Queens of the Wild

Pagan Goddesses in Christian Europe
An Investigation

Ronald Hutton

A history of the goddess-like figures who evade both Christian and Pagan traditions, from the medieval period to the present day.

In this eye-opening account, celebrated scholar Ronald Hutton explores the history of deity-like figures in Christian Europe. Drawing on anthropology, archaeology, literature and history, Hutton shows how hags, witches, the fairy queen, and the Green Man all came to be, and how they changed over the centuries.

Hutton looks closely at four main figures - Mother Earth, the Fairy Queen, the Mistress of the Night, and the Old Woman of Gaelic tradition. He challenges decades of debate around what have long been thought to be pre-Christian goddesses. While making the compelling case that these 'goddesses' found in the European imagination did not descend from the pre-Christian ancient world, Hutton also shows that they have nothing Christian about them. Queens of the Wild explores the origins of the narrative of pagan survival - and how it persists to this day.

Ronald Hutton is Professor of History at Bristol University and a leading authority on the British Isles in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, on ancient and medieval paganism and magic, and on the global context of witchcraft beliefs. He is a critically acclaimed author of eighteen books, including the bestselling The Witch and Pagan Britain. He frequently appears as an expert on TV and radio.

'A Wonderful book, deeply thoughtful and engaging, packed with great research and thought-provoking ideas.'
- Marion Gibson, author of Witchcraft: The Basics

'This splendid book greatly expands our knowledge of how apparantly pagan divine figures of European tradition evolved. By deftly showing what we know - and what we only think we know - the author illuminates how these figures have mattered over the centuries, and continue to do so.'
- Mark Williams, author of The Celtic Myths that Shape the Way We Think

'Britain's favourite historian has done it again! In this book, he traces the histories of four popular feminine figures from folklore, showing us the vitality of human creativity and its shaping of tradition even under periods of religious domination.'
Sabina Magliocco, author of Witching Culture: Folklore and Neo-Paganism in America