Bücher von Gary R. Varner

An illustrated exploration of the folklore and mythology of sacred water found throughout the world. A companion volume to Sacred Wells, Water From the Sacred Well continues the quest for the underlying sacredness associated with water and the universal themes found in folklore and religious traditions from around the world. Blending personal exploration with archaeology, folklore, and ancient traditions, Water From the Sacred Well takes the reader on a fascinating trip to surreal lakes, hot springs, and rivers in search of the spirit helpers, demons, faeries, mysterious Black Dogs, Women in White, Water Babies and the gods and goddesses that are part of this story. Water From the Sacred Well connects common themes found in water lore to sites around the world. Varner provides a glimpse into the world of spiritual development and the continuing rituals and traditions associated with life-giving waters and how these traditions continue to create a need for sacred space.

When we think of the "First Americans" we generally tend to think of the American Indian. After all, there is no doubt that the Indian has lived in North America for thousands of years, descended from those original explorers who trekked across the Bering land bridge. At least this is what we are taught in school. But is this entirely correct? Were there others that came perhaps before and during the original population of North and South America by those that would later be called "Native Americans"? Were there others that embarked on expeditions to the mysterious lands to the west (or east) that brought not only trade goods but knowledge and ideas of other religions, cultures and oral traditions?

María Lionza is at once a native girl, born in the 16th century to an Indian chief in the Venezuelan region of Yaracuy, and a goddess of nature, peace and harmony to over eight million Venezuelans in the 21st century. Her name means "Mary of the boar," taken from her full name "Santa María de la Onza Talavera del Prato de Nivar"-a title given by the Catholic Church in the attempt to Christianize her cult.This book is María's story, as much as can be told. Other than a few scholarly articles, the existence of María Lionza and her following is unknown in Western literature. Gabriel Ernesto Andrade of La Universidad del Zulia in Maracaibo, Venezuela wrote "If I would have to find one word to describe the María Lionza religion, it would be 'mysterious'." And so María, as well as her origins and how she became regarded as the goddess of the people of Venezuela, remains a mystery in many ways. And that is as it should be.

A small book packed with the history and lore of the sword. Profusely illustrated, The Sword and Dagger in Myth & Legend explores the origins of the sword, its history from the bronze and iron ages to the modern day. It also explores such legendary and mystical weapons of Excalibur and the Durendal, swords which belonged to King Arthur and the hero Roland, El Cid's sword Tizona, Kusanagi from Japan and Mohammad's sword Zulfiqar. It also examines a real sword in the stone still existing in Tuscany, that of St. Galgano.This is a book for everyone interested in folklore, the history of weapons and the common themes of legend.Gary R. Varner is a member of the American Folklore Society and has written a number of books on ancient sites, ritual and history.

Charles Godfrey Leland was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 15, 1824. Immediately after his birth his nurse took the baby to the attic and performed a ritual, laying a Bible, a key, and knife on his breast, lighted candles, money and salt at his head. The nurse performed her ritual to ensure the child had a long life as a "scholar and a wizard." Her ritual was more successful than anyone would have guessed. If nothing, Charles Leland was a product of his time. An adventurer, warrior, journalist and one who took delight in the arts. He lived to pursue the occult and, at times, he embellished his work to suit his concepts of what the world should be in his mind. This is the story of a man who fought in the 1848 French Revolution, the American Civil War, who was the creator of the Industrial Arts programs in America's schools, a humorist and the author of Aradia: Gospel of the Witches.This second edition includes additional new materials.

Sacramento. Capital of California and home to a half million people and hundreds of symbols and images from an ancient past. These are the same symbols that have been part of the framework of the human psyche for thousands of years. While contemporary man of the 21st century may think that they are simply decorative manifestations of a by-gone era, they represent so much more. They represent the fears, dreams, ideas, beliefs and struggles that humankind has endured since we began to walk upright. This book will survey many of the icons that still reside alongside modern man in Sacramento and will present them in a broader context both in the context of ancient history and folklore as well as a meaning that is suitable for our contemporary times.The locations of these images are also given so that the reader may seek them out at leisure.Gary R. Varner has authored numerous books on symbolism, folklore, mythology and Native American culture.

