Cloven Country: The Devil and the English Landscape

(Hardback)

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According to legend, the English landscape so calm on the surface is really the Devil's work. Cloven Country tells of rocks hurled into place and valleys carved out by infernal labour. The Devil's hideous strength laid down great roads in one night, and left scars everywhere as the hard stone melted like wax under those burning feet. With roots in medieval folklore, this is not the Satan of prayer, but a clumsy ogre, easily fooled by humankind. When a smart cobbler or cunning young wife outwitted him, they struck a blow for the underdog. Only the wicked squire and grasping merchant were beyond redemption, carried off by a black huntsman in the storm.

'Harte has woven together a rich and wildly entertaining romp through the Devil-pocked English landscape. It is hard not to feel more than a little sympathy, given the amount of times the Devil seems to have been outwitted by all and sundry, but then he must be content in the knowledge that his efforts to disrupt have led to him being memorialized across the UK, in the form of dykes, tors, bridges, cauldrons and punch bowls.' Simon Costin, director of the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic and founder of the Museum of British Folklore

Reviews

"Cloven Country is an extensive and well-rounded exploration of the image of the Devil as reflected in the English landscape and folklore record, penned in Harte's inimitable clever and witty style. Although rigorously academic, you always feel like you have sat down for a pint with Jeremy, probably in a pub named after one of the Devil's exploits, whilst being regaled with tales. Pull a chair up to the fire, get yourself a drink and a copy of Cloven Country . . . You will not be disappointed."-- "Folklore Podcast"
"Come for the telling of folktales; stay for the workings of folklore. Cloven Country is testament to Harte's deep personal and learned knowledge of the folklore of England. He's seemingly read everything and been everywhere - and given the book is illustrated from his collection, clearly also bought the postcard. His writing style is wry and frequently aphoristic. Harte is one of Britain's most eminent folklorists."-- "Fortean Times"
"Engagingly written and with fitting a pinch of mischief, Cloven Country is both erudite and entertaining. Jeremy Harte is one of the country's leading folklorists and behind his relish for telling tales lies a deep understanding of how devil legends formed in our landscape. Equally delightful to read in a comfy chair or out in the field searching for the many sites he explores."--Owen Davies, professor of history at the University of Hertfordshire and president of the Folklore Society

Author Bio

Jeremy Harte's books include Explore Fairy Traditions, which won the Folklore Society's Katharine Briggs Award. He is coeditor of the journal Time and Mind, and in 2006, he was elected to the Committee of the Folklore Society. He is a curator of the Bourne Hall Museum in Surrey.