Travels To The Otherworld And Other Fantastic Realms

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Travels to the Otherworld and Other Fantastic Realms

Claude Lecouteux,Corinne Lecouteux
Travels to the Otherworld and Other Fantastic Realms Book PDF

Author : Claude Lecouteux,Corinne Lecouteux
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2020-08-04
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9781620559437

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Travels to the Otherworld and Other Fantastic Realms by Claude Lecouteux,Corinne Lecouteux Pdf

A collection of tales from the Middle Ages that reveal voyages to Heaven and Hell, the realm of the Faery, mystical lands, and encounters with mythic beasts • Shares travelers’ accounts of voyages into the afterlife, alarming creatures of unparalleled strangeness, encounters with doppelgangers and angels, chivalric romantic misadventures, and legends of heroes • Explains how travelers’ tales from the Middle Ages drew on geographies, encyclopedias, travel accounts, bestiaries, and herbals for material to capture the imagination of their audiences • Includes rare illustrations from incunabula and medieval manuscripts Heading off to discover unknown lands was always a risky undertaking during the Middle Ages due to the countless dangers lying in wait for the traveler--if we can believe what the written accounts tell us. In the medieval age of intercontinental exploration, tales of sea monsters, strange hybrid beasts, trickster faeries, accidental trips to the afterlife, and peoples as fantastic and dangerous as the lands they inhabited abounded. In this curated collection of medieval travelers’ tales, editors Claude and Corinne Lecouteux explain how the Middle Ages were a melting pot of narrative traditions from the four corners of the then-known world. Tales from this period often drew on geographies, encyclopedias, travel accounts, bestiaries, and herbals for material to capture the imagination of their audiences, who were fascinated by the wonders being discovered by explorers of the time. Accompanied by rare illustrations from incunabula and medieval manuscripts, the stories in this collection include voyages into the afterlife, with guided tours of Hell and glimpses of Heaven, as well as journeys into other fantastic realms, such as the pagan land of the Faery. It also includes accounts from travelers such as Alexander the Great of alarming creatures of unparalleled strangeness, encounters with doppelgangers and angels, legends of heroes, and tales of chivalric romantic misadventures, with protagonists swept to exotic new places by fate or by quest. In each story, the marvelous is omnipresent, and each portrays the reactions of the protagonist when faced with the unknown. Offering an introduction to the medieval imaginings of a wondrous universe, these tales reflect the dreams and beliefs of the Middle Ages’ era of discovery and allow readers to survey mythic geography, meet people from the far ends of the earth, and experience the supernatural.

The Pagan Book of the Dead

Claude Lecouteux
The Pagan Book of the Dead Book PDF

Author : Claude Lecouteux
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 291 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2020-09-01
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9781644110485

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The Pagan Book of the Dead by Claude Lecouteux Pdf

An extensive look at the cartography and folklore of the afterlife worlds as seen by our ancestors • Examines how ancient European cultures viewed the beyond, including the Blessed Isles of early Greek and Celtic faith, the Hebrew Sheol, Hades from Homer’s Odyssey, Hel and Valhalla of the Norse, and the Aralu of Babylon • Shows how medieval accounts of journeys into the Other World represent the first recorded near-death experiences • Connects medieval afterlife beliefs and NDE narratives with shamanism, looking in particular at psychopomps, power animals, the double, the fetch, and what people bring back from their journeys to the spirit realms Charting the evolution of afterlife beliefs in both pagan and medieval Christian times, Claude Lecouteux offers an extensive look at the cartography and folklore of the afterlife worlds as seen by our ancestors. Exploring the locations and topographies of the various forms taken by Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, he examines how ancient European cultures viewed the beyond, including the Blessed Isles of early Greek and Celtic faith, the Hebrew Sheol, the pale world of Hades from Homer’s Odyssey, Hel and Valhalla of the Norse, and the Aralu of Babylon, the land where nothing can be seen. The author also explores beliefs in Other Worlds, lands different from our own that are not the afterlife but places where time flows differently and which are inhabited by fantastic or supernatural beings such as fairies or dwarfs. Sharing medieval tales of journeys into the beyond, Lecouteux shows how these accounts represent the first recorded near-death experiences (NDEs) and examines how they compare with modern NDE narratives as well as the work of NDE researchers like Raymond Moody. In addition, he also explores tales of out-of-body experiences, dream journeys, and travels made by a double or fetch and connects these narratives with shamanism, looking in particular at psychopomps, power animals, and what people bring back from their journeys to the spirit realms. Analyzing the afterlife beliefs of the Middle Ages as a whole, Lecouteux concludes with a collection of medieval afterlife-related traditions, such as placing polished stones in the coffin so the departed soul can find its way back to friends and family at those times of the year when the veil between the worlds grows thin.

