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Hellebore Zine #9
Hellebore #9: The Old Ways Issue
In an essay written years after The Wind in the Willows (1908), Kenneth Grahame referred to the “country of the mind”, a place to be found during his long, solitary walks in the countryside where he would live “high adventures”. For Grahame, and for many others before and after him, landscape doesn’t have merely a physical dimension.
In our perceptions of landscapes we are not only informed by our senses, our knowledge, and our experience, but also by something ineffable—a link between our imagination, our inner life, and something that transcends us.
The Old Ways Issue celebrates landscapes, the way we navigate them, and the stories we tell about them. Pilgrimages and rituals of crossings, tales of malevolent lights luring travellers off the path, patterns in the landscape, invisible lines of force, the mystery of megaliths. In these pages we explore the sea, the marshland, rivers and fields, stone circles, the moors, and the enigma of outer space to unearth the stories that fascinate us and to acknowledge how they’ve shaped us.
HELLEBORE is a collection of writings and essays devoted to folk horror and the themes that inspire it: folklore, myth, history, archaeology, psychogeography, and the occult.
Featuring words by Katy Soar and Niall Finneran, Kenneth Brophy, Francis Young, Verity Holloway, Madeleine Potter, Icy Sedgwick, and Darren Pih. Artwork by Clare Marie Bailey and Nathaniel Hébert.
In our perceptions of landscapes we are not only informed by our senses, our knowledge, and our experience, but also by something ineffable—a link between our imagination, our inner life, and something that transcends us.
The Old Ways Issue celebrates landscapes, the way we navigate them, and the stories we tell about them. Pilgrimages and rituals of crossings, tales of malevolent lights luring travellers off the path, patterns in the landscape, invisible lines of force, the mystery of megaliths. In these pages we explore the sea, the marshland, rivers and fields, stone circles, the moors, and the enigma of outer space to unearth the stories that fascinate us and to acknowledge how they’ve shaped us.
HELLEBORE is a collection of writings and essays devoted to folk horror and the themes that inspire it: folklore, myth, history, archaeology, psychogeography, and the occult.
Featuring words by Katy Soar and Niall Finneran, Kenneth Brophy, Francis Young, Verity Holloway, Madeleine Potter, Icy Sedgwick, and Darren Pih. Artwork by Clare Marie Bailey and Nathaniel Hébert.
88 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2023
3 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 25, 2023
I’m here for the free festival and outdoor trespass movements.
June 25, 2023
Hellebore is fast becoming one of my favourite zines - it always features an excellent range of articles which strike a balance between scholarly and popular. The contributors are always really interesting and the majority come from academic backgrounds, providing further reading lists at the end of their articles. I've discovered a few great authors through Hellebore. Ronald Hutton is a contributor... need I say more?
And the graphic design... stunning. I love the use of colour themes and motifs for each instalment. Is retro occult a thing? I can imagine leafing through this on a visit to Scarfolk (from which I would obviously never return... probably kidnapped by owl children).
I wasn't sure whether I should count Hellebore on my Goodreads profile as a book, but the quality and length of the articles just makes me think... why not? #YOLOUYASABFUCODTAPD (you only live once, unless you are spirited away by fairies, UFOs, cultists, or demons to another pocket dimension)
And the graphic design... stunning. I love the use of colour themes and motifs for each instalment. Is retro occult a thing? I can imagine leafing through this on a visit to Scarfolk (from which I would obviously never return... probably kidnapped by owl children).
I wasn't sure whether I should count Hellebore on my Goodreads profile as a book, but the quality and length of the articles just makes me think... why not? #YOLOUYASABFUCODTAPD (you only live once, unless you are spirited away by fairies, UFOs, cultists, or demons to another pocket dimension)
April 21, 2024
Another fine issue of Hellebore! This issue focuses on the 'Old Ways' and more broadly the occult and folkloric connection to the landscape. It's kind of sat quite well with the Weird Walk: Issue One - Beltane 2019 zine I've been enjoying recently, but because I have been reading both zines in close proximity there is similar content, which meant that some of this issue I have read about elsewhere recently.
