Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic
Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic
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Tabitha Stanmore takes us on a journey to the 1600s when magic was used to navigate everyday life and to solve everyday problems from the mundane to great importance.
As a regular person in 1600 in need of help or healing you would likely seek out the cunning folk who practiced “service magic” - these were practitioners who weren’t feared like Witches, nor seen as channels of miracles like Saints, but as essential participants of society who provided a service during a time period where magic was surprisingly integrated into the everyday way of life.
Throughout this book we meet a variety of characters from the era including treasure hunters needing a favour from the Fae, grief stricken widows, healers who truly are of service to their community, The astrologer of Queen Elizabeth I and Monk’s who have rebelled against their order.
Stanmore shows a striking parallel between our modern day life and that of the folk of the 1600s, highlighting how we have always pulled upon a trust within magical services and beliefs to navigate unpredictable times with extreme events occurring outside of our control. The 1600s tech is about how we are able to adapt and cope with the surreal and irrational though a relationship with those who appear to wield magic; Cunning Folk is a brilliantly immersive book that recreates the society of the 1600s within the UK and presents much thought-provoking commentary on the magical complexity of being human.