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Elves, Witches & Gods: Spinning Old Heathen Magic in the Modern Day
Weave the Threads of Ancient Heathen Magic into Your Life Journey into the fascinating depths of Heathenry with this tremendous source of history, inspiration, and practical information. Based on decades of research and experimentation, Elves, Witches & Gods provides explanations and hands-on techniques for galdr, seidr, fiber magic, herb craft, journeying, going under the cloak, and connecting with deities and elves. Working with authentic source material, Cat Heath has carefully pieced together and recreated Heathen magic techniques, and she shares the theories, skills, and tools you need to begin or deepen your own practice. This book introduces you to deities such as the Spinning Goddess, the Spear God, Odin, and Ingvi-Freyr. You will discover recipes, spells, and prayers, as well as learn how to work with specific oils and charms. Whether you are interested in using magic to influence your fate or you want to take a deep dive into the craft of the helrune and the völva, this book's guidance will help you take the next steps on the Heathen path. Includes a foreword by Patricia M. LaFayllve, author of A Practical Heathen's Guide to Asatru
352 pages, Paperback
Published March 8, 2021
44 people are currently reading
283 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 6, 2021
This is one of the most completed Nordic witchcraft books I have read.
Not only does it explain rituals and honoring of Nordic entities, but also where they came from and all the history behind them. It is very history heavy, full of references that show how well researched it was. Even though is very packed with information, it is never boring and kept me interested, especially with the history inspired rituals in between.
However, for the same reason of being a more historical a reconstrucionist practice book, I recommend it to be read by people who already know the basics of Nordic myth and culture. Surely a must-have for any Nordic practitioner.
Not only does it explain rituals and honoring of Nordic entities, but also where they came from and all the history behind them. It is very history heavy, full of references that show how well researched it was. Even though is very packed with information, it is never boring and kept me interested, especially with the history inspired rituals in between.
However, for the same reason of being a more historical a reconstrucionist practice book, I recommend it to be read by people who already know the basics of Nordic myth and culture. Surely a must-have for any Nordic practitioner.
June 17, 2021
Big A++++ for this book and its author. Straightforward and clear instructive language makes this accessible even to beginners. But it's not over-simplified to accomodate newbies either. Cat Heath has a deep understanding of the material and the practices and conveys that knowledge well.
As a fellow practicing Heathen, I found Heath's book an invaluable resource, adding depth and richness to my magic.
As a fellow practicing Heathen, I found Heath's book an invaluable resource, adding depth and richness to my magic.
July 30, 2024
This is a must have book if you are studying Northern traditions & in particular seidr. It also would be excellent to round out your library & practice. It is a treasure trove of information exercises, rituals, translations & further reading material & ideas. Beginning with a relatable horror of mystical experimentation that was also a delight, I screamed: a burial mound attempted ritual scene I was all ready to dig into that morphs into a holy hell when details of accomplices come to pass on lack of acumen & need to pull out! This was the best vet everyone before you go on this type of endeavor moral story!!. I lost all my notes on this review which were copious, maybe for a reason. So will cut this to the bone: best book to easily understand & get involved in practices as well as who, why & how. Immensely easy to read, comprehend & gets you excited about getting more involved. Couple of quick notes: I fight languages & should be multilingual but not really. This actually pressed me to think of wading in to explore. I also have been drawn to spinning wool for whatever unimaginable reason & now it makes sense. It hit me hard about 17 years ago & coincided with meeting someone I adored that was more than willing to get me more involved in Northern tradition than what I had been [specifically stories, history, runes, crafts & basic belief systems] My excuse was it was so un portable but loved watching a friend with her spinning wheel. I have long thought that Freyja taught Odin seder & that she is the one that put him on the world tree for the knowledge of the runes, but that is me & feel more heavily drawn to Freyja & Freyr & idea of Vanatru. This meshes with that but has so much more: I have never heard someone explain Odin so closely to the way I see him or how I have felt he is as well as why. I have a tendency to rely on feelings & things I see individually, she displays reference backup to prove points. The nine worlds explanation immediately made me think of the nine planets & now that is stuck in my head but not seeing how it would work [this is me not her but felt the need to add] If you are serious about hands on real magic & lifting those veils, this is it. Literally this author could have made a good 3 to 5 books out of this 1 & am so impressed I can't see straight. Once again have this at the top of my book queue when it comes out in solid form as I want to be able to flip around when needed
November 30, 2024
Het verleden is een vreemd land - Maar de auteur maakte het mythische tastbaar. De magie weerspiegelt precies hoe het zich in mijn hart heeft genesteld, hoe ik het in de kern beleef en uitvoer, zonder te beseffen dat het een oud cultureel fenomeen is. Helaas schreef ze soms te uitgebreid, wat de leesbaarheid vermindert, zoals veel moderne magische boeken dat hebben.
