Our nursery legends and popular superstitions are fast becoming matters of history, except in the more remote and secluded portions of the country. But now that the light of modern investigation, and especially that ray furnished by recent discoveries in philological science, has been directed towards their deeper and more hidden mysteries, profound philosophical historians have begun to discover that from this apparently desolate literary region much reliable knowledge may be extracted, leading to conclusions of the most interesting and important kind, with reference to the early history of our race.

Preface This volume is intended for those who find it pleasant, at times, to wander in the byways of topography and local literature. The development of Lancashire, especially in its relation to modern industrial life, has been told by more than one able historian, and all that is here attempted is to glean in the ample harvest fields. The bygone customs, forgotten worthies, outworn superstitions, historical episodes and travellers' tales here recorded, will, it is hoped, not be without interest. If some of the articles seem more modern than the title would strictly justify, it must be remembered that the changes in the condition of the County Palatine have been so rapid that many things have become obsolete in the life time of the existing generation.

Love Spells celebrates the ancient art of love magic in a collection of authentic traditions used throughout the ages to invoke love, practice divination, and heal broken hearts. A carefully curated grimoire of traditional magic and ancient knowledge, Love Spells features many charms, folkloric rituals, and ceremonies that have been passed down through generations. Discover methods of invoking, strengthening, predicting, and repelling love that garner the magic of the moon, amulets, herbs, and plants. Touching on elements of dark magic and the occult, some of these spells serve purely as historical context, offering a deep understanding of love magic's powerful legacy. Breathing new life into magical traditions and bringing hidden knowledge to light, Love Spells is a testament to the rich history of love magic.

This edited collection analyses the phenomenon of coin use for religious and ritual purposes in different cultures and across different periods of time. It proposes an engagement with the theory and interpretation of the ‘material turn’ with numismatic evidence, and an evidence-based series of discussions to offer a fuller, richer and fresh account of coin use in ritual contexts. No extensive publication has previously foregrounded coins in such a model, despite the fact that coins constitute an integrated part of the material culture of most societies today and of many in the past. Here, interdisciplinary discussions are organised around three themes: coin deposit and ritual practice, the coin as economic object and divine mediator, and the value and meaning of coin offering. Although focusing on the medieval period in Western Europe, the book includes instructive cases from the Roman period until today. The collection brings together well-established and emerging scholars from archaeology, art history, ethnology, history and numismatics, and great weight is given to material evidence which can complement and contradict the scarce written sources.