Tales of Witchcraft and Wonder

Claude Lecouteux,Corinne Lecouteux
Tales of Witchcraft and Wonder Book PDF

Author : Claude Lecouteux,Corinne Lecouteux
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2021-09-28
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9781644111710

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Tales of Witchcraft and Wonder by Claude Lecouteux,Corinne Lecouteux Pdf

• Offers commentary for each story, revealing its historical context, cultural and esoteric associations, and hidden pagan beliefs • Explores how the tales transformed over the ages and their origins in Classical Antiquity, the Middle East, and India • Includes stories never-before-translated from their original Latin and many purposely left in obscurity due to scandalous depictions of popes and other notables The Middle Ages witnessed the blossoming of oral traditions whose echoes can still be found in many legends, fables, and tales today. In this collection of medieval tales of witchcraft, wonder, and the supernatural, Claude and Corinne Lecouteux explain how many of these stories arose in Classical Antiquity while some made their way into Dark Ages Europe from the Middle East and India. Offering commentary for each tale, the authors place them in historical context and analyze their cultural and esoteric associations. They include stories never- before-translated from their original Latin or demotic versions and show how, unlike the well-known fairy tales made popular by the Brothers Grimm, many stories were purposely left in obscurity because they presented scandalous depictions of popes and other notables. Additionally, for many of the tales, the authors scrupulously peel back the Christian veneer to show how the stories were instrumental in assuring the survival of age-old pagan beliefs across the centuries. These beliefs are explored through tales of animals with magical powers and the ability to converse with humans, including the tale of the Grateful Lion made famous through Aesop’s fables; stories of individuals with supernatural or otherworldly powers, like the Venomous Maiden who poisons all men who have relations with her; legends of miracles and wondrous things that violate the laws of nature, such as people returning from the dead to help a descendant; and stories of witchcraft, magic, and demonic apparitions, including the pope who was a disguised demon. The authors also explore tales of supernatural spouses and illicit love affairs, wisdom teachings and parables of fools, and heroic legends.

Mysteries of the Werewolf

Claude Lecouteux
Mysteries of the Werewolf Book PDF

Author : Claude Lecouteux
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 285 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2021-07-27
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9781644110799

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Mysteries of the Werewolf by Claude Lecouteux Pdf

• Examines werewolf tales and stories from early Greece, Scandinavia, France, Germany, Eastern Europe, China, and Japan, as well as legends of other shapeshifting creatures such as were-tigers, were-jackals, and were-caribou • Looks at the various ways people become werewolves, including pacts with the devil, magic, and spells, and explores ways to identify, escape, and do away with werewolves • Includes the trial records from medieval Europe for individuals who were tried on suspicion of being werewolves and the personal records of people whose spouses could shapeshift into wolves An animal both mythical and real, a terrifying predator and the villain in many a fairytale, the wolf has haunted the human imagination since prehistoric times. Even more disturbing is the possibility that some individuals can change into wolves. These werewolves, or lycanthropes, are able to divest themselves of their human nature and transform into enemies that are all the more dangerous as no one knows who they are. Means of protecting oneself from this beast have been a concern for people since Classical Antiquity, and werewolf legends offer both fascinating tales of horror as well as advice for thwarting these creatures or breaking the werewolf curse. In this exploration of werewolf folktales, legends, and historical accounts, Claude Lecouteux examines werewolf beliefs and stories from early Greece to the post-medieval age, including the beliefs of the Norse and tales from France, Germany, Eastern Europe, China, and Japan. The author includes the trial records from medieval Europe for individuals who were tried on suspicion of being werewolves and the personal records of people whose spouses could shapeshift into wolves. He investigates the nature of the werewolf, how it can act as the double or lead to out-of-body experiences, and its counterparts in other parts of the world such as were-tigers, were-jackals, and even were-caribou in the Inuit regions of North America. Lecouteux also looks at the various ways people become werewolves, including pacts with the devil and spells, and explores ways to identify, escape, and do away with werewolves. Sharing werewolf mysteries from around the world, Lecouteux shows that by studying the legends of the werewolf we also gain insight into the psyche and ancient imagination of humanity.

King Solomon the Magus

Claude Lecouteux
King Solomon the Magus Book PDF

Author : Claude Lecouteux
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 390 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2022-09-27
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9781644112441

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King Solomon the Magus by Claude Lecouteux Pdf

• Explores the schools of Solomonic magic around the world and works such as The Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon the King and The Hygromancy of Solomon • Examines Solomon’s magical possessions, including his famous ring that gave him command over animals, weather, demons, genies, and djinns, as well as his amulets, remedies, exorcisms, and charms • Looks at the extensive presence of Solomon in folklore around the world, including in Armenia, Malaysia, Russia, Bulgaria, Morocco, India, and Egypt Looking at the Solomonic magical tradition and Solomon’s profound influence on esoteric traditions around the world, Claude Lecouteux reveals King Solomon not only as one of the great kings of prehistory but also as the ancient world’s foremost magician and magus. Examining the primary sources on Solomon, such as the Bible, the Koran, and the writings of Flavius Josephus, the author explores Solomon’s judgments, his explorations, his literary and scientific works (including an herbal), and his constructions beyond the eponymous temple, such as the copper city in Andalus built by the djinns and the baths of Sulayman. He also looks at Solomon’s magical possessions, such as his famous ring and the Philosopher’s Stone. The author examines the supernatural powers granted to Solomon by his ring, which he received from the angel Gabriel, including command over animals, weather, and demons, and explores in detail Solomon’s power over genies and djinns. Following the esoteric threads hidden within the primary sources on Solomon, Lecouteux reveals the work of Solomon the Magician, exploring his amulets, remedies, exorcisms, charms, and his influence on Arab and Western magic. Providing illustrations of sigils, talismans, and other magic symbols related to Solomon, the author examines the schools of Solomonic Folkloremagic and works such as The Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon the King and The Hygromancy of Solomon. He then looks at the extensive presence of Solomon in folklore worldwide, including in Armenia, Israel, Malaysia, Eastern Europe, Russia, Morocco, India, Mongolia, and among the Abyssinians of Ethiopia and the Copts in Egypt. He also looks at Solomon’s role within the Bulgarian tradition from which the Cathars derived. Painting an in-depth portrait of Solomon the Magician-King, Lecouteux reveals how this legendary magus left a deep impression upon the occult, magical traditions, and philosophies of the ancient world that can still be felt to this day.

Tales and Legends of the Devil

Claude Lecouteux,Corinne Lecouteux
Tales and Legends of the Devil Book PDF

Author : Claude Lecouteux,Corinne Lecouteux
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 283 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2023-08-29
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9781644116869

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Tales and Legends of the Devil by Claude Lecouteux,Corinne Lecouteux Pdf

Explores the many forms and abilities of the devil in stories from around the world • Draws on folk traditions from all over Europe, including Transylvanian Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Switzerland, Italy, France, Scandinavia, and the Baltic countries • Traces the devil’s shapeshifting powers back to their Vedic origins in ancient India and looks at his connections with witches and storm magic • Reveals how many of the qualities and magical powers attributed to the devil were once those belonging to pagan gods The devil has many more guises than the cliché red boogeyman named Lucifer or Satan who haunts Christianity. In some traditions the devil is sinister and cunning, while others portray him as an oaf who can easily be conned and evaded by anyone with an ounce of cleverness. In other tales and legends, he is the primal shapeshifter, and the Roma, also known as the gypsies, claimed his talents of metamorphosis were so strong he could even assume the appearance of a priest. Drawing on folk traditions from all over Europe, including Transylvanian Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Switzerland, Italy, France, Scandinavia, Moravia, Bohemia, Lapland, and the Baltic countries, Claude and Corinne Lecouteux explore the many forms and abilities of the devil in stories, tales, and legends throughout the ages. They trace the devil’s shapeshifting powers back to their Vedic origins in ancient India and look at his connections with witches, storm magic, and other magical events. They examine the symbolic implications of the appearance of the devil in these tales, such as how he is often either limping or disfigured with the legs or feet of a goat or other animal traditionally linked to the lower powers or passions. They explain how the devil’s limp or his goat-like feet reflect the prevalence in world mythology of the sacred nature of crippling injuries. Peeling back the Christian veneer embedded in many tales and legends about the so-called Evil One, the authors ultimately reveal how many of the qualities and magical powers attributed to the devil were once those belonging to pagan gods, like the Lithuanian thunder god Perkūnas or the Titan Chronos, as well as to playful woodland spirits and the sometimes helpful, sometimes fearful fauns and satyrs of Greco-Roman mythology.

