Animals in pre-modern European understandings signified potent natural magics. Long traditions of reading passions across species barriers – from the choleric nature of the wolf to the melancholy of the cat –made proverbs and parables out of the actions and interactions of the various beasts of the field. The animals had lessons to teach us.

These lessons were heeded in various ways by the traditional folk magics of the various wise-women, village wizards, service magicians, and local spiritworkers collectively called cunning-folk: from reading meanings from these animals’ appearances in waking and dreaming life to the cunning uses of their bodies, and even the conjuration of spirits in their forms.

In this class, contemporary cunning man and historian of magic Dr Alexander Cummins will consider how animals appear and interact in the traditional English folk magics of cunning-craft. Along with close readings of the professional working-books and spell-collections of early modern…