In the Grail legends the wounding of the Fisher King in the thigh with a magical spear blasts the fertility of the land - an enchantment only to be undone by the finding of the mysterious castle where he lays and by asking him a certain question...

In this exhaustively researched work on the ancient Celtic peoples of Northwest Europe, John Grigsby reveals how behind this medieval tale lies the dim remembrance of a cult of human sacrifice that forms the backbone of Pagan Celtic religion. Tracing the key elements of these rites back to the time of Stonehenge, Grigsby argues they met their deaths re-enacting a divine drama rooted in the Bronze Age. And just as in the Grail legend the land could only be healed by asking the king a question - in his startling conclusion Grigsby offers convincing evidence that the victims of Celtic sacrifice were used in necromantic oracular rites aimed to bring re-birth to the land...

John Grigsby's research begun with the archaeological evidence for ritual deaths, such as the sacrificed male found at Lindow Moss, Cheshire, and the numerous severed heads found in holy wells. He argues that the clues to why they died lies in their myths, which though fragmentary, can be restored, revealing that these victims did not die as simple offerings to appease the gods of the harvest. In this groundbreaking work, he reveals that behind the mythology there was a cult of human sacrifice.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations & Maps
Maps
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Prologue: The Man in the Well

Part One: The Wounded King
1. The Legend
2. The Green Man
3. Apprenticeship
4. The Green Knight
5. The Sacred Marriage
6. The Wild Herdsman
7. The Wounded Thigh

Part Two: The Grail
8. The House of the Dead
9. The Moon Bull
10. Tir Na N'og
11. The Stoned Age
12. The Dance of Death
13. The Labyrinth

Part Three: The Dolorous Stroke
14. The Arya
15. The Dragon Slayer
16. The War of the Twins
17. Dinas Emrys
18. Secret Rites
19. Ragnarok

Part Four: The Fisher King
20. Man of Joy and Sorrow
21. The Salmon of Wisdom
22. Mabon
23. The Opening of the Mouth

Epilogue: The Spirit in the Bottle

Bibliography
Index

242 pages, 6 x 9, Paperback, Illustrated

Price - $19.95