Comments on: Riding the Broomstick http://www.jackofravens.com/2006/07/17/riding-the-broomstick/ A Blog by Mark Chadbourn about folklore, mythology, legend and his new fantasy novel, Jack of Ravens Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:45:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: MarkC http://www.jackofravens.com/2006/07/17/riding-the-broomstick/comment-page-1/#comment-81 MarkC Mon, 17 Jul 2006 19:25:32 +0000 http://www.jackofravens.com/2006/07/17/riding-the-broomstick/#comment-81 And he lives not a million miles from me (spoke to him on the phone, but never met him). He's an expert on prehistoric stones, cairns and alignment. HoAp is an excellent imprint! And he lives not a million miles from me (spoke to him on the phone, but never met him). He’s an expert on prehistoric stones, cairns and alignment. HoAp is an excellent imprint!

]]> By: Breakfast http://www.jackofravens.com/2006/07/17/riding-the-broomstick/comment-page-1/#comment-79 Breakfast Mon, 17 Jul 2006 17:13:54 +0000 http://www.jackofravens.com/2006/07/17/riding-the-broomstick/#comment-79 The very excellent Heart Of Albion Press ( http://www.hoap.co.uk ) have a book on mythology and how much modern thinking is entirely mythic. I've not read it yet, but I've been very impressed by their book on Fairy traditions. Funnily enough, a search for the author of the book, Bob Trubshaw, returns this article ( http://www.indigogroup.co.uk/edge/paganism.htm ) on paganism in british folk customs as it's first result. The very excellent Heart Of Albion Press ( http://www.hoap.co.uk ) have a book on mythology and how much modern thinking is entirely mythic. I’ve not read it yet, but I’ve been very impressed by their book on Fairy traditions. Funnily enough, a search for the author of the book, Bob Trubshaw, returns this article ( http://www.indigogroup.co.uk/edge/paganism.htm ) on paganism in british folk customs as it’s first result.

]]> By: MarkC http://www.jackofravens.com/2006/07/17/riding-the-broomstick/comment-page-1/#comment-78 MarkC Mon, 17 Jul 2006 15:40:14 +0000 http://www.jackofravens.com/2006/07/17/riding-the-broomstick/#comment-78 I am continually fascinated in this supposedly modern world by the web of superstition that still holds our society in place. In a way there's a gulf growing between those who have access to rapidly expanding and complex knowledge - scientists - and the rest of the population who are cut off from the vast depth of knowledge needed to comprehend those advances (and I include everyone who's not a theoretical physicist in that). More and more people are turning to superstition/religion to make sense of the world, particularly when you factor in the whole creationism thing. Which has nothing at all to do with Wicca, but is of interest nonetheless. I am continually fascinated in this supposedly modern world by the web of superstition that still holds our society in place. In a way there’s a gulf growing between those who have access to rapidly expanding and complex knowledge – scientists – and the rest of the population who are cut off from the vast depth of knowledge needed to comprehend those advances (and I include everyone who’s not a theoretical physicist in that). More and more people are turning to superstition/religion to make sense of the world, particularly when you factor in the whole creationism thing.

Which has nothing at all to do with Wicca, but is of interest nonetheless.

]]> By: Breakfast http://www.jackofravens.com/2006/07/17/riding-the-broomstick/comment-page-1/#comment-77 Breakfast Mon, 17 Jul 2006 13:39:01 +0000 http://www.jackofravens.com/2006/07/17/riding-the-broomstick/#comment-77 I saw that reviewed in the current FT and I was thinking it would be very interesting to read, so I think it's going on the list. It won't be for a while, though - I've just spent my current book budget on pre-ordering a novel that comes out at the end of the month and some books by a bunch of cowboys. If you look at things in an archetypal way then it would be possible that Margaret Murray's work is a modern (or relatively modern - not far off a century now) invention while responding to the same archetypes that other shamanic traditions do. In that case it could be an accurate recreation without necessarily belong to an ongoing tradition. The arguments for and against survivalism in folklore and tradition are both strong and I suspect both partially correct. In one respect attributing traditions that belong to village plays or carnivals to survivals of ancient religious practice is a denial of the creativity of the people in the intervening time, on the other hand practices like throwing coins into water at wishing wells or shopping malls are so similar to the votive offerings given at holy wells and found at temples to water-aligned deities that a connection is very hard to deny. I saw that reviewed in the current FT and I was thinking it would be very interesting to read, so I think it’s going on the list. It won’t be for a while, though – I’ve just spent my current book budget on pre-ordering a novel that comes out at the end of the month and some books by a bunch of cowboys.

If you look at things in an archetypal way then it would be possible that Margaret Murray’s work is a modern (or relatively modern – not far off a century now) invention while responding to the same archetypes that other shamanic traditions do. In that case it could be an accurate recreation without necessarily belong to an ongoing tradition.

The arguments for and against survivalism in folklore and tradition are both strong and I suspect both partially correct. In one respect attributing traditions that belong to village plays or carnivals to survivals of ancient religious practice is a denial of the creativity of the people in the intervening time, on the other hand practices like throwing coins into water at wishing wells or shopping malls are so similar to the votive offerings given at holy wells and found at temples to water-aligned deities that a connection is very hard to deny.

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