The Powers of Evil: In Western Religion, Magic and Folk Belief

First published in 1975, The Powers of Evil is an interesting study of beliefs about supernatural agencies, thought to menace and prey on human beings, are known to all societies and, even in this age of materialism and rationalism, they still have a firmer grip on Western minds that is not always understood or admitted. Richard Cavendish investigates supernatural agencies which have been involved over the ages with thought and belief in areas far beyond their own immediate spheres of suffering harm and death. These beings and forces include the Devil and the demons of Christian tradition, the evil gods and spirits of paganism, malevolent ghosts, witches, vampires, nightmares, powers of the underworld and hell, giants, dragons and many other sinister creatures of popular belief, as well as the two great evil and inescapable mechanisms of death and fate. He examines recurrent themes and motifs in the context of the ancient world and medieval Europe as well as modern Europe and North America: the connection between evil and the animal world for example, the dread of being devoured, the links between death, evil and sex, the fear of disorder. This book will be of interest to students of history, religion and folktales.

Richard Cavendish