Litsy

Might is Right: The Authoritative Edition | Ragnar Redbeard, Arthur Desmond

Who was the Intellectual Hobo?

The truth is, we don't know. What we do know is that from outside respectable society, a fierce cry emerged in the pages of 𝑯𝒐𝒃𝒐 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒔. A wandering wizard writing under the names J. William Schweitzer, J. Merrill Leighton, The Baron, Von Sinbad, or Silky, combined Stirnerite egoism, Redbeardean rhetoric, and hobo myth-making into a series of scathing critiques of the wage system and respectable reform.

UnderworldAmusements Now, for the first time, the Union of Egoists presents the only serious attempt to document the strange and interesting life of this enigmatic tramp poet. 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆 SA1305 combines all known writings of the Intellectual Hobo with every known newspaper account of this obscure outlaw, and features a special Introduction by Editor Kevin I. Slaughter.

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2 comments

monalyisha

Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic | Tabitha Stanmore

pick

When I began reading this history of “practical magic” in 1300s-1600s England, I was nothing short of obsessed. My interest, however, slowly tapered off. There are interesting bits sprinkled throughout…but it started to feel like a lot of the same. I‘m also not a big fan of the stylistic, “as we will see in the next chapter” phraseology.

What initially hooked me was the close overlap of priests & “cunning folk”, religion & “service magic.”👇🏻

monalyisha 1/7: I know my understanding of the history surrounding witch trials is colored by my geography (I actually lived in Salem, MA for a spell, while the author‘s from the UK) but I still found a lot of what Stanmore uncovered shocking! I was under the impression that anything smacking of magic would‘ve been condemned as witchcraft & grounds for getting a person (usually a woman) hanged during this time period. 👇🏻 (edited) 2w

monalyisha 2/7: Instead, Stanmore‘s research suggests that “cunning folk” (with proven track records of helping their communities) were largely safe & well-regarded (even the women!) for most of this time even amidst “witch fever.” Although she admits that “such a relaxed attitude towards magic becomes much rarer in the 16th & 17th centuries,” she writes that “scholars have noted that up until the 15th century, magic is largely portrayed as morally neutral.” 2w

monalyisha 3/7: During that time, priests & monks could & did employ “cunning folk”; some even identified as “cunning folk” themselves! A few of the more popular practices included finding lost things, finding lost people, and healing the sick. The exact rituals, which Stanmore describes whenever possible, are hugely fascinating! 2w

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monalyisha 4/7: I was particularly rapt when learning about how amulets were made (harnessing the unique properties of the stars, writing powerful inscriptions (sometimes prayers), and intentionally choosing metals based on which planet they corresponded with; as well as supplicating or trapping angels and/or demons). 2w

monalyisha 5/7: I loved reading about how ghosts were believed to be attached to treasure as a form of penance for the person who‘d died, and therefore could be helpful to treasure hunters rather than a source of fear. It was believed that *some* ghosts wanted the pure-hearted to find the wealth they‘d selfishly hoarded while alive so they could be forgiven the sin of avarice and move on. So, a haunting wasn‘t always a deterrent; sometimes, it was desirable! 2w

monalyisha 6/7: Folks also found biblical justification for the practice of palmistry (see: Exodus 13:9), stemming from the conventionally accepted idea that God commonly drew signs in nature — our bodies being part & parcel. These signs could be “read,” therefore, for wisdom or clues about the future. 2w

monalyisha 7/7: This sort of fantastical & spiritual grey area is totally my jam. If I were a more diligent researcher, I imagine this is exactly the book I‘d write. But I‘m too dreamy & distractible to have written it at all, & certainly to have written it in the style that Stanmore did. She‘s academic & colloquial in equal parts but always, unfailingly direct. I like more pottering lyricism to my prose. Less enthusiastic a pick than I imagined…but a pick! 2w

AnnCrystal Insightful review 👏🏼☺️👍🏼🧹📚💝. 2w

Clare-Dragonfly I love a less-than-enthusiastic review that makes me want to read the book. 😄 This sounds right up my alley! 2w

monalyisha @Clare-Dragonfly It‘s definitely thought-provoking and I‘m not mad I read it! 2w

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monalyisha

Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic | Tabitha Stanmore

Puppy‘s first pool time. Summer is coming. 💦

dabbe 💜🐾🖤 2w

AnnCrystal 💕🐕🌊🐾💝. 2w

63 likes2 comments

monalyisha

Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic | Tabitha Stanmore

Fiction: Juno Loves Legs (book club)
Nonfiction: Cunning Folk (just started)
Audio: Of Time and Turtles (nearly done)

I just cracked open the middle book this morning & I‘m already slightly obsessed (despite the fact that it has endnotes, which make me want to rip my hair out; fortunately, it seems like they‘re mostly just crediting source material & I can ignore them without missing anything). Also, how gorgeous is that cover?! 🤩

#weekendreads

rachelsbrittain

rachelsbrittain Oo that one sounds super interesting! I'm going to have to check it out 👀 4w

monalyisha @rachelsbrittain YES! I think what‘s been most fascinating to me so far is the close overlap of priests and “cunning folk”, religion and “service magic.”

I was under the impression that anything smacking of magic would‘ve been condemned as witchcraft & grounds for getting a person (usually a woman) hanged during the trials. But it seems like “cunning folk” were largely safe and well-regarded (even the women!). 4w

monalyisha @rachelsbrittain And priests could/did employ and sometimes even WERE “cunning folk.” Practices included finding lost things or people, healing, etc. And the exact rituals are hugely fascinating!

I know my understanding is different because my witch trials history is US-based (I actually lived in Salem, MA for a spell) while the author‘s from the UK & digging into the history there. But still! 4w

rachelsbrittain That's fascinating! 3w

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AstroSK51576

Key Words for Astrology | Hajo Banzhaf, Anna Haebler

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bibliothecarivs

The Book of English Magic | Richard Heygate, Philip Carr-Gomm

Recent acquisition:

📖 The Book of English Magic by Philip Carr-Gomm & Richard Heygate

8 likes

DGRachel

The Book of Lilith | Barbara Black Koltuv

Women have been choosing the bear since the dawn of time…

CSeydel 😆 2mo

TheBookHippie Word. 2mo

lil1inblue 😂 😂 😂 2mo

dabbe Pretty nails! 💜 2mo

DGRachel @dabbe Thank you!☺️ 2mo

51 likes5 comments

UnderworldAmusements

Might is Right: The Authoritative Edition | Ragnar Redbeard, Arthur Desmond

“He is pre-eminently, the prophet of unreason—the preacher of rabble-rabies. All that is enervating and destructive of manhood, he glorifies,—all that is self-reliant and heroic, he denounces.“

Rachel.Rencher

Nordic Runes: Understanding, Casting, and Interpreting the Ancient Viking Oracle | Paul Rhys Mountfort

We saw road signs for a Danish windmill in the middle of Iowa on our way to see John Green. What was supposed to be a quick detour for it turned into about an hour of book shopping, touring the grounds, looking at trinkets, and an impromptu mead tasting with two old ladies who sold me some Viking Blod to sip while I read my new book of Nordic folk tales tonight. 🤍

Ruthiella Sounds like a great detour! 😃 3mo

MaGoose That is some detour!! Sounds great 👍 3mo

kspenmoll Such fun! Especially when u expected! 3mo

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inkilea

Silver Nitrate | Silvia Moreno-Garcia

pick

Enjoyed this one. I think some would find the characters a bit unlikeable, but it's at the level where I'm happy enough. The ending felt a bit twee, but I'll definitely pick up another by the author (I think I have at least one more from a past 99p spree).

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