Bøger udgivet af Three Hands Press

The Pyrenees Mountains of Spain are a locus unique, characterized by a rugged landscape, extremes in climate, and isolated villages. A stronghold of independence, the area has long sheltered a rich tapestry of folk customs and magical belief, and served as a refuge for heretical sects of the Middle Ages. It was here, in 1424, that the first secular laws against witchcraft were passed. It was also the birthplace of the unique figure of the bruxa or Primordial Witch, a supernatural figure which could communicate with spirits, cast spells, control weather, and serve as the Devil's consort. Drawing upon Inquisition records, as well as local history, folklore, and magical practices, the Land of the Goat explores the nature of the Pyrenean witch and the evolution of its character and craft over time. Its subjects include the Spirit-Double, veneficium (the use of poisons), and the witches' nocturnal flight to the phantasmagoric Lande de Boc or 'Land of the Goat'. Also examined is the animistic substrate of ancient goddesses and spirits of the nocturnal realm, such as the Basque Mari who, like Diana, was associated with the sky-roving Night Host. The unique forms of the Pyrenean Devil, pre-dating the Christian Satan, are also investigated; chief among these was Akerbeltz, the Black He-Goat, closely associated with Pyrenean shepherds and bearing the powers of death and fertility. The Land of the Goat documents not only the history of the Pyrenean witch, but also its status as liminal to humanity, and as a perennial emanation of the land itself. Held in balance to folk custom, popular magic, and the twin adversaries of Christianity and Rationalism, the legacy of the bruxa has endured in many aspects of local folklore.--Three Hands Press "Publisher"

A poetic exploration of the nature of Chance and Divination from multiple viewpoints, including the mythological, scientific, poetic, mathematical, religious, and magical.

Beyond its vulgar function as a means of execution, the Gallows has long served as a source of esoteric power. From the severed appendage of the thief that becomes the Hand of Glory to the fallen seed that spawns the mandrake root, the Hanging Place is awash in the sinistral ambiance of authentic Sorcery. Richard Gavin weaves together threads of folklore, spiritism, and occult philosophy to create a tapestry of grim vitality. The Moribund Portal: Spectral Resonance and the Numen of the Gallows examines the subtle yet potent symbiosis that exists between the incarnate world and the realm of the Dead. This book's exploration of the liminal space between firmament and earth, where Odin perceived the runes and Christ witnessed the celestial kingdom, is designed to illuminate the macabre portal through which one may glimpse the Otherworld.

Before the witchcraft revival of 20th century popular occultism, witches and their arts of malevolent magic were recognized as real and constituted ever-present threats to the community. Spells and charms against the evil influence of witches were a common feature of rural English life, and form a unique ¿and sometimes sinister¿ corpus of folk magic similar in its features to the baneful magical operations witches were accused of. Through the use of incantations, herbs, talismans, spirit compacts, gestures, and prayers, a practitioner of British folk-sorcery could overcome the power of magical ill-doers using time-tested and traditional methods of magic. From the forgotten archives of nineteenth century folklore and first-hand reports of the period, occult researcher Andrew Mercer has gathered a collection of the more obscure and lesser-known examples of the fascinating magical art of anti-bewitchment, expelling, binding and cursing.