The Faerie Queens

From the Arthurian mythos to Scandinavia, from ancient Greece to Renaissance poetry and beyond, the awesome power of the Faerie Queens to inspire, challenge and transform is investigated and discussed from both scholarly and personal perspectives.

Powerful, mysterious, otherworldly, the Faerie Queens have spread their magic across Europe for many centuries, enchanting all who encounter them. From forests and lakes, mounds and mountains, the Faerie Queens emerge from the liminal places to bestow their numerous gifts (and curses) on man. Lover, shapeshifter, sorceress, prophetess, bestower of sovereignty, semi-divine ancestress, protectress of animals, collector of souls - the powers and roles of the Faerie Queens are as diverse as the folklore about them, their origins rooted deep in the legends, goddesses and beings of the ancient world.

Perhaps it is pertinent to state that faeries or faery queen are not those cute little, winged pixies that flutter around leaving behind glittering pixie dust and neither are their queens. Several different faerie queens are written about in this work and all of the essays are very informative. It must be noted that several of the faerie queen were in fact one time considered goddesses and then got reduced or demoted to faerie queens. Such Goddesses would include Hekate, Diana, Cailleach, Morrigan and Melusine. Of all the essays it is hard to determine which one I liked the best as they were all informative and I learned something new. Faeries of old prior to the Victorian age had a very fearsome aspect and most people tried their best to avoid them. Faerie Queens like Diana, Hekate and Prosperina were considered to be underworld queens who ruled over the dead. On Samhain and Yule they would go about on a wild hunt with a retinue of faeries and dead souls in their train. Anyone seen wandering about would be scooped up and carried off to the faerie realm. Included in this book are several invocations, including some that were used in grimoires. A worthy read that is most informative. - S. Cranow, Amazon reviewer

This book led me down a rabbit hole. Each essay is well composed and filled with information about faerie queens of different cultures. I admit that I got lost in the reference section of each essay, looking up sources and further delving into the wealth of knowledge there. I absolutely recommend this book if you are willing to lose yourself for a little while, and if you have a strong interest in magical women throughout history. My only criticism of this book is perhaps the scope--it seems to limit itself to faerie queens of European descent and does not have a worldwide, global reference. However, this only comes from my own greedy self, anting more information! Do not give this one a pass. - Lou Britt, Amazon reviewer

Sorita d'Este is an author, researcher and priestess who has devoted her life to the Mysteries. She is the author of numerous books on both the practice and history of magic, plus mythology, folklore and witchcraft. In late 2000 she co-founded the StarStone Network with David Rankine, which was dedicated to the study of Initiatory Witchcraft, Ceremonial Magic and the Mysteries of Hekate. With him she co-authored Hekate: Liminal Rites (2009), a compendium of magical practices historically associated with Hekate. With contributions from students, friends and practitioners from around the world she compiled Hekate: Keys to the Crossroads (2006) and Hekate: Her Sacred Fires (2010). In 2010 she wrote the Rite of Her Sacred Fires, a simple devotional ceremony which has become a worldwide annual celebration in honour of Hekate, celebrated at the Full Moon of May each year by many hundreds of people and now translated into 30 languages. She is also the Keybearer and founder of the Covenant of Hekate - a lives on a hill in Glastonbury from where she works as a publisher and writer. She is often distracted from work by her son, her love of gardening, and interesting visitors from different spiritual and esoteric persuasions. To find out more about her work visit: David is an author, researcher and qabalist based in Weston-super-Mare, UK. He is the author or co-author of numerous books published by Avalonia, including The Complete Grimoire of Pope Honorius, The Grimoire of Arthur Gauntlet, A Collection of Magical Secrets, The Book of Treasure Spirits, The Book of Gold, Climbing the Tree of Life, The Cosmic Shekinah, Practical Qabalah Magick, The Isles of the Many Gods, and The Guises of the Morrigan. With Stephen Skinner he has produced works such as The Veritable Key of Solomon and the Goetia of Dr Rudd, both highly regarded groundbreaking works which make available previously unpublished source materials for the first time.

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