Paganism in Arthurian Romance

Paganism in Arthurian Romance PDF Author: John Darrah
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
ISBN: 9780859914260
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
"His most original contribution to an unravelling of a pagan Arthurian past lies in his appropriation of the fascinating evidence of standing stones and pagan cultic sites. The magical attributes of stones are exemplified in prehistoric standing stones, the real counterparts of the perrons of the French romances. This is dark and difficult territory, but certain events in the Arthurian cycle, which take place on and around Salisbury Plain, have correspondences with known prehistoric events. Building on these elusive clues, and tracing a range of sites around the river Severn and south Wales, John Darrah has added a significant new dimension to the search for the sources of England's great epic, the legends of Arthur and his court."--Jacket.

Paganism in Arthurian Romance

Paganism in Arthurian Romance PDF Author: John Darrah
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
ISBN: 9780859914260
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
"His most original contribution to an unravelling of a pagan Arthurian past lies in his appropriation of the fascinating evidence of standing stones and pagan cultic sites. The magical attributes of stones are exemplified in prehistoric standing stones, the real counterparts of the perrons of the French romances. This is dark and difficult territory, but certain events in the Arthurian cycle, which take place on and around Salisbury Plain, have correspondences with known prehistoric events. Building on these elusive clues, and tracing a range of sites around the river Severn and south Wales, John Darrah has added a significant new dimension to the search for the sources of England's great epic, the legends of Arthur and his court."--Jacket.

The Real Camelot

The Real Camelot PDF Author: John Darrah
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
ISBN: 9780500012505
Category : Arthurian romances
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description


Witches, Druids and King Arthur

Witches, Druids and King Arthur PDF Author: Ronald Hutton
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 9781852855550
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description
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.

Christian Mythology

Christian Mythology PDF Author: Philippe Walter
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1620553694
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 221

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Book Description
Reveals how Christian mythology has more to do with long-standing pagan traditions than the Bible • Explains how the church fathers knowingly incorporated pagan elements into the Christian faith to ease the transition to the new religion • Identifies pagan deities that were incorporated into each of the saints • Shows how all the major holidays in the Christian calendar are modeled on pagan rituals and myths, including Easter and Christmas In this extensive study of the Christian mythology that animated Europe in the Middle Ages, author Philippe Walter reveals how these stories and the holiday traditions connected with them are based on long-standing pagan rituals and myths and have very little connection to the Bible. The author explains how the church fathers knowingly incorporated pagan elements into the Christian faith to ease the transition to the new religion. Rather than tear down the pagan temples in Britain, Pope Gregory the Great advised Saint Augustine of Canterbury to add the pagan rituals into the mix of Christian practices and transform the pagan temples into churches. Instead of religious conversion, it was simply a matter of convincing the populace to include Jesus in their current religious practices. Providing extensive documentation, Walter shows which major calendar days of the Christian year are founded on pagan rituals and myths, including the high holidays of Easter and Christmas. Examining hagiographic accounts of the saints, he reveals the origin of these symbolic figures in the deities worshipped in pagan Europe for centuries. He also explores how the identities of saints and pagan figures became so intermingled that some saints were transformed into pagan incarnations, such as Mary Magdalene’s conversion into one of the Celtic Ladies of the Lake. In revealing the pagan roots of many Christian figures, stories, and rituals, Walter provides a new understanding of the evolution of religious belief.

The Romance of Arthur

The Romance of Arthur PDF Author: Norris J. Lacy
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317341848
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 585

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Book Description
The Romance of Arthur, James J. Wilhelm’s classic anthology of Arthurian literature, is an essential text for students of the medieval Romance tradition. This fully updated third edition presents a comprehensive reader, mapping the course of Arthurian literature, and is expanded to cover: key authors such as Chrétien de Troyes and Thomas of Britain, as well as Arthurian texts by women and more obscure sources for Arthurian romance extensive coverage of key themes and characters in the tradition a wide geographical range of texts including translations from Latin, French, German, Spanish, Welsh, Middle English, and Italian sources a broad chronological range of texts, encompassing nearly a thousand years of Arthurian romance. Norris J. Lacy builds on the book’s source material, presenting readers with a clear introduction to many accessible modern-spelling versions of Arthurian texts. The extracts are presented in a new reader-friendly format with detailed suggestions for further reading and illustrations of key places, figures, and scenes. The Romance of Arthur provides an excellent introduction and an extensive resource for both students and scholars of Arthurian literature.