Gevonden Goud: waren de voor mij nieuw geïntroduceerde concepten die super holistisch en werkbaar zijn. ørlög, heil(u) en genezers als strijdmagiërs, gesteund door de speergod en de spinnende godin - in samenwerking met elven. De titel zegt alles.
Gevonden Goud: waren de voor mij nieuw geïntroduceerde concepten die super holistisch en werkbaar zijn. ørlög, heil(u) en genezers als strijdmagiërs, gesteund door de speergod en de spinnende godin - in samenwerking met elven. De titel zegt alles.
August 25, 2022
I read this book pretty quick, will be looking in it again and again because there is a lot of good info.
Cat Heath shares her own practice and delves into material that is original and doesn’t repeat a lot of beginner info. I really appreciated this book. I’m a trad witch. I am very interested in nordic folklore, so this book makes a lot of sense to me.
Cat Heath shares her own practice and delves into material that is original and doesn’t repeat a lot of beginner info. I really appreciated this book. I’m a trad witch. I am very interested in nordic folklore, so this book makes a lot of sense to me.
September 25, 2022
Parts of this book are absolutely brilliant. Others are respun versions of Wicca-informed popular Western/Anglo magical practices and nothing new. I very much appreciated the pragmatic and practical approach to creating rituals *inspired* by older cosmologies and anthropology that work for modern practitioners of Norse and Germanic heathenry. What results is not reconstructionist, which can so often feel rigid and fundamentalist, but something one might imagine an unbroken/unbreached tradition might have grown into given 1000 years.
However, the text suffers from some of the worst editing I have experienced in a long time. I feel like anecdotal stories and examples were cut out, yet the references to them were not. Some sentences are repeated multiple times in the same chapter, to a point that moves beyond redundancy of theme or reiteration of a point and to cutting and pasting without real cohesive editing oversight.
There's also a tone... It's a little hard to describe but it feels a little bit like being talked down to. As an advanced practitioner of seidr in particular, some of the guidelines/rules and advisories feel a little gate-keepy to me. And while I'm happy to see these topics getting space on bookshelves in metaphysical stores and general public bookstores, I don't feel that this book acts as a particularly good ambassador for the work.
I recommend reading it though, especially if you were interested in working with seidr and its adjacent practices. Then, apply the very method that she suggests to all your reading on this particular topic, allowing practical and pragmatic embodiment practices to inform what you wish to include and what just doesn't work for you.
In all things, the powers you align with, and those inhabiting the land on which you work, will determine best practices. As a descendant of settlers in the United States in particular, it can be very touch and go to bring practices such as Germanic evenly to the land without already having a well-established reciprocal relational ritual practice here.
However, the text suffers from some of the worst editing I have experienced in a long time. I feel like anecdotal stories and examples were cut out, yet the references to them were not. Some sentences are repeated multiple times in the same chapter, to a point that moves beyond redundancy of theme or reiteration of a point and to cutting and pasting without real cohesive editing oversight.
