A prominent Mediterranean port located near Islamic territories, the city of Valencia in the late fifteenth century boasted a slave population of pronounced religious and ethnic diversity: captive Moors and penally enslaved Mudejars, Greeks, Tartars, Russians, Circassians, and a growing population of black Africans. By the end of the fifteenth century, black Africans comprised as much as 40 percent of the slave population of Valencia. Whereas previous historians of medieval slavery have focused their efforts on defining the legal status of slaves, documenting the vagaries of the Mediterranean slave trade, or examining slavery within the context of Muslim-Christian relations, Debra Blumenthal explores the social and human dimensions of slavery in this religiously and ethnically pluralistic society. Enemies and Familiars traces the varied experiences of Muslim, Eastern, and black African slaves from capture to freedom. After describing how men, women, and children were enslaved and brought to the Valencian marketplace, this book examines the substance of slaves' daily lives: how they were sold and who bought them; the positions ascribed to them within the household hierarchy; the sorts of labor they performed; and the ways in which some reclaimed their freedom. Scrutinizing a wide array of archival sources (including wills, contracts, as well as hundreds of civil and criminal court cases), Blumenthal investigates what it meant to be a slave and what it meant to be a master at a critical moment of transition. Arguing that the dynamics of the master-slave relationship both reflected and determined contemporary opinions regarding religious, ethnic, and gender differences, Blumenthal's close study of the day-to-day interactions between masters and their slaves not only reveals that slavery played a central role in identity formation in late medieval Iberia but also offers clues to the development of "racialized" slavery in the early modern Atlantic world.

When Aldwyn, a young alley cat on the run, ducks into a mysterious pet shop, he doesn’t expect his life to change. But that’s exactly what happens when Jack, a young wizard, picks Aldwyn to be his magical familiar. Finally off the tough streets, Aldwyn thinks he’s got it made. He just has to convince the other familiars—the know-it-all blue jay Skylar and the friendly tree frog Gilbert—that he’s the telekinetic cat he claims to be. But when Jack and two other wizards in training are captured by a terrible evil, it will take all of Aldwyn’s street smarts, a few good friends, and a nose for adventure to save the day!

“Assured and alluring, this beautiful tale of women, witchcraft and the fight against power is a delight.” —Jessie Burton, New York Times–bestselling author In 1612 Lancaster, England, the hunt for witches has reached a fever pitch . . . But in a time of suspicion and accusation, to be a woman may be the greatest risk of all. Fleetwood Shuttleworth, the mistress of Pendle Hill’s Gawthorpe Hall, is with child. Anxious to produce an heir, she is distraught to find a letter from her physician that warns her husband she will not survive this pregnancy. Devastated, Fleetwood wanders the estate grounds, where she catches a young woman poaching. Alice Gray claims she is a local midwife and promises to help Fleetwood deliver a healthy baby. But a witch-obsessed frenzy sweeps the countryside. Even woodland creatures or “familiars” are thought to be dark companions of the unholy. And Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft. Time is running out. The witch trials are about to begin. With both their lives at stake, Fleetwood must prove Alice’s innocence. Only they know the truth. Set against the real Pendle witch trials, this compelling novel draws its characters from historical figures as it explores the lives of seventeenth-century women. Ultimately it raises the question: Was witch hunting really just women hunting? “A rich and atmospheric reimagining of a historical period rife with religious tensions, superstitions, misogyny and fear.” —The New York Times Book Review “An intricate and sensitive portrayal of a brave, tenacious young girl carving her place in the world. A must-read novel.” —Heather Morris, #1 New York Times–bestselling author

It's time to make your familiar more fearsome Whether you're looking to give your familiar an archetype to make it a brutish battle companion, hoping to gain a familiar option for an unusual class like the paladin or barbarian, or just scouting for an expanded selection of familiars and improved familiars, the Familiar Folio has you covered. Featuring all-new items, spells, archetypes, and -- of course -- tons of familiars, this Pathfinder Player Companion is the perfect accessory for spellcasters as well as any Pathfinder player who fancies a fantastic, travel-sized friend for their character.

The familiars Aldwyn the cat, Skyler the blue jay, and Gilbert the tree frog are off on an all-new adventure in the series that Michael Buckley, bestselling author of The Sisters Grimm and NERDS series, says "combines the magic of Harry Potter and the adventure of Warriors." With inventive magic, laugh-out-loud humor, and a mysterious conspiracy that will take all the familiars' wits to unravel, Palace of Dreams is the familiars' most extraordinary adventure yet. Peace has returned to the queendom of Vastia. Paksahara has been defeated, and the three familiars Aldwyn, Skyler, and Gilbert are the heroes to thank. But when a birthday celebration at the palace goes dreadfully wrong, and Queen Loranella falls victim to a curse, it seems the familiars are the prime suspects. After narrowly escaping the palace dungeons, they'll have to embark on a quest to clear their names—a quest that will lead them across Vastia and even into the magical land of dreams.

