Wild Things Publishing - Guide (en anglais) - Magical France (500 sacred and mystical sites)

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This unique guidebook to France reveals a mythical past charted through its sacred landscape. Explore its unique spiritual connection to Mary Magdalene, black madonnas, pilgrimage routes, ancient goddesses and Celtic saints with this atlas of over 500 sacred sites.

Dive into its mysterious otherworld of water spirits, fairies, giants and dragons. Featuring original and evocative photography, maps and detailed descriptions of locations, stories and folklore. Journey into France’s hidden landscape and discover its magical past and sacred sites, from pilgrim paths and holy shrines to healing wells and fairy grottos:

Alignments and earth energies
Cathar castles and Templar chapels
Entrances to the Otherworld
Fairies, korrigans, dragons and water spirits

Also including:

Holy wells for healing, divination and wish-making
Pilgrimage centres, black Madonnas and Mary Magdalene
Places of King Arthur, Merlin and the Medieval romances
Shrines of saints and miracles
Stones of the giant Gargantua
Temples of the Goddess
The fairy Melusine’s castles

Rob Wildwood is a folklore researcher and spiritual traveller who is based in Glastonbury, England. He has spent over 10 years travelling in France documenting and photographing its sacred sites and following its ancient alignments and pilgrimage routes. He is the author of five books including Magical Britain.

A Journey Through France’s Magical History
 

**Prehistoric Beginnings**
France’s rich folklore begins with the Palaeolithic cave dwellers, whose 28,000-year-old paintings, like those in Arcy-sur-Cure, blend art with magic, perhaps to ensure hunting success.

**Megalithic Mysteries**
The Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures left behind awe-inspiring stone monuments. The Cairn de Barnenez and the Carnac alignments reflect a remarkable cultural continuity. These sites are steeped in folklore, home to korrigans and spirits, and linked to the mythical giant Gargantua.

**Celtic Influence**
Celtic tribes introduced sacred groves, guardian spirits, and deities like Taranis and Sequana. They built hillforts and opposed the Roman invasion, led by the legendary Vercingetorix.

**Roman-Gallic Fusion**
After the Roman conquest, Celtic and Roman religions merged, and sacred sites evolved into Christian churches. The Mother Goddess Anu became St Anne, while legends of Mary Magdalene brought Gnostic Christianity to Provence.

**Breton Legends and Arthurian Tales**
Celtic migrations from Britain shaped Brittany, blending Arthurian lore with local mythology. Sites like the Forest of Brocéliande became integral to the tales of King Arthur and Merlin.

**The Rise of Christianity**
With the fall of Rome, the Franks under Clovis embraced Christianity, establishing the Merovingian dynasty. Later, Charlemagne’s empire nurtured legends of knights like Roland, who wielded the magical sword Durandel.

(Source : Wild Publishing)