There's also a tone... It's a little hard to describe but it feels a little bit like being talked down to. As an advanced practitioner of seidr in particular, some of the guidelines/rules and advisories feel a little gate-keepy to me. And while I'm happy to see these topics getting space on bookshelves in metaphysical stores and general public bookstores, I don't feel that this book acts as a particularly good ambassador for the work.
I recommend reading it though, especially if you were interested in working with seidr and its adjacent practices. Then, apply the very method that she suggests to all your reading on this particular topic, allowing practical and pragmatic embodiment practices to inform what you wish to include and what just doesn't work for you.
In all things, the powers you align with, and those inhabiting the land on which you work, will determine best practices. As a descendant of settlers in the United States in particular, it can be very touch and go to bring practices such as Germanic evenly to the land without already having a well-established reciprocal relational ritual practice here.
June 11, 2023
Most of the books on heathenry give you the basics, some provide much useful descriptions of rituals, very few delve deeper into the very essence of specific techniques and even fewer books include references to actual ancient sources. And this is where “Elves, Witches & Gods” truly stands out, because it somehow manages to be all of that and more.
The book is delightfully organized and effortlessly guides the reader through basic concepts, foundational practices and advanced magical techniques. The author Cat Heath is not only generous enough to share her own decades long experience, but also explains how she managed to reconstruct and adapt thoughtfully the original historical material. And while she is comfortable in working with both written and archaeological sources, the text itself is accessible and easy to read.
“Elves, Witches & Gods” will be immensely useful to the beginners, since it holds some of the best explanations of the basics - like meditation and visualization. But it will be a treat for the experienced practitioners, because it broadens the borders of topics like trance, energy use, fiber magic and calling up the dead. Although the book is centered on Heathen practices, you don’t have to be a follower of a Norse or Anglo-Saxon tradition in order to find it useful. In fact, it will be of much use if you’re not familiar with the material as some important concepts are expertly explained. I highly recommend this book, especially to those who just like me, have struggled to understand what elves are!
The book is delightfully organized and effortlessly guides the reader through basic concepts, foundational practices and advanced magical techniques. The author Cat Heath is not only generous enough to share her own decades long experience, but also explains how she managed to reconstruct and adapt thoughtfully the original historical material. And while she is comfortable in working with both written and archaeological sources, the text itself is accessible and easy to read.
“Elves, Witches & Gods” will be immensely useful to the beginners, since it holds some of the best explanations of the basics - like meditation and visualization. But it will be a treat for the experienced practitioners, because it broadens the borders of topics like trance, energy use, fiber magic and calling up the dead. Although the book is centered on Heathen practices, you don’t have to be a follower of a Norse or Anglo-Saxon tradition in order to find it useful. In fact, it will be of much use if you’re not familiar with the material as some important concepts are expertly explained. I highly recommend this book, especially to those who just like me, have struggled to understand what elves are!
July 8, 2021
Even the author states that this is not introductory material. Anyone can read this book and come away with a wealth of knowledge, but if you want to put these techniques into practice, you will have to have previously learned the basics of meditation, trance, energy manipulation, and basic magical safety. That said, if something DOES go wrong, this book has a magical troubleshooting guide that will help you remedy the situation!
What does this book contain? First and foremost, it covers two types of Heathen Magic: SEIDR and GALDR. These two types of magic can be done separately, but are often used in conjunction with each other. What is interesting (And unique to this book) is the incorporation of fiber spinning into the magical techniques presented. Historically, it seems that a lot of SEID work was based on, and performed in conjunction with, spinning. Heath experimented with these techniques and recorded those that worked in this book.
There is also another type of magic that is touched upon in this book and that is GOING UNDER THE CLOAK. It is more of a technique used for divination, trance work, and necromancy as recorded in various sagas.
This book is everything that a focused deep-dive into a culturally specific magic system should be. If you are interested in Heathen magic or just Heathen folklore, this is a great title for fleshing out details that historical texts usually only mention in passing.
