Overview

A concise history of the goddess-like figures who evade both Christian and pagan traditions, from the medieval period to the present day In this riveting account, renowned scholar Ronald Hutton explores the history of deity-like figures in Christian Europe. Drawing on anthropology, archaeology, literature, and history, Hutton shows how hags, witches, the fairy queen, and the Green Man all came to be, and how they changed over the centuries. Looking closely at four main figures--Mother Earth, the Fairy Queen, the Mistress of the Night, and the Old Woman of Gaelic tradition--Hutton challenges decades of debate around the female figures who have long been thought versions of pre-Christian goddesses. He makes the compelling case that these goddess figures found in the European imagination did not descend from the pre-Christian ancient world, yet have nothing Christian about them. It was in fact nineteenth-century scholars who attempted to establish the narrative of pagan survival that persists today.

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Ronald Hutton is professor of history at Bristol University and a leading authority on the British Isles in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, on ancient and medieval paganism and magic, and on the global context of witchcraft beliefs. He is the author of seventeen books. Gary Paul Williams is a deep British voice-over actor who has been behind the mic for over forty years, first exploring broadcasting back in the '70s on a school radio station, in the days of reel to reel players and editing tape. He then moved into commercial radio as a breakfast show host for a large network in the UK. Radio is very different from audiobook creation, and Gary quickly discovered that unlike his previous experience stamina is required because bookwork is not a sprint but a marathon. To develop the skills required he has had a vast amount of paid training and coaching but most importantly a full life packed with emotional events, both exciting and challenging. This has really given him an edge, with the ability to pull up any script and relate to the motivation, emotion, and direction that is needed. At the same time he understands the importance of meeting tight deadlines and high-quality standards, and has the ability to take direction as and when required. So far Gary has produced work for Bookstream, an audiobook company in Vienna, producing over twenty books while still picking up other work on pay-to-pay sites. With Bookstream the work was mostly on the darker side (mystical and scary), and a lot of the books were classics such as works by Sherlock Holmes and H. G. Wells. Finally, Gary appreciates that authors spend a great deal of time and energy giving birth to a book and a voice actor needs to reflect that commitment.

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