Death. We deny it. We fear it. Some of us welcome it. No matter what age we live in we keep the traditional feelings for our departed. We try to ease the soul into the afterworld as best we can. "Celebrations of life" provide a time for friends and loved ones to gather, share food and stories and grieve. Some who pass on are cremated to free the soul. Some are buried believing that the body will not become corrupted but will survive until the final judgment day. "Grave goods" are still commonly buried or are cremated as well with the body.While we believe we are more "advanced" than those who lived before us, we actually do the same things they did to honor and to provide for our deceased loved ones. We are not so very different after all.This book provides a brief survey of how America's first people reacted to death, how they disposed of their dead, their thoughts about the spirit world and the possibilities of being reborn.

For the most part Hecate is seen today as the Goddess of Witches and Sorcery-but this wasn't always so. Hecate was at one time both protectress of women and children and Goddess of Death. She was, in her trinity aspect, goddess of fertility and prosperity, Goddess of the Moon, and Queen of Ghosts, shades and the night. It is interesting that she was seen both as the goddess of fertility and life as well as death."Hekate can poison as well as intoxicate," wrote Nor Hall, "turn ecstasy into madness, and cause death where incubation-or a short journey-was intended."This book will examine her many facets and bring about a truer sense of the primal goddess known as "The Distant One" and "The Nameless One." One of her titles places these in a softer light, for she was also called "most lovely one."

According to ancient Ptolemaic writings, Ethiopians were the first men that ever lived and the first to worship the gods and to honor the gods with sacrifice. Some believe that the Ethiopians were the origination of Egyptian religion in the worship of Osiris as well as the worship of Zeus. The Ethiopians, according to Herodotus, "reverence of the gods Zeus and Dionysos alone, and these they greatly honour; and they have an Oracle of Zeus established, and make warlike marches whensoever this god commands them by prophecy and to whatsoever place he commands." Science was also believed to have traversed from the Upper Nile, the homeland of the Ethiopians, into Egypt. Before these gods, however, the ancient Ethiopians worshipped the serpent and even sacrificed to it. Today many believe Ethiopia is the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant.This book is an ethnographic analysis of the ancient cultures of Ethiopia, their religious beliefs and current environmental and political challenges.

Faeries, trolls, goblins--are these simply creatures of age old stories or are they much more? Legends of these Little People are universal across time, geography and cultures. Are the origins of these stories connected to a real race of tiny humans such as those found on the Indonesian island of Flores or to some other ancient and unknown cause? Sightings of these creatures continue to be reported in our modern time from Europe and Russia to North Carolina and California. Are these reports the result of mis-identification or hallucination or are we in fact sharing the world with a number of beings from a lost age? The Folklore of Faeries, Elves & Little People - A Study of a Cultural Phenomenon looks cross-culturally at the history and folklore of these creatures as well as current areas said to be frequented or inhabited by them and gives possible explanations for the continued belief in their existence. Illustrated

One of the most ancient nations in the world, Ethiopia is a magnificent and diverse society attempting to hold on to its traditional ways in an ever changing world. The first nation to accept Christianity in the 4th century, indigenous religions and practices have been able to survive in a symbiotic relationship with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church mixing pagan beliefs and ways with the dominate Christian religion. Today, however, due to the missionary efforts of both the Evangelical Christian and Muslim factions only a small percentage of Ethiopian peoples still observe their traditional ways and beliefs. The Evil Eye and spirit possession continue to exist across the Ethiopian scene in a fascinating mixture of the ancient and modern worlds.

The symbols and strange images that we find in our cemeteries, religious structures, banks and in our parks are the same symbols that have been part of the framework of the human psyche for thousands of years. While contemporary man may think that they are simply decorative manifestations of a by-gone era, they represent the fears, dreams, ideas, beliefs and struggles that humankind has endured since we began to walk upright. This book surveys many of these icons and will give a meaning for them both in the context of ancient history and folklore as well as a meaning that is suitable for our contemporary times. Illustrated with dozens of photographs, this book will be of interest to anyone interested in historic preservation, ancient symbolism, the Green Man and the universal application of imagery. Gary R. Varner has written numerous books on ancient traditions, folklore, the environment and contemporary issues. He is a member of the American Folklore Society and the Foundation for Mythological Studies.