Böcker av Rebecca Buchanan

They are the Primal Powers of Sun and Moon and Star, Mountain and River and Sea, Time and the Seasons. They are the Titans, first born of Earth and Heaven. The Titans are an enigma. Who are they? Which aspects of creation do they guard or represent? How were they honored by the ancient Greeks? How are they honored by contemporary polytheists? And what, exactly, is a Titan? Broadly defined, the Titans are the elder generation of Hellenic Deities and their immediate offspring, and sometimes their grandchildren. Though sometimes their grandchildren are counted among the Olympian generation who eventually supplanted the Titans as the ruling Deities. The distinction between Titan and Olympian is as much political as it is generational. There is more to the Titans than a few passages in the few surviving stories that have been told and retold across the millennia. The Titans may be largely forgotten, but they are still worthy of due respect and honor. They are Powers, greater than us, more intimately connected to and responsible for the workings of creation. Within these pages, you will find poems and hymns, meditations and rites, artwork and essays and fiction. This devotional has been a labor of love for its contributors. It has been a long time in coming, and we hope that it will inspire polytheists everywhere to take a closer look at these Forgotten Powers.

Great One. Lord of the Sky. Pillar of His Mother. Dappled Within the Womb of Nut. Lord of the Sky. Lord of the Horizon. He is Horus. Or perhaps they are Horus. A complex Deity, he might be a singular entity with many aspects, or a multitude of Deities who share similar names and functions. The two most well-known and well-loved are Heru-Wer (Horus the Elder) and Heru-sa-Aset (Harpocrates or Horus the Younger). Heru-Wer is a cosmological being of right order and civilization. His right eye is the sun and his left eye is the moon. Heru-sa-Aset is the son of Isis and Osiris who defeated Set in battle and assumed his rightful throne; every Pharaoh is an incarnation of Horus the Younger, and the Eye of Horus is a symbol of prosperity, protection, and healing. The hymns, poems, essays, rites, artwork, and short stories of this collection reflect that ambiguity, that individualized devotion and understanding. Some of these pieces focus exclusively on Heru-Wer/Horus the Elder. Others center on Heru-sa-Aset/Horus the Younger. Other writings look at still more entities or aspects. Each of these hymns, poems, essays, rites, works of art, and stories begins to build a picture - incomplete though it is - of Horus. There is a glow on the horizon. The Sun is rising. Warm yourself in its light, and give thanks.

New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. An ancient Greek city, haunted by a guardian spirit. A small riverside town, stalked by an alchemical monster. A worldwalker searching for her long-lost father. A fairy godmother who only wants her beloved to be happy. A case of magical sabotage in ancient Egypt. A murderer pursued by the spirits of vengeance. A student who finds a unique and magical means to pay for school. A nature spirit hiding in the most unusual place. A necropolis in a modern day museum. A mage who liberates stolen magical artifacts. A secret hidden in the basement of a dead man. A truth hidden in a silent film. A police station in a magical city. Two brothers seeking magical revenge.Fifteen stories of Gods, faith, and magic set in cities both ancient and modern. So pull up a comfortable chair, settle down, and enjoy the adventure.

Fairy Tale: a wonder tale or magic tale that typically features dwarfs, dragons, elves, fairies, mermaids, talking animals, trolls, unicorns, or witches, and usually magic or enchantments. Myth: a sacred story of the gods; a religious account of the beginning of the world; the deeds of Gods and heroes; as a result of which the world, nature, and culture were created and given order. The Fox and the Rose combines the best of both of these traditions, literary and spiritual, magical and mystical. Most of the tales in this collection follow the recognizable fairy tale scheme: once, in such-and-such a land, there lived .... There are tests to pass and promises to keep and, if the hero proves worthy, a happily ever after is won. Sometimes, though, the endings are bittersweet or justly tragic, particularly when promises are broken, pride overrules compassion, and respect is denied.

There has been an explosion in explicitly Pagan and Pagan-friendly literature. Science fiction and fantasy, and their attendant sub genres, children's books and teen books, mystery and historical fiction and romance (especially of the paranormal variety), are rich with Deities and mythologies and practitioners of the Old/New Ways.This anthology - the second following A Witch Among Wolves, and Other Pagan Tales - continues the tradition of Pagan authors writing Pagan tales for a Pagan audience. "Black Leopard" is a contemporary magical realism tale centering on Dionysus, while "Crossroads" finds a young girl voicing a heartfelt prayer to Hekate. "Hysthaany" follows a small community of Sekhmet devotees into outer space on a mission of mercy, while "Mr. West" finds Osiris paying a visit to a modern-day mortician. "Seeds" is set in a dystopian future of environmental degradation, while the title story, "The Serpent in the Throat," is an adventure-horror tale set in ancient Canaan.

The world's oldest literature is pagan.For thousands of years before the monotheistic traditions rose to dominance in the West, pagans told stories about the loves and miseries and adventures of Gods and Goddesses, heroes and witches and warriors. The Pagans of the contemporary world, in addition to rediscovering the Gods and heroes of old, are also writing for those Gods and heroes. "Alexander's Heart" is a science fiction tale set in a distant future ruled by the descendants of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. "Devourer" finds the Egyptian Goddess Bast in modern-day Louisiana, while "The Flower in the Dark" addresses political oppression and liberty. "Footprints" follows the Olympian Queen of the Gods to contemporary Florida, while "Orion: An EcoFable" explores the nature of environmental responsibility and the consequences of human arrogance. Finally, "A Witch Among Wolves" centers around a Lithuanian ragana, a devotee of the Horned Lord of the Underworld.