Geoffrey Ashe

An exploration of the origins, influences, and legacy of the scandalous Hell-Fire Clubs of the 18th century and beyond Reveals the clubs origins in the work of Rabelais and the magical practices of John Dee and how their motto, Do What You Will, deeply influenced Aleister Crowley Explores the cross-fertilization of liberty and libertinage within these clubs that influenced both U.S. and French Revolutions Examines the debaucherous activities and famous members of many Hell-Fire Clubs, including Sir Francis Dashwoods Monks of Medmenham Mention the Hell-Fire Clubs and you conjure up an image of aristocratic rakes cutting a swath through the village maidens. Which is true, but not the whole truth. The activities of these clubs of upper-class Englishmen revolved around not only debauchery but also blasphemy, ritual, quasi-magical pursuits, and political intrigue. Providing a history of these infamous clubs, Geoffrey Ashe reveals their origins in the work of François Rabelais and the activities of John Dee. He shows how the Hell-Fire Clubs anything-goes philosophy of Do what you will--also Aleister Crowleys famous motto--and community template were drawn directly from Rabelais. The author looks at the very first Hell-Fire Club, founded by Philip, Duke of Wharton, in 1720 and then at the Society of the Dilettanti, a fraternity formed in 1732. Ashe examines the life, travels, and influences of Sir Francis Dashwood, founding member of the Society of the Dilettanti and the scandalous Permissive Society at Medmenham, also known as the Monks of Medmenham. He also explores other Hell-Fire clubs the movement inspired throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland, including the violence-prone Mohocks and the Appalling Club. He shows how many illustrious figures of the day were members of these societies, such as Lord Byron. He also examines the rumors that Benjamin Franklin was a member, an allegation that can be neither confirmed nor denied. Exploring the political and magical ideas that fueled this movement, the author shows how the cross-fertilization of liberty and libertinage within the Hell-Fire Clubs went on to influence both the U.S. and French revolutions, as well as the hippie movement of the 1960s, the Church of Satan founded by Anton LaVey, and the motorcycle club known as the Hells Angels. The legacy of the Hell-Fire Clubs continues to impact society, beckoning both elite and outsider to cast aside social norms and do what you will.

Reveals how humanitys first advanced culture originated in the Altai-Baikal region of southern Siberia Explores how this prehistoric culture is the source of the pervasive mythic symbolism of the number 7, found in ancient cosmologies and myths around the world Traces the Altaic influence on the Rishis of India, the creation of the Vedas, and the origin of the sacred legend of Mount Meru Explains how the Hellenic cults of both Apollo and Artemis originated in southern Siberia as well as the pervasive bear symbolism found throughout the ancient world Myths of a Golden Age, a paradise at the beginning of human existence, are nearly universal in all cultures. But where was this Eden located? Refuting the traditional assumption that the cultures of the Middle East and Mycenae filtered northward into Europe and North Asia, noted historian Geoffrey Ashe instead identifies the northern Altai mountain range and Lake Baikal region of southern Siberia as the true cultural home of humanity and the source of the widespread myths of a prehistoric Golden Age. With evidence dating back as far as 24,000 BC, Ashe shows how the culture of prehistoric southern Siberia was matrifocal, Goddess-worshiping, and heavily shamanic and served as the progenitor of advanced ancient culture in the Western world, the missing link that later influenced Indian, Middle Eastern, Native American, and European society, culture, and religion. He reveals how ancient Altaic culture was the source of the pervasive mythic symbolism of the number 7, found in cosmologies and mythological traditions around the world, as well as reverence for the seven stars of Ursa Major, the Big Dipper, and the idea of a sacred mountain to the North. He traces the transmission of these cosmological beliefs into Babylon and ancient Greece by migrating tribes, including those that crossed the now-vanished land bridge to the New World. Ashe reveals how this transmission of beliefs had a profound influence on the seven-note musical scale, the seven astrological planets, and the seven vowels of the Greek alphabet, as well as the development of seven as a sacred number in Judaism. He shows how the ancient Altai-Baikal culture influenced the Rishis of India, the creation of the Vedas, and the sacred legend of Mount Meru. He also reveals how the Hellenic cults of both Apollo and Artemis originated in southern Siberia as well as the sacred bear symbolism found throughout the ancient world. Offering proof that advanced cultures existed in Europe before the immigration of Eastern peoples, Ashe shows that early societies did not look into the future for perfection but to the past, to the Golden Age of peace in the sacred northern mountains.

Geoffrey Ashes book on this legendary figure offers a succession of surprises. The Merlin of legend was born to be a magician. He was immaculately conceived and was able to interpret dreams and utter prophecies. Even his fate was imbued with magic. Like Arthur, he acquired immortality and sleeps on Bardsey Island, in a subterranean chamber with nine companions. Ashe reveals the man behind the myth, establishing beyond doubt the historicity of a Welsh prophet called Myrddin Emrys. Despite his supernatural status it is Merlin, of all the great characters of the Arthurian world, who has the strongest claim to have existed.

Merlín, el enigmático mago y profeta de la corte del rey Arturo, el hombre que hizo construir la mesa redonda y que obtuvo para su rey la espada Excalibur, y de quien se dice que yace dormido en una cueva de la isla de Bardsey, guardando los Trece tesoros magicos, es uno de los personajes mas misteriosos y atractivos de entre todos los extraordinarios habitantes de Camelot. Geoffrey Ashe, uno de los mas renombrados especialistas en el estudio de la Inglaterra de Arturo, reconstruye aqui la historia y la leyenda de este mundo caballeresco y viene a descubrirnos que, de todos sus pobladores, es precisamente Merlin el que tiene mas visos de haber sido un personaje historico real: el profeta gales Myrddin Emrys. Ashe recorre en estas paginas la compleja elaboracion de la historia del mago, tal como se ha ido forjando a lo largo de los siglos, y nos ofrece una fascinante guia por un mundo en que se mezclan los antiguos mitos celticos, con historias de caballeria o con la busqueda del Santo Grial.