The Witchcraft of the Celts

The Witchcraft of the Celts opens the door to one of the most mysterious and enduring magical traditions in European history.Across Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, and the Isle of Man, the old Celtic world preserved a deep current of magic that flowed through sacred wells, seer traditions, fairy encounters, curses, healing rites, household protections, animal omens, and the wisdom of those who lived close to the land. This was a world where water could bless or blight, words could wound or heal, and certain people were believed to stand at the edge of the visible and invisible.In this powerful study, Bryn Pearce explores the figures and practices that shaped Celtic magical belief across centuries, from the druids and their hidden learning to the seers of second sight, from cursing stones and sacred wells to fairy doctors, cunning folk, wise women, folk healers, and the spirits of the land itself.Inside this book, readers will discover:The druids and their role as priests, judges, seers, poets, and keepers of sacred knowledgeThe art of vision, prophecy, second sight, dream knowledge, and omen readingThe power of Celtic curses, satire, cursing stones, wells, and spoken maledictionsThe sacred wells of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the wider Celtic worldFairy doctors, changeling beliefs, fairy illness, and the complicated relationship between humans and the otherworldCunning folk, household protection, folk healing, charms, amulets, and practical rural magicThe role of women as wise women, healers, seers, keeners, and keepers of dangerous knowledgeThe magical meaning of animals, plants, trees, stones, weather, fire, water, and the living landscapeThe survival of old Celtic beliefs through Christianization, folklore, local custom, and modern memoryThe Witchcraft of the Celts is a rich journey into the old magical imagination of the Celtic world, where the boundary between this world and the otherworld was thin, powerful, and never fully closed.For readers drawn to Celtic folklore, witchcraft, druidry, fairy belief, folk magic, sacred landscapes, ancient religion, and the hidden history of the old ways, this book offers a vivid and deeply absorbing account of the magic that still lingers in wells, stones, trees, stories, and the unseen places between worlds.