Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plant-Lore and Healing

by Stephen Pollington

A comprehensive and detailed examination of every aspect of the early English approach to illness and healing, including a full list of the plants used and the properties they contain. Other themes include witchcraft, magic and paganism and appendices present healing theories, amulets, causes of disease, charms, dreams, omens and tree-lore. Three key Old English texts are reproduced in full, accompanied by new Bald's Third Leechbook, the Lacnunga Manuscript, and 'The Old English Herbarium' Manuscript 5. This is a fascinating work of reference, packed full of information and interesting details.

Genres: History, Occult, Witchcraft, Religion, Herbs, Nonfiction, Reference

544 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2000

Reviews

[Cwn_annwn_13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have two of Pollingtons books and they are both great, as is this one. This book is mainly a HUGE in depth look at the old folk cures and herbal/plant remedies for sickness in old English times. Many of these cures, some of which have been scientificly proven as being effective, were labled Satanic, evil, withchcraft, etc and banned by witchhunting Christians. Much of this book is Pollingtons translations of the text from the original documents from old English to modern English, and he also includes the old English version too. But beyond that Pollington also goes into other beliefs and practices in Anglo-Saxon England, shamanism, amulets, causes of disease, charms, dreams, omens and tree-lore. Pollington is solid academicly, and I don't know if he is an Odinist or Anglo-Saxon Heathen, but he seems to have a deep inner feeling to the subject matter in all of his books.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent translation and analysis of the Anglo-Saxon healing texts, including the Leechbook of Bald, Lacnunga, Old English Herbarium and several fragments. The most reliable source for information about pre-Christian British healing, though it comes from the time of the adoption of Christianity. These were, despite their strange terminology, working medical manuals-- charms and all-- and Pollington does his best to decipher the botany involved, though, as he points out, many of them borrow heavily from the Latin tradition. Pollington is however primarily a linguist, so there are places where I find his plant identification highly doubtful.

Not a beginner text or something to be used for current herbal purposes, but one of the best sources for pre-university herbal and medical practice. A must for the serious researcher. If you are looking for Anglo-saxon 'magick' you will need to be a good puzzle-solver. Do not confuse this with Cockayne's collection Leechdoms, wortcunning, and starcraft of early England which covers much of the same texts but with much poorer translations and in a very amateurish way.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most useful books about the Anglo-Saxon period that I own. Pollington is a man who can be relied upon for accurate, detailed and thoroughly engaging reference books and there's no exception here.

We begin with a brief depiction of the era before the author moves into the area of herblore and healing. It was complicated in the Anglo-Saxon age, a mixture of the practical, Norse and Christian religion, magic, medicine and herblore, all rolled into one, yet its explanation in a simple, easy to understand way here.

The main focus of the text lies in the translations of various manuscripts, such as Bald's Leechbooks. There's an extremely useful dictionary of the various plants and herbs and their uses. The appendices are also very interesting, looking at amulets, charms, mythical creatures and trees and their connotations. In all, I would call this an invaluable reference book and one I wouldn't be without.