Medieval Ghost Stories: An Anthology of Miracles, Marvels and...

Truly ... a landmark work. This impeccably researched and very readable book should appeal to a wide audience. MEDIEVAL REVIEW Stories of spirits returning from the afterlife are as old as storytelling: accounts of ghosts andrevenants which have crossed the mysterious border between the living and the dead are a dominant theme in many cultures, and in medieval Europe ghosts, nightstalkers, wild hunts and unearthly visitors from parallel worlds have figured in stories already in circulation before the coming of Christianity.Medieval Ghost Stories is a collection of ghostly occurrences from the eighth to the fourteenth centuries; they have been found in monastic chronicles and preaching manuals, in sagas and heroic poetry, and in medieval romances. In a religious age, the tales bore a peculiar freight of spooks and spirituality which can still make hair stand on end; unfailingly, these stories give a fascinating and moving glimpse into the medieval mind. Look only at the accounts of Richard Rowntree's stillborn child, glimpsed by his father tangled in swaddling clothes on the road to Santiago, or the sly habits of water sprites resting as goblets and golden rings on the surface of the river, just out of reach... Andrew Joynes's thoughtful commentary relates content and form to events of the time: the monastic reform movement following the first millennium, the growth in philosophical speculation during the twelfth century renaissance, and the channelling of ancient Norse beliefs by Christian authors into the saga literature of Iceland.ANDREW JOYNES isa freelance writer, historian and broadcaster.

BBC HISTORY

[An] excellent compendium of medieval folklore. ― FORTEAN TIMES Truly ... a landmark work. This impeccably researched and very readable book should appeal to a wide audience. ― MEDIEVAL REVIEW A collection of stories that have stood the test of time. ― HISTORY MAGAZINE (US) (Reviewd together with 'Medieval Comic Tales') Both make a delightful contribution to our understanding and mapping of those mental landscapes. They also allowed me to see the physical medieval landscape differently, reminding me that in the medieval period it had supernatural and metaphorical dimensions. In these tales a wide range of medieval people come to life. ― FINDS RESEARCH GROUP NEWSLETTER Every reader is sure to find something new and many readers may find something to treasure in this sprightly anthology. ― ARTHURIANA Strongly recommended. A convenient compendium indeed! ― MR JAMES NEWSLETTER Assembles dozens of ghostly tales from an impressive array of original sources ranging from Iceland to Florence.

About the Author

ANDREW JOYNES is a freelance writer, historian and broadcaster.

Reviews

News