Crossing the Borderlines: Guising, Masking, and Ritual Animal Disguises in the European Tradition [Paperback]

Nigel Pennick (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 247 pages
• Publisher: Capall Bann Pub (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861630352
• ISBN-13: 978-1861630353
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,192,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Living Tradition, December 30, 2000

By 

"waylandsmith35" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crossing the Borderlines: Guising, Masking, and Ritual Animal Disguises in the European Tradition (Paperback)

Nigel Pennick sets out to disprove those authors who write about guising customs and traditions only in the past tense, and to show that they are very much alive all over Europe. He traces the history of the use of masks and 'guises' from ancient Greek theatre, beserkers, mummers, carnival and dancers. he explains that the ritual disguise allows an individual to temporarilty take on a new role, rituals having no individuals but only roles and functions. Guising is a transformative act, teh guiser stepping out of time and into the otherworld- an act today as valid as it ever was. This is an absolutely fascinating read, full of information and insight. I would highly recommend it to both magicians and folklorists everywhere.