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Book A Pocket Guide to Superstitions of the British Isles

Download or read book A Pocket Guide to Superstitions of the British Isles written by Stephen Roud and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first major new book on British superstitions and their history in over a generation, this survey not only explains what people have believed and why, but when superstitions arose, which parts of the country adopted them, how they evolved and what people believe today. Drawing extensively on literary sources from medieval times to the present, the book settles many arguments, debunks many myths and provides in the process a fascinating sideways view of social customs and beliefs over the centuries.

Book The Mammoth Book of Superstition

Download or read book The Mammoth Book of Superstition written by Roy Bainton and published by Robinson. This book was released on 2016-11-10 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rather than providing a dictionary of superstitions, of which there are already numerous excellent, exhaustive and, in many cases, academic works which list superstitions from A to Z, Bainton gives us an entertaining flight over the terrain, landing from time to time in more thought-provoking areas. He offers an overview of humanity's often illogical and irrational persistence in seeking good luck and avoiding misfortune. While Steve Roud's two excellent books - The Penguin Dictionary of Superstitions and his Pocket Guide - and Philippa Waring's 1970 Dictionary concentrate on the British Isles, Bainton casts his net much wider. There are many origins which warrant the full back story, such as Friday the thirteenth and the Knights Templar, or the demonisation of the domestic cat resulting in 'cat holocausts' throughout Europe led by the Popes and the Inquisition. The whole is presented as a comprehensive, entertaining narrative flow, though it is, of course, a book that could be dipped into, and includes a thorough bibliography. Schoenberg, who developed the twelve-tone technique in music, was a notorious triskaidekaphobe. When the title of his opera Moses und Aaron resulted in a title with thirteen letters, he renamed it Moses und Aron. He believed he would die in his seventy-sixth year (7 + 6 = 13) and he was correct; he also died on Friday the thirteenth at thirteen minutes before midnight. As Sigmund Freud wrote, 'Superstition is in large part the expectation of trouble; and a person who has harboured frequent evil wishes against others, but has been brought up to be good and has therefore repressed such wishes into the unconscious, will be especially ready to expect punishment for his unconscious wickedness in the form of trouble threatening him from without.'

Book The Little Book of Lancashire

Download or read book The Little Book of Lancashire written by Alexander Tulloch and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2013-10-01 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Did You Know? In Stacksteads, a village near Bacup, there is an annual event which has to rank among the wackiest in the country’s sporting calendar: the Gravy Wrestling competition. According to legend King Arthur’s mighty sword Excalibur is lying at the bottom of Lancashire’s deepest lake, Martin Mere. In Wigan, Eccles cakes used to be called ‘slow walking cakes’ because they were offered to mourners at funerals. St Walburge’s Church in Preston was named after the patron saint of people suffering from rabies. The Little Book of Lancashire is fun and informative guide to the things you did not know about this amazing part of England. Whether you want to sit down and read it cover to cover or dip into it for hilarious facts and anecdotes, this book will delight both visitors to this beautiful county and the residents who call it home.

Book Faith and Folklore of the British Isles

Download or read book Faith and Folklore of the British Isles written by William Carew Hazlitt and published by . This book was released on 1965 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Language  Literature  and Education  ICLLE 5 2022

Download or read book Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Language Literature and Education ICLLE 5 2022 written by Zulfadhli Zulfadhli and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-02-10 with total page 445 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is an open access book. The 5th ICLLE will be held in Padang, Indonesia in July 27th, 2022. The conference aims to provide a forum for researchers, practitioners, and professinals from the industry, academia and government to discourse on research and development, professional practice in linguistics, literature and education.

Book Folk Song in England

    Book Details:
  • Author : Steve Roud
  • Publisher : Faber & Faber
  • Release : 2017-08-15
  • ISBN : 0571309739
  • Pages : 612 pages

Download or read book Folk Song in England written by Steve Roud and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2017-08-15 with total page 612 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Victorian times, England was famously dubbed the land without music - but one of the great musical discoveries of the early twentieth century was that England had a vital heritage of folk song and music which was easily good enough to stand comparison with those of other parts of Britain and overseas. Cecil Sharp, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Percy Grainger, and a number of other enthusiasts gathered a huge harvest of songs and tunes which we can study and enjoy at our leisure. But after over a century of collection and discussion, publication and performance, there are still many things we don't know about traditional song - Where did the songs come from? Who sang them, where, when and why? What part did singing play in the lives of the communities in which the songs thrived? More importantly, have the pioneer collectors' restricted definitions and narrow focus hindered or helped our understanding? This is the first book for many years to investigate the wider social history of traditional song in England, and draws on a wide range of sources to answer these questions and many more.