What does this book contain? First and foremost, it covers two types of Heathen Magic: SEIDR and GALDR. These two types of magic can be done separately, but are often used in conjunction with each other. What is interesting (And unique to this book) is the incorporation of fiber spinning into the magical techniques presented. Historically, it seems that a lot of SEID work was based on, and performed in conjunction with, spinning. Heath experimented with these techniques and recorded those that worked in this book.
There is also another type of magic that is touched upon in this book and that is GOING UNDER THE CLOAK. It is more of a technique used for divination, trance work, and necromancy as recorded in various sagas.
This book is everything that a focused deep-dive into a culturally specific magic system should be. If you are interested in Heathen magic or just Heathen folklore, this is a great title for fleshing out details that historical texts usually only mention in passing.
October 30, 2025
I had the pleasure of meeting Cat in Iceland in 2018. She was a co-presenter of the Land Sea Sky Travel "Hiddenfolk, Witches, and Elves" tour. I am not a practicing Heathen, however I have studied various aspects of that path and am always interested in learning more. I enjoyed Cat's workshops, filled with stories that I could have listened to for hours.
I am not one to dog ear pages. It goes against every effort I make to keep my books pristine. But in this case, there was far too much that I wanted to go back and explore further. So my copy is now sporting dog eared pages and will soon be revisited, highlighter (and possibly some sticky flags) in hand (again, for the first time).
I attended a workshop this week that centered around Baba Yaga's three sacred colors and included the fact that these three colors appear together in various cultures in reference to indiginous spiritual paths. There was a map, which illustrated how certain traditions migrated to various areas. Cat touches on this topic, as well and it confirmed a few things I have been pondering lately about my own practice.
I am not one to dog ear pages. It goes against every effort I make to keep my books pristine. But in this case, there was far too much that I wanted to go back and explore further. So my copy is now sporting dog eared pages and will soon be revisited, highlighter (and possibly some sticky flags) in hand (again, for the first time).
I attended a workshop this week that centered around Baba Yaga's three sacred colors and included the fact that these three colors appear together in various cultures in reference to indiginous spiritual paths. There was a map, which illustrated how certain traditions migrated to various areas. Cat touches on this topic, as well and it confirmed a few things I have been pondering lately about my own practice.
February 21, 2021
This book was absolutely fascinating and packed full of well researched heathen traditions. It would be a treasure in any practitioners library. I think it would be helpful for anyone diving in to already have some base knowledge and experience as this is not a beginners manual for practices, rather it is a beautiful enrichment resource. The writing style is rich making this a joy to read where you get lost in lore rather than feel like you are studying, but trust you are learning. Highly recommend.
August 25, 2021
I swear I’ve waited my whole life for this book. To the point that every few pages, my own experiences and UPG were confirmed over and over again with eerie accuracy. It is also a book that actually bridges that 101 gap, challenging you to take your practice to a deeper level. If you’ve read widely enough on witchcraft, paganism and heathenry, there is much here that isn’t new, BUT Cat has an art for framing things both poetically and USEFULLY. Something that is missed by many other books out there. This is going to be a “holy grail” book for me. Fantastic!
August 15, 2023
I like that the author presents some introductory information here without being pedantic. The instruction is largely specific, with reminders to do what best works for you or for the purposes you need, which specifically works well with my more eclectic tradition. I enjoy the blending of Heathen traditions with other European magical elements here, and the focus on what you can do in or near your home. The language was very inclusive and accessible. Specific rituals presented are practical and require minimal cost -- this is very much a book for the everywitch.
September 3, 2024
It's been years since I've read such a well researched book on Old Heathen Magic. Incredibly rich and insightful. Something I will easily come back to time and time again. Their aren't many good books on Seiðr and especially ones that aren't from a purely academic standpoint. Cat Heath dives into important topics with a wealth of knowledge that doesn't just come from books and the sources, but most importantly years of experience and practice. I'm so glad I picked this up. I just wish I picked it up when it was originally published.
