Popular Magic: Cunning-Folk in English History -- Owen Davies, Paperback

Cunning-folk were local practitioners of magic, providing small-scale but valued service to the community. They 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 malvolent witchcraft. In a world of uncertainty, before insurance and modern science, cunning-folk played an important role that has previously been ignored.

Author: Owen Davies
Publisher: Continnuum-3PL
Published: 06/01/2007
Pages: 264
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.93lbs
Size: 9.16h x 6.30w x 0.79d
ISBN: 9781847250360

About the Author
Owen Davies is Reader in Social History at the University of Hertfordshire and the author of "Murder, Magic, Madness: The Victorian Trials of Dove and the Wizard" (2005).