Carefree Journey In Other World

Fu Qindeqin
Carefree Journey In Other World Book PDF

Author : Fu Qindeqin
Publisher : Funstory
Page : 392 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2020-01-08
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781647963576

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Carefree Journey In Other World by Fu Qindeqin Pdf

Lonely water chills, a young child from the 21st century actually miraculously passed through another world while sleeping: "Cultivation realm", this is a world of martial cultivation, only through continuous practice can one become a expert. What made Lonely Shuihan not know whether to laugh or cry was, after he transmigrated, he was actually brought back here by his trash picking aunt, Aunt Wang, followed by a series of unbelievable things that happened. Amongst the "tofu" that was brought back by his garbage picking aunt, there was actually a hidden mysterious expert: Old Man Tianxuan! It was him, the one who turned the lonely water cold into a cultivator. It was him, the one who turned the lonely water cold into a noble blacksmith. And to see how lonely Shui Han would be to fight against the head of the clan and become enemies with the clan's daughter, and how he would be able to roam the Another World!

E. T. A. Hoffmann's Other World

Kenneth Negus
E T A Hoffmann s Other World Book PDF

Author : Kenneth Negus
Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
Page : 188 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2016-11-11
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781512804805

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E. T. A. Hoffmann's Other World by Kenneth Negus Pdf

In this study of the imaginary universe of Germany's most famous author of fantasy, Kenneth Negus attempts to establish the coherency and fathom the depth of the "other world" manifested in Hoffmann's many tales. Proceeding mainly from Der Goldene Topf, Hoffmann's most fully developed mystical work, Negus shows how the figures, themes, and motifs Hoffmann established permeate his tales, forming a basic overall structure that embodies creation, destruction, and the interaction of the two extremes in a mythology that is a fantastic distillation of the real world with which it is often in conflict. This close and careful scrutiny of the work of E. T. A. Hoffmann should be of major interest to all teachers and students of German and Comparative Literature.

Fantastic Bead of the World's Original Qi

Mo WangJunLing
Fantastic Bead of the World s Original Qi Book PDF

Author : Mo WangJunLing
Publisher : Funstory
Page : 740 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2020-05-04
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781648978449

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Fantastic Bead of the World's Original Qi by Mo WangJunLing Pdf

A powerhouse that had been subjected to the unwritten rules, a fate that was not under his control, and he who had intertwined with the fate of the spirit pearl, could he break through the shackles of fate and reach the realm where the heavens and earth could be carefree and unfettered? If you want to know more, just look at the Primordius Soul-Pearl ...

Otherworld Journeys

Carol Zaleski
Otherworld Journeys Book PDF

Author : Carol Zaleski
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 286 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 1988-11-03
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780195363524

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Otherworld Journeys by Carol Zaleski Pdf

Dozens of books, articles, television shows, and films relating "near-death" experiences have appeared in the past decade. People who have survived a close brush with death reveal their extraordinary visions and ecstatic feelings at the moment they died, describing journeys through a tunnel to a realm of light, visual reviews of their past deeds, encounters with a benevolent spirit, and permanent transformation after returning to life. Carol Zaleski's Otherworld Journeys offers the most comprehensive treatment to date of the evidence surrounding near-death experiences. The first to place researchers' findings, first-person accounts, and possible medical or psychological explanations in historical perspective, she discusses how these materials reflect the influence of contemporary culture. She demonstrates that modern near-death reports belong to a vast family of otherworld journey tales, with examples in nearly every religious heritage. She identifies universal as well as culturally specific features by comparing near-death narratives in two distinct periods of Western society: medieval Christendom and twentieth-century secular America. This comparison reveals profound similarities, such as the life-review and the transforming after-effects of the vision, as well as striking contrasts, such as the absence of hell or punishment scenes from modern accounts. Mediating between the "debunkers" and the near-death researchers, Zaleski considers current efforts to explain near-death experience scientifically. She concludes by emphasizing the importance of the otherworld vision for understanding imaginative and religious experience in general.

