Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #136753 in Books
• Published on: 1991-01-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 244 pages

Customer Reviews

Hilarious
I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this book. I have to admire Conway for churning out very similar wicca 101 books each year and taking money of gullible newbies. ESPECIALLY as they don't even qualify as decent Wiccan primers! If you want Wicca try the Farrars, Vivienne Crowley or Scott Cunningham rather than this watered-down version.

This is before I even get near the travesty she makes of Norse beliefs and magic. Wicca is not Norse - it is based on ceremonial magic which the Norse peoples did not know or care about. Her descriptions of the gods are cartoony at best and insulting in several instances. Her research is laughable - not least because she took some of her information from a fantasy novel (the names of Freya's cats are from a Diana Paxon story) and from romantic Victorian visions of the Norse peoples.

This is a useless book unless read as comedy!

In a word NO
As with some of the authors other writings, anyone experienced who studies Magick in any of its forms will realize that this book has few actual info on Norse Magick. Most of what is here appears to be a work of fiction and in my opinion it contains little or anything useful for the serious practitioner. Although if you enjoy a more fantasy based book on magic then perhaps this is what you're looking for.

Shocking!!!!
I have to agree with the previous review of this book, I do not know weather to cry or laugh myself, and I do feel quite insulted following the Asatru traditions myself!!!

I feel cheated as Wicca and Northern Magick/Runes are two different things, these do not mix apart from in the authors mind.

If I wanted to read about Wicca, I would have got a book about Wicca, not a so called Asatru book, trying to disguise the fact that it's Wicca!!!

These are worlds apart, and Wicca plays no part in the Norse magick. Norse magick arrived before wicca... Wicca is a newish "school of thought" and is built upon Norse magic, yes: Stone circles, use of metal, herbs, stones etc etc But Wiccan altered it by introducing ceremonial magic influencees such the use of the pentacles and athames etc and from there Norse Magick and Wicca went their seperate ways.

I guess if you know nothing and are into fluffy-bunny magick and this is your first book, them maybe it isn't a complete waste of your time and money. But to me the book reeks of very little research and plenty of fiction all mixed in together, served on a cheap cover.

If you want to get away from all this fluffy-bunny-make-believe and read something meaty, whith good research behind it, you're better off with Helrunar, Hammer of the Gods or Seidways by Jan Fries, Northern Tradition by Pete Jennings, Northern Magic: Rune Mysteries and Shamanism by Eldred Thorsson or Our Throth... Our any of the books mentioned in the review below for Wicca (wicca is not my strong point).

As a piece of fiction or a bit of fluff, then be my guest and buy this book, otherwise, you're better off spending your money on a more serious book, where the author has taken their time to do the proper research behind it.

It looks like the author has done the mistake and jumped on the pagan-money-making-wagon and preying on the gullible teenagers that might be tempted to pick up the book and take it for reality instead of realising to what extent the author has watered down it's half truths and made up the rest.