Witchcraft & Secret Societies of Rural England
Drawing on scholarly research and personal contacts, Nigel Pennick describes the secret rites, folk customs, and magical traditions of guilds and rural fraternities of the British Isles, such as the Shoemakers, Horsemen, Plough Witches, Free Gardeners, Toadmen, Mummers, and Bonesmen, revealing how these secret traditions still live on.
The Black Toad
The Black Toad explores potent examples of the folk-ceremonial magical practices and witchcraft of the south-west of England; dealing especially with Devon and the author’s homeland of Cornwall.
Litany of the Voiceless
A handbound booklet comprised of a litany and rite of the Crow Spirit, Mannikin Child and Blackthorn Toad. For working with the rite an Icon of the Voiceless is provided for practical use.
The Toadman
The Toadmen were a clandestine rural fraternity famed for their mysterious powers, including the control over horses. The author first learnt of their powers form his grandmother as she recounted an incident from when she was a girl.
Die Kröte or The Toad
This text, drawn from an obscure late 19th/early 20th century German occult publication, represents a fascinating look into the German cultural traditions, as well as those of neighboring European countries, surrounding the toad and its role in magic and the occult.
The Leaper Between
Known to rural folk magicians and secret societies such as the Society of the Horseman's Word, the exacting ritual of killing a toad to obtain the bone of power has been documented in various forms and cultural milieus for two millennia, though its origin is likely far older.
One (2nd edition forthcoming)
This unique grimoire was published in the year 2000, marking the cusp of the old and the new chiliad. It is the first full grimoire-text to treat specifically and from personal account of the Traditional East Anglian ritual called ‘The Waters of the Moon’: the solitary initiation of the so-called ‘Toad-witch’. A second edition is due for publication in 2025.