New addition to my Three Hands/Xoanon collection
(Wording borrowed from Three Hands Press page)
WITCHCRAFT AND SORCERY OF THE BALKANS by Radomir Ristic
With its geographic diversity of rocky edifices, deep river valleys and
dense forests, Europe's Balkan mountain region has been characterized as
a natural fortress. This natural multiformity is mirrored by an ancient
admixture of magical beliefs and practices present in the region for
thousands of years. Among the many specialist types of Balkan magic is Vesticarstvo,
a sorcery drawing its power from Balkan folk belief, relict shamanism,
and medieval heresy. This traditional magic, which has also been
referred to as The Balkan Craft, is present today in many forms, and
uses of thousands of charms, rites, and spells in the rural communities
where it survives. A quintessential embodiment of this power is the zmajevit covek or
‘dragon-man’. Part human, part serpent, he possessed supernatural
heredity and the power to curse, cure, and traffic with supernatural
beings. Often incorporating the ancient powers of the pre-Roman Gods, the Queen
of the Fairies, elemental spirits, and the ancestral retinue, the vital
corpus of Vesticarstvo lore is a little-explored area of occult
study. Drawing from both historical sources and present survivals, the
present volume examines its history, beliefs, and rituals, including a
complete English translation of De Intorkatura, an age-old rite of magical combat, as well as several other Balkan witchcraft rituals never before translated into English.
Some interesting reading for the coming bank holiday weekend...
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Just found an audio interview with the author of the above book, well worth a listen.
(got to say, I love his accent!)
(got to say, I love his accent!)
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