“Webb takes what we know about these magical beings via pop culture and explores their origins and how their respective images have changed over time.” —The Portalist This book tells the fascinating story of the origin of our ideas about wizards, witches, and fairies. We all have a clear mental image of the pointed hats worn by such individuals, which are based upon actual headgear dating back 3,000 years to the Bronze Age. Carefully sifting through old legends, archaeological evidence, and modern research in genetics, Simon Webb shows us how our notions about fairies and elves, together with human workers of magic, have evolved over the centuries. This exploration of folklore, backed by the latest scientific findings, will present readers with the image of a lost world; the one used as the archetype for fantasy adventures from The Lord of the Rings to Game of Thrones. In the process, the real nature of wizards will be revealed, and their connection with the earliest European cultures thoroughly documented. After reading this book, nobody will ever be able to view Gandalf the wizard in the same light and even old fairy tales such as “Beauty and the Beast” will take on a richer and deeper meaning. In short, our perception of wizards, witches and fairies will be altered forever.

A collection of exciting stories to carry you away to a land of Magic and Enchantment.

Tells the stories of witches, enchanters, and sorcerers, and discusses legends and folklore concerning Merlin, Nostradamus, and magic

Sort the facts from the fairy tales and trace the evolution of wizardry - from Stone Age rituals with gruesome horned gods, through to the modern day, where magicians fair and foul dominate the big screen. Learn about the barbaric witch-hunts that swept across Europe and America, when ordinary people were put to death just because they looked different or behaved oddly. Find out about the arts of the witch, from secret potion recipes to mystic animal companions, and the real-life quest for the Philosopher's Stone!

We are the original magicians, the alchemists.We are the witches and wizards whocollaborate with the elements, the forces of nature, to conjure, to dazzle, to bewitch.

For centuries people have told stories of cackling witches and crafty goblins. In the past, people thought witches ruined crops, genies granted wishes, and goblins caused accidents. Many cultures thought medicine was magic. Magical monsters continue to frighten and fascinate people in books, movies, and games. Some say magic is real. Others say it's just the stuff of stories. Learn all about magical monsters and fall under their spell . . . if you dare!

A provocative new theory about fairy tales from one of the world's leading authorities If there is one genre that has captured the imagination of people in all walks of life throughout the world, it is the fairy tale. Yet we still have great difficulty understanding how it originated, evolved, and spread—or why so many people cannot resist its appeal, no matter how it changes or what form it takes. In this book, renowned fairy-tale expert Jack Zipes presents a provocative new theory about why fairy tales were created and retold—and why they became such an indelible and infinitely adaptable part of cultures around the world. Drawing on cognitive science, evolutionary theory, anthropology, psychology, literary theory, and other fields, Zipes presents a nuanced argument about how fairy tales originated in ancient oral cultures, how they evolved through the rise of literary culture and print, and how, in our own time, they continue to change through their adaptation in an ever-growing variety of media. In making his case, Zipes considers a wide range of fascinating examples, including fairy tales told, collected, and written by women in the nineteenth century; Catherine Breillat's film adaptation of Perrault's "Bluebeard"; and contemporary fairy-tale drawings, paintings, sculptures, and photographs that critique canonical print versions. While we may never be able to fully explain fairy tales, The Irresistible Fairy Tale provides a powerful theory of how and why they evolved—and why we still use them to make meaning of our lives.