Demons and Spirits of the Land: Ancestral Lore and Practices

An exploration of the wild spirits that once roamed the lands and inhabited the waters and the pagan rites used to gain their good will * Explores medieval stories and folk traditions of brownies, fairies, giants, dragons, will-o'-the-wisps, and demons * Explains the specific rites performed to negotiate with the local spirits and ensure their permission before building on new land * Shows how these beliefs carried through to modern times, especially in architecture Our pagan ancestors knew that every forest has brownies and fairies, every spring its lady, and every river malevolent beings in its depths. They told tales of giants in the hills, dragons in the lakes, marshes swarming with will-o'-the-wisps, and demons and wild folk in the mountains who enjoyed causing landslides, avalanches, and floods.