Book Britain Revealed

    Book Details:
  • Author : Diana Cordea
  • Publisher : Trivent Publishing
  • Release : 2021-12-31
  • ISBN : 6158179388
  • Pages : 269 pages

Download or read book Britain Revealed written by Diana Cordea and published by Trivent Publishing. This book was released on 2021-12-31 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do Brits call their flag a "Jack"? How did the leek become a symbol of Wales? Does the Tube run 24/7? Who was the Widow of Windsor? Can you take part in a coronation? What was a Greenwood marriage? Was the Giant's Causeway built by an Irish giant? Which British literary figures won the Nobel Prize for Literature? How can you register a record in the Guinness Book of Records? What is the emergency phone number in the UK? Providing well-organised material on the UK's history, geography, literature, royalty and society, Diana Cordea's "Britain Revealed" is a condensed and easy to read book about all things British. It is an excellent user-friendly reference for prospective visitors to the UK, Anglophiles, or readers wishing to know and understand popular British culture. Most importantly, "Britain Revealed" is aimed at teachers of English as a foreign language, who wish to make their English and optional classes more exciting. The plethora of information provided in this comprehensive teaching aid can be adapted to various levels of language proficiency and can be used in various classroom activities. Focusing on essential questions concerning British culture and civilisation, this volume is also attractive to learners, who will thus have the opportunity of brushing up on their English in a versatile and practical way.

Book Flying against Fate

    Book Details:
  • Author : S. P. MacKenzie
  • Publisher : University Press of Kansas
  • Release : 2017-08-04
  • ISBN : 0700624694
  • Pages : 264 pages

Download or read book Flying against Fate written by S. P. MacKenzie and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2017-08-04 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During World War II, Allied casualty rates in the air were high. Of the roughly 125,000 who served as aircrew with Bomber Command, 59,423 were killed or missing and presumed killed—a fatality rate of 45.5%. With odds like that, it would be no surprise if there were as few atheists in cockpits as there were in foxholes; and indeed, many airmen faced their dangerous missions with beliefs and rituals ranging from the traditional to the outlandish. Military historian S. P. MacKenzie considers this phenomenon in Flying against Fate, a pioneering study of the important role that superstition played in combat flier morale among the Allies in World War II. Mining a wealth of documents as well as a trove of published and unpublished memoirs and diaries, MacKenzie examines the myriad forms combat fliers' superstitions assumed, from jinxes to premonitions. Most commonly, airmen carried amulets or talismans—lucky boots or a stuffed toy; a coin whose year numbers added up to thirteen; counterintuitively, a boomerang. Some performed rituals or avoided other acts, e.g., having a photo taken before a flight. Whatever seemed to work was worth sticking with, and a heightened risk often meant an upsurge in superstitious thought and behavior. MacKenzie delves into behavior analysis studies to help explain the psychology behind much of the behavior he documents—not slighting the large cohort of crew members and commanders who demurred. He also looks into the ways in which superstitious behavior was tolerated or even encouraged by those in command who saw it as a means of buttressing morale. The first in-depth exploration of just how varied and deeply felt superstitious beliefs were to tens of thousands of combat fliers, Flying against Fate expands our understanding of a major aspect of the psychology of war in the air and of World War II.

Book Secularization

    Book Details:
  • Author : Steve Bruce
  • Publisher : OUP Oxford
  • Release : 2013-01-11
  • ISBN : 0191612170
  • Pages : 254 pages

Download or read book Secularization written by Steve Bruce and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2013-01-11 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The decline in power, popularity and prestige of religion across the modern world is not a short-term or localized trend nor is it an accident. It is a consequence of subtle but powerful features of modernization. Renowned sociologist, Steve Bruce, elaborates the secularization paradigm and defends it against a wide variety of recent attempts at rebuttal and refutation. Using the best available statistical and qualitative evidence Bruce considers the implications for the