In the thriving urban economies of late thirteenth-century Catalonia, Jewish and Christian women labored to support their families and their communities. The Fruit of Her Hands examines how gender, socioeconomic status, and religious identity shaped how these women lived and worked. Sarah Ifft Decker draws on thousands of notarial contracts as well as legal codes, urban ordinances, and Hebrew responsa literature to explore the lived experiences of Jewish and Christian women in the cities of Barcelona, Girona, and Vic between 1250 and 1350. Relying on an expanded definition of women’s work that includes the management of household resources as well as wage labor and artisanal production, this study highlights the crucial contributions women made both to their families and to urban economies. Christian women, Ifft Decker finds, were deeply embedded in urban economic life in ways that challenge traditional dichotomies between women in northern and Mediterranean Europe. And while Jewish women typically played a less active role than their Christian counterparts, Ifft Decker shows how, in moments of communal change and crisis, they could and did assume prominent roles in urban economies. Through its attention to the distinct experiences of Jewish and Christian women, The Fruit of Her Hands advances our understanding of Jewish acculturation in the Iberian Peninsula and the shared experiences of women of different faiths. It will be welcomed by specialists in gender studies and religious studies as well as students and scholars of medieval Iberia.

Bringing the wisdom of generations of black Catholics into conversation with contemporary scholarly accounts of racism, Christ Divided diagnoses ""antiblackness supremacy"" as a corporate vice that inhabits the body of Christ. To truly understand racial inequality, theologians must acknowledge the existence of ""antiblackness supremacy"" and recognize its uniquely foundational role in prevailing processes of racialization and racial hierarchy. In addition to introducing a new framework of racial analysis, this book proposes a new approach to virtue ethics. Because the church‘s participation in and performance of white supremacy occurs as a result of corporate habituation, the church most needs new habits, not new teachings. The theory of corporate virtue outlined here provides a framework through which to evaluate these habits and propose new ones-to be made to "do the right thing."

In this fast paced fictional novel The Familiars Lie, Maize’s resolve is waning thin to abstain from her world of pornography as she prepares to preach on Sunday morning. Anxious, horny and out of sorts, she finds herself drawn in by her hidden demons affectionately known as the Familiars. As Maize spirals more out of control into a binge of sex toys, faceless men, and aimless internet surfing she meets Freddy, the son of a Pentecostal preacher that she initially has a love hate relationship with. He challenges her to confront her estranged relationship with God, deal with the affects of her abusive past that have crept into her present, and face the reality of the possibility she has turned into a hypocritical minister, finding more gratification in pornography than the things that really satisfy!

Reborn as a demon lord in another world, Yuki is currently helping Lefi think of ways to fight now that she can’t revert to her original dragon form anymore. After a bit of brainstorming, she succeeds in Dragonizing herself by covering her entire body in scales, thus strengthening her human form! With that task complete, all that’s left for her to do is train. Suddenly, however, Yuki receives a distress signal from Nell. He rushes to her side, only to find the Elvish Enclave under attack by the fiends, who declare war on the alliance of elves, demons, and humans! At long last, war breaks out between several nations! Yuki joins the battle in order to protect his family in the dungeon, but what awaits him and the others?!

Six full length fantasy romance novels from bestselling authors, together in one convenient boxset! If you’re a lover of romantasy, then this anthology is for you. (PS-It’s also out in AUDIO. Grab it there as well!) 1. Displaced by Bridget E. Baker: In this series opener, royal twin sisters Chancery and Judica are forced into a bitter battle for the throne — and prophecy foretells that the fate of the world is at stake… “A fast-moving, engaging tale in what promises to be an epic fantasy romance series” (Kirkus Reviews). 2. Seeking the Fae by Leia Stone: Bound by fate, torn by duty—Lily must choose between saving her world and surrendering to the allure of her sworn enemy. Love and destiny collide as she faces the ultimate sacrifice: her heart or her home. 3. God of the Sun by Kimberly Loth: I'm the crown princess and my mother has been throwing princes at me for months. Then an enemy prince shows up seeking my hand in marriage. He's all smiles and charm and my mother promised him my hand in marriage in spite of my protests. Because I know once we're married...He's going to kill me. 4. The Fire Prophecy by Alicia Rades and Megan Linski: My life was upended after I cast a Fire spell, and I was escorted away to a school for magical creatures where I bonded with a powerful being. But Fire and Water don’t mix, and now I’ve fallen for the son of the Water chief, the one man I’m forbidden to love— and the greatest enemy of my tribe. 5. Fae’s Deception by M. Lynn and Melissa Craven: Brea always knew she was different. It isn't under she's dragged through a portal into a beautifully wicked world full of dark secrets, powerful magic, and two devastatingly handsome fae princes that she learns the truth... or is it, too, a lie? Both princes want to drag her onto their side in a war between queens, and Brea must figure out which one is truly the enemy. Before it's too late. 6. The Night Calling by Juliana Haygert: Bound by fate, torn apart by betrayal—she’s an outcast in her pack, and the alpha’s son is her worst enemy. But when war erupts, and their bond becomes impossible to ignore, they must unite to save their pack. A sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance with fierce battles and dark secrets!