Death, Ecstasy, and Other Worldly Journeys

John J. Collins,Michael Fishbane
Death Ecstasy and Other Worldly Journeys Book PDF

Author : John J. Collins,Michael Fishbane
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 442 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 1995-03-09
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780791499542

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Death, Ecstasy, and Other Worldly Journeys by John J. Collins,Michael Fishbane Pdf

Belief in a spirit world, and a blissful or agonizing afterlife, is one of the most pervasive and deeply-rooted characteristics of religion. This volume offers a wide-ranging exploration of this basic religious theme. Most of the case studies are drawn from Jewish and Christian tradition, providing in-depth coverage of Judaism and Christianity from late Antiquity through the Medieval period. There are also examples from Islamic, Japanese, and Chinese traditions for a comparative perspective with Western traditions. Several chapters deal with the formative period of Jewish and Christian apocalypticism, which is concerned not only with the end of the physical world but also with the eternal heavenly world. These chapters are also important for illustrating the development of mysticism in Western traditions. The most distinctive aspect of this book is that it does not deal with antiquity alone, but juxtaposes the historical essays with a survey of modern day, near-death experiences. It raises issues of fundamental importance for the psychology of religion as well as for its history The most distinctive aspect of this book is that it does not deal with antiquity alone, but juxtaposes the historical essays with a survey of modern day, near-death experiences. It raises issues of fundamental importance for the psychology of religion as well as for its history.

Otherworlds

Aisling Byrne
Otherworlds Book PDF

Author : Aisling Byrne
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 225 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2016
Category : Literary Collections
ISBN : 9780198746003

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Otherworlds by Aisling Byrne Pdf

'Otherworlds' offers a new perspective on the otherworlds depicted in British and Irish medieval literature.

Fantasy

Rosemary Jackson
Fantasy Book PDF

Author : Rosemary Jackson
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 170 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2013-10-08
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781136493195

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Fantasy by Rosemary Jackson Pdf

First Published in 2002. It is easy to see that we are living in a time of rapid and radical social change. It is much less easy to grasp the fact that such change will inevitably affect the nature of those disciplines that both reflect our society and help to shape it. Yet this is nowhere more apparent than in the central field of what may, in general terms, be called literary studies. ‘New Accents’ is intended as a positive response to the initiative offered by such a situation. Each volume in the series will seek to encourage rather than resist the process of change. To stretch rather than reinforce the boundaries that currently define literature and its academic study.

Fantasy

Dr Rosemary Jackson
Fantasy Book PDF

Author : Dr Rosemary Jackson
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2008-03-07
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781134974023

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Fantasy by Dr Rosemary Jackson Pdf

This study argues against vague interpretations of fantasy as mere escapism and seeks to define it as a distinct kind of narrative. A general theoretical section introduces recent work on fantasy, notably Tzventan Todorov's The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre (1973). Dr Jackson, however, extends Todorov's ideas to include aspects of psychoanalytical theory. Seeing fantasy as primarily an expression of unconscious drives, she stresses the importance of the writings of Freud and subsequent theorists when analysing recurrent themes, such as doubling or multiplying selves, mirror images, metamorphosis and bodily disintegration.^l Gothic fiction, classic Victorian fantasies, the 'fantastic realism' of Dickens and Dostoevsky, tales by Mary Shelley, James Hogg, E.T.A. Hoffmann, George Eliot, Henry James, Joseph Conrad, R.L. Stevenson, Franz Kafka, Mervyn Peake and Thomas Pynchon are among the texts covered. Through a reading of thse frequently disquieting works, Dr Jackson moves towards a definition of fantasy expressing cultural unease. These issues are discussed in relation to a wide range of fantasies with varying images of desire and disenchantment.

I Got Caught Up In a Hero Summons, but the Other World was at Peace! (Manga) Vol. 1

Jiro Heian,Toudai
I Got Caught Up In a Hero Summons but the Other World was at Peace Manga Vol 1 Book PDF

Author : Jiro Heian,Toudai
Publisher : Seven Seas Entertainment
Page : 190 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2021-08-10
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN : 9781638584520

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I Got Caught Up In a Hero Summons, but the Other World was at Peace! (Manga) Vol. 1 by Jiro Heian,Toudai Pdf

Miyama Kaito is no hero. He's just a normal university student who gets caught up in a hero summons with an actual Hero. But even "Hero" is just a ceremonial role these days, ever since the Demon Lord was killed centuries ago. In a world where demons are chill, nobles are no longer corrupt, wars are a distant memory and there are no more epic quests to complete, what's a regular guy to do? Why, build a harem, of course!