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barry_x's review
informative
fast-paced
4.5
Another fine issue of Hellebore! This issue focuses on the 'Old Ways' and more broadly the occult and folkloric connection to the landscape. It's kind of sat quite well with the Weird Walk: Issue One - Beltane 2019 zine I've been enjoying recently, but because I have been reading both zines in close proximity there is similar content, which meant that some of this issue I have read about elsewhere recently.
Hellebore's authors tend to come from academia, and yet the articles are very accessible to the general reader, and they are fully referenced if one wants to learn more.
What I really enjoyed about this issue was that every article felt like 'Goldilocks' - not to long, not to short and just enough to get one's teeth into. I also think this was the first issue where I really enjoyed every article, so if the contents seem your kind of thing I recommend checking this out.
'The Return of Ley Lines' by Katy Soar and Niall Finneran and 'Megaliths from Outer Space' by Kenneth Brophy approach similar subject matter, about energy lines of power in the earth and megaliths being used as 'general navigation points' for aliens. I've always been incredibly suspicions about ley lines because you can pretty much join any point to another with a straight line and draw inferences from it. Likewise, these subject areas, trying to infer something mystical and ancient are very much a reflection on 20th Century attitudes. It's funny that the more I read about this stuff how essentially whole industries of paranormal, occult, psychogeographical or supernatural studies largely come from something someone once made up or guessed at in a fanciful way. I was surprised to learn that Ley Lines were named because a lot of places they went through ended in 'ley'.
I always enjoy reading Francis Young's work and in here there is a piece detailing old pilgrimage sites in the UK and how the church tried to stamp them out at the time of the Reformation. I hadn't realised how the Church viewed this pilgrimage sites as if not heretical, certainly not canon, or official, and the implication they had for the public who visited them. If anything, I love the idea of a pilgrimage to a cursing well or a site where you could get rid of your husband.
I'm always pleased to see an article by Verity Holloway and in this issue she has a wonderfully quirky piece describing naval traditions when crossing the line of the Equator and paying respects to Neptune. I was surprised to see how the traditions are still going, and how historically they ranged from dangerous hazing to raucous abandon and hedonism. I was also surprised to see that the Royal Navy were still somewhat formerly sanctioning the traditions in the 1940's and 50's even giving out official certificates. I must read some of her fiction, because I love her historical pieces in Hellebore.
'Uncanny Neighbours' by Madeline Potter' is an essay about the othering of Roma people in 19th century gothic literature and how those stereotypes informed not just 20th and 21st century art and culture but also racist stereotypes. The article also claims that the etymology of the word 'gypsy' is a contraction of the word Egyptian, as before it was recognised that Romani people have Indian roots some thought they were from Egypt. It's not something I have heard before. Sadly these stereotypes evoked in gothic literature have persisted with Roma people seen as being as somewhat outsiders, a bridge between the 'civilised world' and supernatural or magical forces. I've read books written in the last five years that persist with these stereotypes which harm Roma people.
Icy Sedgewick gives us a good piece about marsh lights, will o'th' wisp and other such night time lights which can lure the unwary to their death. The article analyses the science which I had somewhat assumed was understood, but apparently not. The article laments the dying out of this folklore because after all we don't walk down tracks in the dark anymore and all the marsh land is drained....
Finally Darren Pih has a great piece about the nature of trespass and reclaiming the land out of private hands and it's history.
Great issue
Hellebore's authors tend to come from academia, and yet the articles are very accessible to the general reader, and they are fully referenced if one wants to learn more.
What I really enjoyed about this issue was that every article felt like 'Goldilocks' - not to long, not to short and just enough to get one's teeth into. I also think this was the first issue where I really enjoyed every article, so if the contents seem your kind of thing I recommend checking this out.
'The Return of Ley Lines' by Katy Soar and Niall Finneran and 'Megaliths from Outer Space' by Kenneth Brophy approach similar subject matter, about energy lines of power in the earth and megaliths being used as 'general navigation points' for aliens. I've always been incredibly suspicions about ley lines because you can pretty much join any point to another with a straight line and draw inferences from it. Likewise, these subject areas, trying to infer something mystical and ancient are very much a reflection on 20th Century attitudes. It's funny that the more I read about this stuff how essentially whole industries of paranormal, occult, psychogeographical or supernatural studies largely come from something someone once made up or guessed at in a fanciful way. I was surprised to learn that Ley Lines were named because a lot of places they went through ended in 'ley'.
I always enjoy reading Francis Young's work and in here there is a piece detailing old pilgrimage sites in the UK and how the church tried to stamp them out at the time of the Reformation. I hadn't realised how the Church viewed this pilgrimage sites as if not heretical, certainly not canon, or official, and the implication they had for the public who visited them. If anything, I love the idea of a pilgrimage to a cursing well or a site where you could get rid of your husband.
I'm always pleased to see an article by Verity Holloway and in this issue she has a wonderfully quirky piece describing naval traditions when crossing the line of the Equator and paying respects to Neptune. I was surprised to see how the traditions are still going, and how historically they ranged from dangerous hazing to raucous abandon and hedonism. I was also surprised to see that the Royal Navy were still somewhat formerly sanctioning the traditions in the 1940's and 50's even giving out official certificates. I must read some of her fiction, because I love her historical pieces in Hellebore.
'Uncanny Neighbours' by Madeline Potter' is an essay about the othering of Roma people in 19th century gothic literature and how those stereotypes informed not just 20th and 21st century art and culture but also racist stereotypes. The article also claims that the etymology of the word 'gypsy' is a contraction of the word Egyptian, as before it was recognised that Romani people have Indian roots some thought they were from Egypt. It's not something I have heard before. Sadly these stereotypes evoked in gothic literature have persisted with Roma people seen as being as somewhat outsiders, a bridge between the 'civilised world' and supernatural or magical forces. I've read books written in the last five years that persist with these stereotypes which harm Roma people.
Icy Sedgewick gives us a good piece about marsh lights, will o'th' wisp and other such night time lights which can lure the unwary to their death. The article analyses the science which I had somewhat assumed was understood, but apparently not. The article laments the dying out of this folklore because after all we don't walk down tracks in the dark anymore and all the marsh land is drained....
Finally Darren Pih has a great piece about the nature of trespass and reclaiming the land out of private hands and it's history.
Great issue
arthurbdd's review
4.0
By this point, Hellebore have pretty much set out what they are and are continuing to offer their usual blend of folk horror and occulture more or less to the standards set by previous issues. Solid, but as always one could wish they trimmed back some of the terser articles and allowed the deeper articles to sprawl a bit more. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2023/11/16/mini-review-hellebore-harvest/
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