June 5, 2021
This is an absolute must for any one who practices or is interested in Heathen Magic. It includes a comprehensive section on the history and foundations of Heathen Magic as well as the deities involved. Then it goes into basic spell work, the tools needed, and some wonderful recipes, spells, and rituals. I found the entire book fascinating and was never bored. It has been added to the top of my list of books to recommend to those interested in this type of Magic.
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March 7, 2021Elves, Witches & Gods is a Spinning Old Heathen Magic in the Modern Day written by Cat Heath: Patricia M. Lafayllve. A book that is sure to weave the threads of ancient heathen magic into your life that is full of history, inspiration, and practical information. Elves, Witches & Gods is a book you are sure to read again and again.
March 8, 2022
An excellent book for witches looking for information on Scandinavian practice. The author does an amazing job laying out the historical precedents for their practice and how they then applied that to their own practice, and encouraging readers to do the same. This book is best for those who have a solid foundation in witchcraft and an interest in Neopagan spirituality.
January 20, 2021
This is a beautifully written book based on witches and elves and just about any supe or deity you could imagine. It is background on heathen magic, rituals and spells. This book is so comprehensive and full of information on just about everything. I definitely recommend this expansive book
June 18, 2021
Fantastic book with so much information, and many exercises that the reader can try for themselves. It was a pleasure to read, and I know that my copy will be dogearred before long as I intend to refer back to it again and again!
May 14, 2021
A well researched, informative and interesting book about heathen magic. Learned a lot.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
May 24, 2021
It is great for those going into their intermediate working with heathen magic. Different things to think about and are introduced.
July 30, 2024
Saw this up apparently doubled & have to add my two cents. The cultures, history, sagas & Deities have been near & dear to my heart for most my life & this book is a jewel. This is a must have book if you are studying Northern traditions & in particular seidr. It also would be excellent to round out your library & practice. It is a treasure trove of information exercises, rituals, translations & further reading material & ideas. Beginning with a relatable horror of mystical experimentation that was also a delight, I screamed: a burial mound attempted ritual scene I was all ready to dig into that morphs into a holy hell when details of accomplices come to pass on lack of acumen & need to pull out! This was the best vet everyone before you go on this type of endeavor moral story!!. I lost all my notes on this review which were copious, maybe for a reason. So will cut this to the bone: best book to easily understand & get involved in practices as well as who, why & how. Immensely easy to read, comprehend & gets you excited about getting more involved. Couple of quick notes: I fight languages & should be multilingual but not really. This actually pressed me to think of wading in to explore. I also have been drawn to spinning wool for whatever unimaginable reason & now it makes sense. It hit me hard about 17 years ago & coincided with meeting someone I adored that was more than willing to get me more involved in Northern tradition than what I had been [specifically stories, history, runes, crafts & basic belief systems] My excuse was it was so un portable but loved watching a friend with her spinning wheel. I have long thought that Freyja taught Odin seder & that she is the one that put him on the world tree for the knowledge of the runes, but that is me & feel more heavily drawn to Freyja & Freyr & idea of Vanatru. This meshes with that but has so much more: I have never heard someone explain Odin so closely to the way I see him or how I have felt he is as well as why. I have a tendency to rely on feelings & things I see individually, she displays reference backup to prove points. The nine worlds explanation immediately made me think of the nine planets & now that is stuck in my head but not seeing how it would work [this is me not her but felt the need to add] If you are serious about hands on real magic & lifting those veils, this is it. Literally this author could have made a good 3 to 5 books out of this 1 & am so impressed I can't see straight. Once again have this at the top of my book queue when it comes out in solid form as I want to be able to flip around when needed
September 16, 2025
This book was definitely not written for me. I found all of the exercises to be useless in my own practice. And a lot seems to be UPG more than anything else.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews