Icelandic Magic by Christopher Smith

Icelandic Magic by Christopher Smith

In this unprecedented work, the author Christopher A. Smith has meticulously studied no less than 6 original Icelandic manuscripts dating from 1500 to 1860 to extract a picture of the aims, tools and techniques of Icelandic sorcerers. Set against the context of the harsh economic, social and environmental conditions of this North Atlantic island, the book gives a detailed account of the types of spells that were used and the motivations behind them.

Hundreds of items from the six books of magic have been analysed to present the reader with a clear idea of the methods that were used, including incantation, invocation of deities and use of the enigmatic magical staves (galdrastafir). Furthermore, the book goes into great detail concerning the physical tools used by magicians and the kinds of objects that might have been found in a sorcerer's 'toolbox'.

The book is illustrated throughout with images from the original manuscripts. Although it is not intended by any means as a book of instruction, one chapter does focus on workings of certain types and gives suggestions for those brave enough to try them out.

All in all, this work will be an indispensable item for anyone interested in the history of magic in general and of Icelandic magic in particular.

Smith, Christopher Alan: - Christopher Alan Smith was born in Nottingham in 1954. He has travelled widely and lived in the Netherlands for five years, where his innate talent for languages enabled him to speak fluent Dutch within a few months and work as a logistics coordinator for a major transport company. His travels also include three visits to Iceland; on the second visit, he stayed in the country for 8 months and worked as a volunteer at the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft in Hü¾Œ¶˜¼lmavü¾™†”¼k. Christopher's interest in magic began when he was a student at the University of Sheffield, at which time the main emphasis in the available literature was on the Western Tradition of Kabbalistic magic. However, his taste for travel, languages and a restless search for knowledge clearly indicated Woden as his example, leading him within a few years towards Rune Magic and ultimately to membership of the Rune Gild. His Fellowship Work for the Gild, The Icelandic Tradition of Magic was published in 2012 as part of the collection Occult Traditions (Numen Books). In 2014 he was awarded the title of Master in the Rune Gild for his Master-work Icelandic Magic in the Early Modern Period, which forms the basis of this book. As he wryly comments in the introduction, As my sixtieth birthday was approaching, I realised that I should perhaps have started on this project about forty years ago, beginning by studying Icelandic and folklore at university instead of politics... but one has to start somewhere. Today he lives in North Yorkshire and, when not practising and researching Icelandic magic, works as a freelance translator.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781905297931
ISBN 10	1905297939
Title	Icelandic Magic
Author	Christopher Smith
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Avalonia
Year published	2015-09-13
Number of pages	230
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable