All the King's Falcons draws out Rumi's distinctive and creative insights into Islamic religious culture by focusing on his treatment of prophets as instruments in God's communication with humankind. But there is more to Rumi's views of revelation than meets the eye, for he does not view the prophets, from Adam to Muhammad, merely as historic individuals who lived and died. Stories and images of the prophets provide this mystic and poet with a way of communicating his rich awareness of the reality of the divine message.

This book looks at Rumi’s insights into the meaning of the second half of the basic Muslim creed, namely, the nature and function of revelation through prophets.

Perhaps the equivalent of polo-playing today, the sport of falconry was the preserve of the wealthy and royalty, regarded as both a suitable and enjoyable leisure activity, and as a source of status and prestige.

Hunting with birds of prey was a popular sport in medieval England, in both the royal household & amongst the nobility who had the money to afford to retain falconers & buy the birds. This book offers a detailed history of royal falconry from the 11th to the 14th century.

"Serbian Folk-lore" by anonymous is a collection of traditional tales from Serbian culture. This volume contains: The Bear's Son, The Wonderful Kiosk, The Snake's Gift. Language of Animals, The Golden Apple-tree, and the Nine Peahens, Papalluga; or, the Golden Slipper, The Golden-fleeced Ram, Who Asks Little, Gets Much, Justice or Injustice? Which is Best, Satan's Jugglings and God's Might, and The Wise Girl among others.

Index of archaeological papers published in 1891, under the direction of the Congress of Archaeological Societies in union with the Society of Antiquaries.

Before best-selling author Helen Macdonald told the story of the goshawk in H Is for Hawk, she told the story of the falcon, in a cultural history of the masterful creature that can “cut the sky in two” with the “perfectly aerodynamic profile of a raindrop,” as she so incisively puts it. In talon-sharp prose she explores the spell the falcon has had over her and, by extension, all of us, whether we’ve seen them “through binoculars, framed on gallery walls, versified by poets, flown as hunting birds, through Manhattan windows, sewn on flags, stamped on badges, or winnowing through the clouds over abandoned arctic radar stations.” Macdonald dives through centuries and careens around the globe to tell the story of the falcon as it has flown in the wild skies of the natural world and those of our imagination. Mixing history, myth, and legend, she explores the long history of the sport of falconry in many human cultures—from Japan to Abu Dhabi to Oxford; she analyzes the falcon’s talismanic power as a symbol in art, politics, and business; and she addresses the ways we have both endangered and protected it. Along the way we discover how falcons were mobilized in secret military projects; their links with espionage, the Third Reich, the Holy Roman Empire, and space programs; and how they have figured in countless stories of heroism and, of course, the erotic. Best of all, Macdonald has given us something fresh: a new introduction that draws on all her experience to even further invigorate her cherished subject. The result is a deeply informed book written with the same astonishing lyrical grace that has captivated readers and had everyone talking about this writer-cum-falconer.

The Falcons of Fire and Ice by Karen Maitland, author of the hugely popular Company of Liars, is a powerful historical thriller which takes you right back to the darkest corners of the 16th century. Intelligently written and meticulously researched, it is a real treat for all fans of CJ Sansom and Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. 'A tour de force: dark and woven with the supernatural' Daily Mail 1564, Lisbon. The Inquisition displays its power and ruthlessly spreads fear. Heretics are tortured and burned. Any who oppose the Church's will realize that silence is preferable to a slow and agonizing death. Isabela, daughter of the Falconer at the Royal Court, is about to be caught in the Church's terrifying schemes. The slaughter of two of the King's precious white falcons sees her father arrested and imprisoned. As punishment he and his family will be killed unless the birds are replaced. Isabela, young and headstrong, decides that only she can save her father. These birds are impossibly rare, and she will have to travel far and into strange lands to find them to clear her father's name. It is a journey that will take her into a dark and dangerous world filled with menacing people driven by fearful beliefs. And, unfortunately for Isabela, the Church has sent a companion to ensure she never returns . . . Step back in time with Karen Maitland's Dark Tales and discover a world full of imagination in The Falcons of Fire and Ice - 'a thrilling horrible vision of the Dark Ages' Metro Karen Maitland travelled and worked in many parts of the United Kingdom before finally settling in the beautiful medieval city of Lincoln. She is the author of The White Room, Company of Liars, The Owl Killersand The Gallows Curse. The latter three titles are available as Penguin paperbacks.

Hard to find in print, this charming replica edition of a rare 1874 work brings together some familiarand some esoterictales of European folklore as filtered through the culture of Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia. Selected and translated into English by ELODIE LAWTON MIJATOVIC (18251908), the stories featured include: [ The Bears Son [ The Snakes Gift [ The Golden-Fleeced Ram [ Who Asks Little, Gets Much [ The Wise Girl [ Good Deeds Are Never Lost [ The Wicked Stepmother [ The Shepherd and the Kings Daughter [ One Good Turn Deserves Another [ The Golden-Haired Twins [ and others.