Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Haunting accounts of real-life exorcisms through the centuries and around the world, from ancient Egypt and the biblical Middle East to colonial America and twentieth-century South Africa A Penguin Classic
The belief in invisible, malevolent demons that haunt and possess human beings dates back thousands of years-as far as religion itself. And for just as long, exorcists have performed elaborate rituals to cast out the devil and other evil spirits. Today, exorcism is as popular as ever, with a majority of Americans believing in demonic possession and exorcists fielding more and more requests.
The Penguin Book of Exorcisms brings together accounts of demonic banishments through the ages and throughout the world, including newly translated primary sources and testimonies that have until now been hidden away in library vaults. From the exorcism of an Egyptian princess to a previously unpublished account that calls into question the famous Anna Ecklund case to a nineteenth-century account of a Russian man possessed by a "werewolf demon," these terrifying, astonishing, and informative texts reveal the messy and ambiguous nature of exorcisms and demonstrate how our beliefs have evolved over time. Whether you're a demonology expert or your knowledge comes only from blockbuster horror movies like The Exorcist or Hereditary, this is one book you'll want to have in your possession.
Synopsis
Perfect for Hallowe'en: haunting accounts of real-life exorcisms through the centuries, from ancient Egypt and the biblical Middle East to colonial America and twentieth-century South Africa
Levitation. Feats of superhuman strength. Speaking in tongues. A hateful, glowing stare. The signs of spirit possession have been documented for thousands of years and across religions and cultures, even into our own time. Unsettling and chilling, The Penguin Book of Exorcisms brings together the most astonishing accounts: Saint Anthony set upon by demons in the form of a lion, a bull and a panther, who are no match for his devotion and prayer; the Prophet Muhammad casting an enemy of God out of a young boy; fox spirits in medieval China and Japan; a headless bear assaulting a woman in sixteenth-century England; the possession of an entire convent of Ursuline nuns in a French town; a Zulu woman who daily floated to a height of five feet; the exorcism in Earling, Iowa, in 1928 that inspired the film The Exorcist; a Filipina girl 'bitten by devils'; and a rare example of a priest's letter requesting permission of a bishop to perform an exorcism - after witnessing a boy walk backwards up a wall. . .