Book Black Cats and Evil Eyes

Download or read book Black Cats and Evil Eyes written by Chloe Rhodes and published by Michael O'Mara. This book was released on 2012-09-13 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection investigates the origins of our most intriguing old-fashioned superstitions, many of which we still find ourselves abiding by today. Hundreds of the beliefs passed down through the generations have their foundations in our ancestors' efforts to ward off evil, which they blamed for hardship, illness and injustice in times when life was, as often as not, 'nasty, brutish and short'. Black Cats and Evil Eyes sets these superstitions in their historical and social context, explaining how fear of the Devil, demons, evil spirits and witchcraft drove people to arm themselves with rituals and talismans to repel dark forces and allow them to live long and healthy lives. In examining many of our common superstitions, this book illuminates the customs, beliefs and practices that link us to an ancient, and often darker, human past.

Book Faiths and Folklore of the British Isles

Download or read book Faiths and Folklore of the British Isles written by W. Carew Hazlitt and published by . This book was released on 1965 with total page 672 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland

Download or read book The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland written by Steve Roud and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2006-04-06 with total page 1004 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are black cats lucky or unlucky? What should you do when you hear the first cuckoo? Since when have people believed that it's unlucky to shoot an albatross? Why does breaking a mirror lead to misfortune? This fascinating collection answers these and many other questions about the world of superstitions and forms an endlessly browsable guide to a subject that continues to obsess and intrigue.

Book A Dictionary of Omens and Superstitions

Download or read book A Dictionary of Omens and Superstitions written by Philippa Waring and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in 1978, this dictionary traces the probable origins of superstitions from all over the world, discussing the symbolic context in which they still survive and suggesting how they can help exploit good luck and avoid the bad.

Book The Complete Book of Superstition  Prophecy  and Luck

Download or read book The Complete Book of Superstition Prophecy and Luck written by Leonard R. N. Ashley and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Strange beliefs and even stranger omens have liferated through the ages. Here is a ripe collection which might change minds about broken mirrors, black cats and other ingrained beliefs.

Book Deviant Burial in the Archaeological Record

Download or read book Deviant Burial in the Archaeological Record written by Eileen M. Murphy and published by Oxbow Books. This book was released on 2008-08-19 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited volume contains twelve papers that present evidence on non-normative burial practices from the Neolithic through to Post-Medieval periods and includes case studies from some ten countries. It has long been recognised by archaeologists that certain individuals in a variety of archaeological cultures from diverse periods and locations have been accorded differential treatment in burial relative to other members of their society. These individuals can include criminals, women who died during childbirth, unbaptised infants, people with disabilities, and supposed revenants, to name but a few. Such burials can be identifiable in the archaeological record from an examination of the location and external characteristics of the grave site. Furthermore, the position of the body in addition to its association with unusual grave goods can be a further feature of atypical burials. The motivation behind such non-normative burial practices is also diverse and can be related to a wide variety of social and religious beliefs. It is envisaged that the volume will make a significant contribution towards our understanding of the complexities involved when dealing with non-normative burials in the archaeological record.

Book Faiths and Folklore of the British Isles

Download or read book Faiths and Folklore of the British Isles written by William Carew Hazlitt and published by . This book was released on 1965 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book The Prehistories of Baseball

Download or read book The Prehistories of Baseball written by Seelochan Beharry and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2016-03-09 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Baseball's roots lie deep in our ancestral past. The ancient arts of throwing (distance warfare), hitting (close quarters combat), and running (attack and retreat) were woven into the earliest forms of baseball. Early humans recognized the importance of the sun and sought to placate it with sacrificial offerings, imitating its movements and deifying it. Myths and relics of these foundational practices and beliefs were carried westward across the Old World by Indo-European peoples. Games for the early British and Continental Europeans (notably the Celts and Druids) served military, religious, social and educational needs. As the Celts and Druids came under the control of the Roman Empire, and later the Christian Church, their customs and practices, including games, fell out of favor. Despite persecution, some folk games survived the millennia under such names as "stool-ball," "tut-ball," and "base-ball." Descendants of these peoples brought their variant games to the New World where the standardization of various informal rules led to their rapid spread. Baseball, with its underlying beliefs, superstitions and practices, still brings us together with familiar and comforting rituals as we assemble under the sun.