Hellebore's authors tend to come from academia, and yet the articles are very accessible to the general reader, and they are fully referenced if one wants to learn more.
What I really enjoyed about this issue was that every article felt like 'Goldilocks' - not to long, not to short and just enough to get one's teeth into. I also think this was the first issue where I really enjoyed every article, so if the contents seem your kind of thing I recommend checking this out.
'The Return of Ley Lines' by Katy Soar and Niall Finneran and 'Megaliths from Outer Space' by Kenneth Brophy approach similar subject matter, about energy lines of power in the earth and megaliths being used as 'general navigation points' for aliens. I've always been incredibly suspicions about ley lines because you can pretty much join any point to another with a straight line and draw inferences from it. Likewise, these subject areas, trying to infer something mystical and ancient are very much a reflection on 20th Century attitudes. It's funny that the more I read about this stuff how essentially whole industries of paranormal, occult, psychogeographical or supernatural studies largely come from something someone once made up or guessed at in a fanciful way. I was surprised to learn that Ley Lines were named because a lot of places they went through ended in 'ley'.
I always enjoy reading Francis Young's work and in here there is a piece detailing old pilgrimage sites in the UK and how the church tried to stamp them out at the time of the Reformation. I hadn't realised how the Church viewed this pilgrimage sites as if not heretical, certainly not canon, or official, and the implication they had for the public who visited them. If anything, I love the idea of a pilgrimage to a cursing well or a site where you could get rid of your husband.
I'm always pleased to see an article by Verity Holloway and in this issue she has a wonderfully quirky piece describing naval traditions when crossing the line of the Equator and paying respects to Neptune. I was surprised to see how the traditions are still going, and how historically they ranged from dangerous hazing to raucous abandon and hedonism. I was also surprised to see that the Royal Navy were still somewhat formerly sanctioning the traditions in the 1940's and 50's even giving out official certificates. I must read some of her fiction, because I love her historical pieces in Hellebore.
'Uncanny Neighbours' by Madeline Potter' is an essay about the othering of Roma people in 19th century gothic literature and how those stereotypes informed not just 20th and 21st century art and culture but also racist stereotypes. The article also claims that the etymology of the word 'gypsy' is a contraction of the word Egyptian, as before it was recognised that Romani people have Indian roots some thought they were from Egypt. It's not something I have heard before. Sadly these stereotypes evoked in gothic literature have persisted with Roma people seen as being as somewhat outsiders, a bridge between the 'civilised world' and supernatural or magical forces. I've read books written in the last five years that persist with these stereotypes which harm Roma people.
Icy Sedgewick gives us a good piece about marsh lights, will o'th' wisp and other such night time lights which can lure the unwary to their death. The article analyses the science which I had somewhat assumed was understood, but apparently not. The article laments the dying out of this folklore because after all we don't walk down tracks in the dark anymore and all the marsh land is drained....
Finally Darren Pih has a great piece about the nature of trespass and reclaiming the land out of private hands and it's history.
Great issue
Hellebore's authors tend to come from academia, and yet the articles are very accessible to the general reader, and they are fully referenced if one wants to learn more.
What I really enjoyed about this issue was that every article felt like 'Goldilocks' - not to long, not to short and just enough to get one's teeth into. I also think this was the first issue where I really enjoyed every article, so if the contents seem your kind of thing I recommend checking this out.
'The Return of Ley Lines' by Katy Soar and Niall Finneran and 'Megaliths from Outer Space' by Kenneth Brophy approach similar subject matter, about energy lines of power in the earth and megaliths being used as 'general navigation points' for aliens. I've always been incredibly suspicions about ley lines because you can pretty much join any point to another with a straight line and draw inferences from it. Likewise, these subject areas, trying to infer something mystical and ancient are very much a reflection on 20th Century attitudes. It's funny that the more I read about this stuff how essentially whole industries of paranormal, occult, psychogeographical or supernatural studies largely come from something someone once made up or guessed at in a fanciful way. I was surprised to learn that Ley Lines were named because a lot of places they went through ended in 'ley'.
