Another review of a book a read a few months ago. We are in the midst of a bloom of historical effort directed at early modern witchcraft and other magical traditions after a few decades in which the topic was disregarded in the academic world. It is important that contemporary pagans support this research, even when it does not confirm our mythology. Citing outdated and repudiated scholarship only makes one look ignorant. Davies is doing extensive work in the history of English witchcraft and has another book out on the grimoire tradition, which I will be reviewing soon.

Owen Davies is author of several other works on witchcraft, including A People Bewitched: Witchcraft and Magic in Nineteenth-century Somerset (1999), Witchcraft, Magic and Culture, 1736-1951 (1999) and a number of journal articles. The bibliography for this work cites over one hundred primary sources published from 1500 to 1910 as well as several hundred secondary sources.

Davies claims to have written the first comprehensive study of cunning-folk, a term he prefers to wizard, conjuror or white witch. He notes that records from before mid-fifteenth century use Latin or Greek terms for magical workers, therefore the term cunning-folk, though it may have been a vernacular term in common use, cannot be traced in earlier manuscripts.

While cunning-folk practiced mainly low magic, that is magic for practical purposes, they were not limited to folk beliefs or techniques. Davies demonstrates that many cunning-folk possessed libraries of books on astrology, herbal knowledge, magical properties of stones and metals and written spells. For some practitioners the books may have served mainly to impress clients, but the demand for translations and new editions is clear evidence that many of these magic workers studied their art.

Their art was employed for the practical needs of their clients. In a time before effective police there was a demand for discovery of lost or stolen property and the detection of thieves. Persons afflicted with maladies that medical practitioners of the time could not identify or treat frequently concluded that they were bewitched and consulted cunning-folk to learn who the culprit was and how the bewitchment could be turned aside. Some of the methods of detection that Davies describes seem to have relied on the cunning worker figuring out who the client suspected and confirming that suspicion. Retaliation on the part of the accused was the cause of the arrest of the cunning worker in some cases. Dissatisfied clients were also known to turn on the practitioner. Other magical trades of cunning folk included crafting love charms, casting horoscopes, and treasure hunting, as well as concocting herbal medicine for people and livestock, and midwifery. Some cunning folk acquired sufficient reputation to bring clients from 20 or 30 miles away, while others served only a corner of a parish.

Davies, as mentioned earlier, begins his study in the mid-fifteenth century. But this is not a history of only renaissance era magic; he pursues his topic into the 20th century. He notes that the traditional cunning-folk were part of a belief system that included the traditional witch—without the fear of being bewitched there is no need for professionals capable of unwitching. For that reason he feels that contemporary magical healers are not direct heirs of the cunning traditions. He also devotes a chapter to comparisons with magical workers in Europe.

Cunning-Folk will be valuable for any scholar of the history of witchcraft. The chapter on magical books is particularly instructive and the bibliography will suggest multiple avenues of study.

Over all this book was really good, but not at good at his newer book, GRIMOIRES. This one was a bit drier, but still well worth reading. Davies really gets into the legal history of cunning folk. Often times court records are the only source we have to know these people even existed. Unfortunately, the series of court records got a bit tedious. He should have spiced things up with some amusing commentary or analysis (he was quite capable of it in GRIMOIRES), but he chose to go with a "just the facts" approach.

Davies also pokes holes in a lot of myths surrounding cunning folk, such as how some believe they were surviving pagans in a predominantly Christian Europe. Not true. Owens give good evidence that most cunning folk were Christian, though perhaps not very church going, or in name only. He says by the 1400s there is no evidence of surviving pagans left in Europe except for a few pockets near the Baltic Sea and the Sami nomads in northern Scandinavia. Of course many practiced a hybridization of Christian/pagan beliefs without even realizing it, such as the Christmas tree and Easter eggs; much like how Voudon disguised African gods as Catholic saints.

Davies did a very good job describing the techniques and methods employed by these people. Cunning-folk were basically the antithesis of witches. They took curses off rather than put them on. They also were often skilled herbalists and astrologers, but differed from fortune tellers, and charmers. The general skills of a cunning man/woman were: healing, removing curses, divinations, detecting witches and thieves, locating lost/stolen items. One funny anecdote was that many cunning-folk owned magickal grimoires; however, Davies estimates only about 15-20% could even read them! This means they were used more as "props" to impress clients, or they used the symbols found inside without really knowing what they represented. Because cunning-folk were seen as relatively benevolent, very few were persecuted during the witch burnings. At most they were often tried for vagrancy or charlatanism, as some were most certainly con artists.

A VERY informative book. Recommended. ( )

Mr Davies has done some very extensive research, if his bibliography is reliable (I am sure it is) on the history of cunning folk in Britain. Cunning folk are believed to be the forerunners to the white witches of modern society. Sadly, the work for cunning folk has indeed dried up, since the rational age.

Mr Davies presents the history and lives of the cunning folk in a style that is easily digested. Although, some of his conclusions may yet be disproved, he gives good historical support for his theories. If that is unsatisfactory to the reader, I would refer them to the excellent bibliography that Mr Davies has supplied for the benefit of those who wish to do further research.

I enjoyed this book, as it gave credence to some of the claims made by certain witchcraft traditions of today. At other times, Mr Davies may have called to question other claims, though no more so that other noted historians and pagans of academe.

If you should have some spare cash (although I would recommend borrowing this hardback from the library), it would be worthwhile buying this respected historian's work. ( )