Cornish Myth and Magic by Cheryl
Straffon
In this exploration of the Cornish
Celtic Otherworld, Cheryl Straffon expertly guides us through a realm of
traditional tales, stories, myths, legends and folklore wherein we encounter
supernatural beings, such as fairies, piskeys, mermaids, witches, giants and
other strange creatures.
Between the Realms examines the
writings of the folklorist collectors, and oral traditions born from the
prehistoric sacred landscape of Cornwall.
Cheryl explains how, in this
material, we find themes and narratives strikingly similar to those encountered
within much earlier works that refer to beliefs and events that were current in
the ancient past. In turn we find that Celtic sagas and mythic tales seem to
exhibit the same way of interfacing with the world of magic and spirit as seen
in the beliefs and practices of many native indigenous peoples from around the
world.
As Cheryl tells us in her
introduction to this book, ‘It is a realm
that has some similarities to our own, but one that is also strangely
unfamiliar. It is a dangerous world to enter, but nevertheless one that can
give new insights and experiences that change our world view when we return to
our mundane world.’
Contents:
Pagination: 152 pages, illustrated
with line drawings by Gemma Gary and with black & white photo plates.
Introduction
Chapters:
1: Rituals and Rites at Cornish
Sites
2: Shamans and Druids
3: The Fairy Lands
4: Piskey-led: Lost in the Mists
of Time
5: The Cornish Otherworld
6: Celtic Totem Animals
7: Mermaids and Sea Goddesses
8: Faces in the Rocks, Spirits in
the Stones
9: When Giants Strode the Land
10: Songlines: Legends in the
Landscape
11: Celtic Goddesses and Gods
12: Riding a Stem of Ragwort
13: The Arthurian Realms
14: Saints and Serpents
15: Other Realms, Other Realities
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