Serpent Songs: An Anthology of Traditional Craft

by Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold

Serpent Songs are the works and words of those who remain untamed, from Cunning Folk to Exorcists to Pellars to Sorgin and Witches and Mystics. A collection of fifteen essays are introduced and curated by Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold through whose contacts we encounter the worlds of lone practitioners and tradition holders, from both family and clan, and are allowed a rare glimpse into the workings of the more secretive proponents of the Craft.
Traditional Craft is intimately bound to the spirit of the land. Serpent Songs contains the works of Cornish and Basque witchcraft, the relatively unknown Swedish Trolldom, the persecuted Bogomils, and the oft misrepresented Italian Stregoneria. Members of 1734, Clan of Tubal Cain, and a member of the Companie of the Serpent-Cross are among those who choose to share their experiences. Light is shed on such seminal figures as Robert Cochrane, Evan John-Jones and Andrew Chumbley amongst others, but more than illustrious ancestors, Traditional Craft is revealed as a living throng.
These are the voices of those who work the art and this book details their practices, struggles and wayward journeys. Serpent Songs takes a crooked path through the landscape, from historical studies to practical acts, from lonely stone stiles set between deep hedges to the warm entrails of animals and forays into the caves and woods. These tresses are woven into an undulating nest of serpents.
Serpent Songs is a wide ranging work that deals with the issues of witch blood, taboo, the other, the liminal state, fire, dream, art and need as vectors of the Craft. What emerges is not a narrow definition of what it means to engage in Traditional Craft, but a set of shared characteristics and approaches which become evident despite the cultural gulfs in place and time. This is a book of praxis, beliefs and their own definitions of the art itself rather than those applied to it by outsiders. These are the voices who for the most part operate in silence but now wish to be heard.

Genres: Witchcraft, Magic, Occult, Poetry, Magick, Folklore

230 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2013

Reviews

[Gaze Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology of 15 essays that deal with folk and traditional magick, currated by Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold of 'Palo Mayombe' fame. The essays range in terms of scholarship and academic style, but all are written by first-hand practitioners of their traditions, and all are enlightening. We get rare glimpses into elusive traditions such as the the Cornish Pellars, or the Cultus Sabbati and 1734, to the Shamans of Basque and North America. I personally found it interesting to see where tradition and rituals intersect with Ceremonial magical techniques. There were several "a-ha" moments throughout the book. The essays are diverse enough that there is something for every practitioner of magick to chew on.

[Χρυσόστομος Τσαπραΐλης · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag of writings engaging with the edifice of traditional witchcraft. The stand-outs were Arkaitz Urbeltz's "Lezekoak" and Xabier Bakaikoa Urbeltz's "But the House of my Father will Stand" (both being eye-openers as far as Basque witchcraft is concerned), Steve Patterson's "Bucca and the Cornish Cult of Pellar" (self-explanatory), Johannes Gårdbäck's "Trolldom" (on which Scandinavian traditional witchcraft lore is embedded on the narration of a contemporary ritual aimed at removing malignant magic) and Sarah Anne Lawless' "Mysteries of Beast, Blood and Bone" (concerning flesh and blood animisn, with an extremely evocative writing style).

[Daniel Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really enjoyed reading this, a beautiful collections of essays

[Katherine Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag of essays, some are inspiring, some are interesting if rehashes, and others are just the author's rewriting their old points again. All in all worth tracking down the Rouge version of but not the hardback.

[Yvonne Vetjens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very diverse anthology about traditional magic & witchcraft. We get to see it from several cultural contexts and many points of view. To me personally it had the effect of thinking 'OK...' while reading some essays, while others left me very much inspired.

[Acacia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like with many anthologies, I found each article to be hit or miss. In general, there was enough meat in there to make it a thought provoking, worthwhile read.