I always enjoy reading Francis Young's work and in here there is a piece detailing old pilgrimage sites in the UK and how the church tried to stamp them out at the time of the Reformation. I hadn't realised how the Church viewed this pilgrimage sites as if not heretical, certainly not canon, or official, and the implication they had for the public who visited them. If anything, I love the idea of a pilgrimage to a cursing well or a site where you could get rid of your husband.
I'm always pleased to see an article by Verity Holloway and in this issue she has a wonderfully quirky piece describing naval traditions when crossing the line of the Equator and paying respects to Neptune. I was surprised to see how the traditions are still going, and how historically they ranged from dangerous hazing to raucous abandon and hedonism. I was also surprised to see that the Royal Navy were still somewhat formerly sanctioning the traditions in the 1940's and 50's even giving out official certificates. I must read some of her fiction, because I love her historical pieces in Hellebore.
'Uncanny Neighbours' by Madeline Potter' is an essay about the othering of Roma people in 19th century gothic literature and how those stereotypes informed not just 20th and 21st century art and culture but also racist stereotypes. The article also claims that the etymology of the word 'gypsy' is a contraction of the word Egyptian, as before it was recognised that Romani people have Indian roots some thought they were from Egypt. It's not something I have heard before. Sadly these stereotypes evoked in gothic literature have persisted with Roma people seen as being as somewhat outsiders, a bridge between the 'civilised world' and supernatural or magical forces. I've read books written in the last five years that persist with these stereotypes which harm Roma people.
Icy Sedgewick gives us a good piece about marsh lights, will o'th' wisp and other such night time lights which can lure the unwary to their death. The article analyses the science which I had somewhat assumed was understood, but apparently not. The article laments the dying out of this folklore because after all we don't walk down tracks in the dark anymore and all the marsh land is drained....
Finally Darren Pih has a great piece about the nature of trespass and reclaiming the land out of private hands and it's history.
Great issue
May 29, 2023
A good collection of essays on the theme of landscapes and how people interact with the land: from ley lines to will o’ the wisps deterring the unwary wanderer, megaliths as beacons, a very short history of enclosure, among others.
The further reading sections are very helpful and the illustrations add greatly to the well crafted design. Some slightly grievous subediting is a negative, in particular the lede for the final article that informs us that just 8% of land in England is publicly accessible. In the very next sentence clarifying that we’re “excluded from a staggering 92%”… Very fourth form. 4.5/5 rounded down.
The further reading sections are very helpful and the illustrations add greatly to the well crafted design. Some slightly grievous subediting is a negative, in particular the lede for the final article that informs us that just 8% of land in England is publicly accessible. In the very next sentence clarifying that we’re “excluded from a staggering 92%”… Very fourth form. 4.5/5 rounded down.
June 8, 2023
Hellebore is fast becomming a favourite magazine. Perfect size, beautiful design, really thought-provoking articles based on historical knowledge of the occult, the old ways and more. Packed with grounded and academic musings and you've got a zine that is fun and pretty whilst being sensible and pragmatic. It is not a fluffy read with far-fetched ideas, it is honest, balanced and grounded yet brimming with beguiling particulars.
November 16, 2023
By this point, Hellebore have pretty much set out what they are and are continuing to offer their usual blend of folk horror and occulture more or less to the standards set by previous issues. Solid, but as always one could wish they trimmed back some of the terser articles and allowed the deeper articles to sprawl a bit more. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...
September 11, 2023
Design and illustrations stunning as usual, some neat studies, particularly regarding the hazing of sailors crossing the equator. Felt that the first article gives a little too much breathing room to the academic legitimacy of ley line pseudoarchaeology nonsense for my liking, so can't recommend as enthusiastically as some other issues.
May 10, 2023
Interesting little zine with a lot of good information.
July 9, 2023
As always, superb.
December 29, 2023
the great thing about reading these is that i get all these lovely recommendations of places to visit
April 18, 2024
Un fanzine interesantisimo con varios artículos y ensayos sobre curiosidades de rituales, peregrinajes, y el misterio de los megalitos. Una edición estética espectacular.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews