Secret Societies of the Middle Ages explores the foundations of modern secret societies, examining the history and known facts of three very different organizations.
1. The Assassins of the Middle East-how they evolved from an Islamic religious sect into one of the most feared groups in all the world and how the very name of this ancient order became the word used for political killings of this nature.
2. The Templars of Europe-from a pious group of protectors and dedicated crusaders to their bitter end persecuted as heretics, they introduced the concept of banking to the world while...

This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your...

This is a look at some of the most famous groups of the Middle Ages, including the Knights Templar, and the ways in which secret societies fascinate people even in modern days. From the preface: "If we had the means of investigating historically the origin of Secret Societies, we should probably find that they began to be formed almost as soon as any knowledge had been accumulated by particular individuals beyond what constituted the common stock. The same thing has happened to knowledge that has happened to all other human possessions, -its actual holders have striven to keep it to...

If we had the means of investigating historically the origin of Secret Societies, we should probably find that they began to be formed almost as soon as any knowledge had been accumulated by particular individuals beyond what constituted the common stock. The same thing has happened to knowledge that has happened to all other human possessions, -its actual holders have striven to keep it to themselves

According to a well-known law of our nature, effects suggest causes; and another law, perhaps equally general, impels us to ascribe to the actual and efficient cause the attribute of intelligence. The mind of the deepest philosopher is thus acted upon equally with that of the peasant or the savage; the only difference lies in the nature of the intelligent cause at which they respectively stop. The one pursues the chain of cause and effect, and traces out its various links till he arrives at the great intelligent cause of all, however he may designate him; the other, when unusual phenomena...

The Fairy world of Northern Europe and Germany
The term "Fairy" covers all kinds of nature spirits and Elementals all over the world. Not just the tiny sugar sweet creatures hovering around flowers. Thomas Keightley collected an impressive amount of mostly European, and nowadays often "extinct" folklorist data on these invisible realm's inhabitants, and compiled these in Fairy Mythology (1870).

In its revised edition, this massive work of over 800 pages, is republished in two volumes to meet modern reading standards. In volume 1 the origins of the...

The Fairy world of the British Isles, Ireland, Southern and Eastern Europe
The term "Fairy" covers all kinds of nature spirits and Elementals all over the world. Not just the tiny sugar sweet creatures hovering around flowers. Thomas Keightley collected an impressive amount of mostly European, and nowadays often "extinct" folklorist data on these invisible realm's inhabitants, and compiled these in Fairy Mythology (1870).

In its revised edition, this massive work of over 800 pages, is republished in two volumes to meet modern reading standards....