradition that is World Druidry. Here are their stories.

In this “intelligently plotted and deliciously descriptive tale” (Publishers Weekly), national bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert tells the story of a woman’s search for justice—and of her struggle to reconcile the demands of her business with the desires of her heart… Former big-city lawyer China Bayles worked hard to make her Texas herb shop, Thyme and Seasons, a success. Now business is booming at her charming new tea room, Thyme for Tea—but China is too distracted to revel in her latest entrepreneurial triumph. When she’s not trying to spend more time with her new husband and stepson, she’s worrying about her best friend, Ruby, who just hasn’t been herself lately. To further complicate matters, China has to round up a supply of mistletoe, the season’s most popular herb. It seems an easy enough task—until her chief supplier turns up dead…