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Cunning-Folk: Popular Magic in English History
Author(s): Owen Davies (Author)
- Publisher: UNKNO
- Publication Date: January 1, 2003
- Language: English
- Print length: 256 pages
- ISBN-10: 1852852976
- ISBN-13: 9781852852979
Book Description
Local practitioners of magic, providing small-scale but valued services to the community, cunning-folk 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 malevolent witchcraft. In a world of uncertainty, before insurance and modern science, cunning-folk played an important role that has previously been ignored.
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Owen Davies is Lecturer in History at the University of Hertfordshire and the author of A People Bewitched (1999).