The Mists of Avalon

The Mists of Avalon PDF Author: Marion Zimmer Bradley
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345448162
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1073

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Book Description
The magical saga of the women behind King Arthur's throne. “A monumental reimagining of the Arthurian legends . . . reading it is a deeply moving and at times uncanny experience. . . . An impressive achievement.”—The New York Times Book Review In Marion Zimmer Bradley's masterpiece, we see the tumult and adventures of Camelot's court through the eyes of the women who bolstered the king's rise and schemed for his fall. From their childhoods through the ultimate fulfillment of their destinies, we follow these women and the diverse cast of characters that surrounds them as the great Arthurian epic unfolds stunningly before us. As Morgaine and Gwenhwyfar struggle for control over the fate of Arthur's kingdom, as the Knights of the Round Table take on their infamous quest, as Merlin and Viviane wield their magics for the future of Old Britain, the Isle of Avalon slips further into the impenetrable mists of memory, until the fissure between old and new worlds' and old and new religions' claims its most famous victim.

Enemy of God

Enemy of God PDF Author: Bernard Cornwell
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 014192912X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
From the No. 1 bestselling author of WAR LORD comes an epic retelling of the Arthurian legend, from the bestselling Last Kingdom series Uniting the restive British kingdoms behind him, Arthur believes he can now hold back the Saxons threatening the country. Meanwhile, Merlin sets out on a quest to uncover the sacred Treasures of Britain, hoping they will prove decisive in the coming battle. But in a country where the cult of the Christians is spreading, Merlin's quest is divisive. And the ambitions of the rival warlord Lancelot threaten the delicate peace. Could even those closest to Arthur be moved to betray him? From the epic bestselling author, Enemy of God brilliantly retells the Arthurian legend, combining myth, history and thrilling battlefield action. ______ 'Wonderful and haunting' People Magazine 'Of all the books I have written these are my favourites' Bernard Cornwell

The English Settlements

The English Settlements PDF Author: John Nowell Linton Myres
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780192822352
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
The dark ages of English history between the collapse of Roman rule in the early fifth century and the emergence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the seventh century are examined in this study, which draws attention to political and social factors linking Roman Britain to Anglo-Saxon England.

The Cambridge Companion to the Arthurian Legend

The Cambridge Companion to the Arthurian Legend PDF Author: Elizabeth Archibald
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521860598
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
Covers the evolution of the legend over time and analyses the major themes that have emerged.

Biblical Paradigms in Medieval English Literature

Biblical Paradigms in Medieval English Literature PDF Author: Lawrence Besserman
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136597158
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
This book examines the intricate and unusual relationship between the sacred and secular spheres of English medieval culture, positing that the assimilation of sacred and secular motifs could be in either direction, or even in both directions. That is, medieval English writers could appropriate biblical paradigms to express secular themes, and vice versa. Codicological, psychoanalytic, feminist, and new historicist insights inform readings of Beowulf, Middle English lyric poetry, the Gawain-poet, Chaucer, and Malory, among others. Besserman elucidates the structural and thematic complexity of the integration of biblical and biblically derived sacred diction, imagery, character types, and themes in the works under consideration, identifying within them new biblical sources and analogues and providing fresh insights into the contextual meaning and significance of the biblical paradigms they deploy. This book highlights the shaping influence of biblical and biblically derived sacred paradigms on exemplary literature produced in the middle Ages.