Full Description
Not so very long ago, Yuletide was as much a chilling season of ghosts and witches as it was a festival of goodwill. In The Old Magic of Christmas you'll find a Christmas bestiary and a White Witch's herbal, as well as tips for delving more deeply into your relationship with the unseen. Bring the festivities into your home with cookie recipes and ornament making while brushing elbows with veiled spirits and discovering the true perils of elves. Rife with the more frightful characters from folklore and the season's most petulant ghosts, this book takes you on a spooky sleigh ride from the silvered firs of a winter forest to the mirrored halls of the Snow Queen.
Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction
Chapter One: A Thousand Years of Winter
The White Bees Are Swarming; A Bird's Eye View; The Lady of the Castle; Craft: Distaff Tree; Craft: White Witch Window Star
Chapter Two: At Home with the Elves
"What's with the Elves?"; "Will You Know More?;" An Offering to the Elves; Like Christmas Itself; Craft: Elvish Window Ornament
Chapter Three: Dead by Christmas Morning
Queen of the Elves; Recipe: Icelandic Snowflake Breads; Home but Not Alone; Sitting Out 101; Craft: Elf Wreath
Chapter Four: Riders on White Horses
Sun, Moon and Stars; Craft: Martinmas Lantern; Martinmas Treats; Recipe: Martinmas Horns; The Wild Rider; "Blacker than pitch"; Recipe: Bishop's Wine
Chapter Five: Creatures of Forest and Mountain
Čert; Knecht Ruprecht; Other Nicholases; The Dream of the Rod; Buttnmandl; The Bells of St. Nicholas; The Bellsnickle; The Yule Lads; Goblins at the Window
Chapter Six: The Scandinavian Household Sprite
Nisse; Tomten; Tonttu; The Resilient Sprite; Craft: Christmas Tomten; Recipe: Rice Porridge So You Want to Buy a Troll
Chapter Seven: Reindeer Games
Stallo; The Yuletide People; On Prancer!; The Witch's Drum; Craft: Sacrificial Reindeer Ornament; The Horns of Abbots Bromley
Chapter Eight: A Christmas Bestiary
The Yule Horse; The Yule Buck; The Yule Boar; The Yule Cat; The Werewolf; The Spectral Dog
Chapter Nine: Winter's Bride
The Christkind; Barborka; Lucia; Recipe: Lussekatter; Night Walks with Heavy Steps; The Lutzelfrau; Lucka; Craft: Lucka Mask; Rising from the Ashes
Chapter Ten: There Are Witches in the Air
Vampires; Down with a Bound; Rise of the House of Knusper; Craft/Recipe: Lebkuchen House; Witches Bearing Gifts; Recipe: Befana Stars.
Chapter Eleven: Dark Spirits of Hearth and Home
The Kallikantzaros; The Yule Log; The First-footer; The Chimneysweep; The Fairy Queen's Men
Chapter Twelve: The White Witch's Herbal
Mistletoe (Viscum album); Juniper (Juniperus communis); Holly (Ilex acquifolium); Ivy (Hedera helix); Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea); Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger); Christmas Rose (Anastatica hierochuntica); Christmas Rose (Rosa alba); Apple Tree (Malus domestica)
Conclusion: Eternity
Addendum: A Calendar of Christmas Spirits and Spells
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
