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The Devil’s Supper
With various Illustrations by:
Baltens, Bosch, Bruegel, Dürer, Blake, Doré, Füssli, Holman Hunt, Giotto, Michelangelo, Van Eyck, Van Maële, Fuseli & Vasnetsov, Léopold Boilly, Hans Trapp, Wagrez, Taddeo di Bartolo, and Klinger.
The Devils Supper is a critical enquiry into popular culture, past and present. The text explores the myths and realities of the so-called Witches Sabbat. Using trial depositions, source documents, contemporary poems and literary accounts, a hidden history is unfurled, offering a totally unique understanding of this occulted enigma. From Fasting to Feasting, the mystery of ritual, sacred Vessels of Transformation is exposed. The myriad masks of the Devil are fully removed, layer by layer in celebration of his multi-faceted and ingenious complexities. Along the way, we explore the philosophical and theological enquiries that have long held us in their thrall. We tackle the weighty topics of evil, who the Devil really serves and how this impacts upon the true virtue of the Grail as panacea or poison, overturning prescribed opinion to discover the real thread that binds these enigmatic elements together and how these things are even connected within occulted custom, lore, tradition and law.
Titling of Contents:
Preface
Introduction
Origins: Shadow of the Dark Obstructer
Chapter One: Forgotten and Forbidden Gods
Chapter Two: Arcadia
Chapter Three: Occidental Horizons
Chapter Four: Matters of Theology: Heresy and Evil
Flux: The Middle–Ages
Chapter Five: The Maverick Anti-Hero
Chapter Six: The Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse
Chapter Seven: Cockaigne: A Fool's Paradise
Chapter Eight: Faerie Lore & Folk Custom
Chapter Nine: The Grande Sabbat
Chapter Ten: Stagecraft – The Witch Craze Parody
Chapter Eleven: Demonology: Textbooks of the Damned
End Game: A Return to the Shadows
Chapter Twelve: Devils Advocate – Agent Provocateur
Chapter Thirteen: Old Hornie, Trades and Guilds
Conclusion: Lifeblood of a Traditional Legacy
Appendices
Bibliography
Standard Hardcover Edition (limited to 500 copies):
6x9 inches. 276 pages. Hardbound 80 pts, Bamberger Kaliko “Metallic Graphite” bookcloth, blind deboss on cover, silver foil stamp on rounded spine, colour interior, and Neenah Red and Leno embossed endpapers. Fine typography, illustrated by artist Lupe Vasconcelos (also featuring numerous historical B&W art pieces), printed on Cougar Natural 160M archive-quality paper. Individually numbered.
Baltens, Bosch, Bruegel, Dürer, Blake, Doré, Füssli, Holman Hunt, Giotto, Michelangelo, Van Eyck, Van Maële, Fuseli & Vasnetsov, Léopold Boilly, Hans Trapp, Wagrez, Taddeo di Bartolo, and Klinger.
The Devils Supper is a critical enquiry into popular culture, past and present. The text explores the myths and realities of the so-called Witches Sabbat. Using trial depositions, source documents, contemporary poems and literary accounts, a hidden history is unfurled, offering a totally unique understanding of this occulted enigma. From Fasting to Feasting, the mystery of ritual, sacred Vessels of Transformation is exposed. The myriad masks of the Devil are fully removed, layer by layer in celebration of his multi-faceted and ingenious complexities. Along the way, we explore the philosophical and theological enquiries that have long held us in their thrall. We tackle the weighty topics of evil, who the Devil really serves and how this impacts upon the true virtue of the Grail as panacea or poison, overturning prescribed opinion to discover the real thread that binds these enigmatic elements together and how these things are even connected within occulted custom, lore, tradition and law.
Titling of Contents:
Preface
Introduction
Origins: Shadow of the Dark Obstructer
Chapter One: Forgotten and Forbidden Gods
Chapter Two: Arcadia
Chapter Three: Occidental Horizons
Chapter Four: Matters of Theology: Heresy and Evil
Flux: The Middle–Ages
Chapter Five: The Maverick Anti-Hero
Chapter Six: The Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse
Chapter Seven: Cockaigne: A Fool's Paradise
Chapter Eight: Faerie Lore & Folk Custom
Chapter Nine: The Grande Sabbat
Chapter Ten: Stagecraft – The Witch Craze Parody
Chapter Eleven: Demonology: Textbooks of the Damned
End Game: A Return to the Shadows
Chapter Twelve: Devils Advocate – Agent Provocateur
Chapter Thirteen: Old Hornie, Trades and Guilds
Conclusion: Lifeblood of a Traditional Legacy
Appendices
Bibliography
Standard Hardcover Edition (limited to 500 copies):
6x9 inches. 276 pages. Hardbound 80 pts, Bamberger Kaliko “Metallic Graphite” bookcloth, blind deboss on cover, silver foil stamp on rounded spine, colour interior, and Neenah Red and Leno embossed endpapers. Fine typography, illustrated by artist Lupe Vasconcelos (also featuring numerous historical B&W art pieces), printed on Cougar Natural 160M archive-quality paper. Individually numbered.
- GenresOccultWitchcraft
276 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 28, 2020
Shani Oates comes two important conclusions in this beautiful book about the devil, witches and the sabbat: Don't confuse witchcraft and the attribution "witch" with craft as in "practice". Furthermore, at the heart of craft and custom lies a form of comunal feast which we know as sabbat.
This is not a history of the devil, as some might think. It isn't a philosophical or theological treatise either. And while the first is not mandatory, the latter might be quite useful in light of difficult ontological questions which she raises despite the premise to remain solely on historical grounds: What do we do with magic as "illusion", as she professes? What's the devil after all, being a chimaira concocted by the curch?
Lastly, with every new book of hers I'm annoyed by her writing style a little bit more. In fact, I do like archaisms and difficult but precise terminology and all that. But in this case, it just adds to obfuscation over very ordinary details. Additionally, I find the sources to be lacking at times. All in all, I'd like to, but I cannot give more than 3,5 stars.
This is not a history of the devil, as some might think. It isn't a philosophical or theological treatise either. And while the first is not mandatory, the latter might be quite useful in light of difficult ontological questions which she raises despite the premise to remain solely on historical grounds: What do we do with magic as "illusion", as she professes? What's the devil after all, being a chimaira concocted by the curch?
Lastly, with every new book of hers I'm annoyed by her writing style a little bit more. In fact, I do like archaisms and difficult but precise terminology and all that. But in this case, it just adds to obfuscation over very ordinary details. Additionally, I find the sources to be lacking at times. All in all, I'd like to, but I cannot give more than 3,5 stars.
Displaying 1 of 1 review