Jennifer Westwood (1940–2008)
Author of The Atlas of Mysterious Places
About the Author
Image credit: Photo: Marianne Taylor
Series
Works by Jennifer Westwood
The Lore of the Land: A Guide to England's Legends, from Spring-heeled Jack to the Witches of Warboys (2005) 395 copies, 1 review
The Fabled Coast: Legends & traditions from around the shores of Britain & Ireland (2012) — Author — 78 copies
Sagen 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Chandler, Jennifer (second marriage)
Fulcher, Jennifer Beatrice (birth name) - Birthdate
- 1940-01-05
- Date of death
- 2008-05-12
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Oxford University [St. Anne's College]
University of Cambridge - Occupations
- folklorist
author
broadcaster
children's book author
language scholar - Organizations
- Folklore Society
Viking Society for Northern Research - Short biography
- Jennifer Westwood, née Fulcher, was born in Norton Subcourse, a small village on the edge of the Norfolk marshes. Her father was a bricklayer and her mother a schoolteacher. She was educated at a primary school and Sir John Leman Grammar School, both in Beccles, Suffolk, eight miles from home. She won a scholarship to Oxford University, where she studied Old and Middle English and Anglo-Saxon.
She married Trevor Westwood, a fellow student, and went to Cambridge University to study Old Norse. She travelled to Iceland and Scandinavia to conduct research for her doctoral degree. In 1968, she and her first husband divorced, and she remarried to Brian Chandler, a management consultant, with whom she had a son.
In 1968, she published her first book, Mediaeval Tales, aimed at children, based on the stories she had researched while at Cambridge. Jennifer went on to write many more books for children and adults. She was a meticulous researcher and also produced a large number of scholarly publications. Other books included
Albion: A Guide to Legendary Britain and three in the Gothic Guide series of county guidebooks, Gothick Hertfordshire, Gothick Norfolk, and Gothick Cornwall. In May 1996, Jennifer attended the pilgrimage at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, an ancient town in France; six months later she returned for the October pilgrimage, having written in the interim the book Sacred Journeys: An Illustrated Guide to Pilgrimages Around the World. An active and long-time member of The Folklore Society, Jennifer served as its publications officer, co-editor of the journal Folklore; and editor of FLS Books. In 2008, she was awarded the Coote Lake Medal from the FLS in recognition of her outstanding research and scholarship. She worked on radio programs such as " Landlines" for BBC Radio 4 and Radio Norfolk. - Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Norton Subcourse, Norfolk, England, UK
- Map Location
- England, UK
Members
Reviews
The Lore of Scotland is an encyclopedia of tales from around Scotland organised by place. Lore of Scotland is a 555 page tome filled with small print type, it is incredibly difficult to read from cover to cover. It is broken down into broad regions across Scotland and then alphabetically by location of a tale within each region. There are a dozen or so interludes going into more detail on particular phenomena like Kelpies, Nessie, or Macbeth. A vast range of references are given towards the show more end of the work but it does seem as though a very small number of sources comprise the vast majority of the information contained in this work.
As a compendium of various myths and legends it is a worthy endeavour. Cataloguing the stories into one work could have made this a useful source for future analysis. For the casual reader it is pretty much a chore. There are so many entries, so many different points listed. It is not exactly a page-turner. The format is also off-putting. The decision to catalogue by location rather than by myth type means there is a lot of repetition. A glaring example is repetition of the explanation of the word 'glamour' - not a word those with an interest in myth will need any introduction to. Despite offering explanation of something unnecessary, there is really very little context or commentary in the catalogue element of the work, it is a seemingly endless list of micro stories.
There are though some really interesting things that come out of the catalguing. One of these is the extraordinarily damaging impact of Christianity on a host culture once it has embedded itself. The imposition of the devil as the source of malicious supernatural intent is fascinting because it has often seemingly been imposed over the top of existing tales and beliefs, notably belief in faeries. Another interesting element is the drastically different types of tales from the Highlands and the Islands (both west and north) when compared to the rest of Scotland. The distinct types of myth presented here reinforce Scotland being a land of two broad groups of very different people.
The analysis of specific phenomena is interesting and is largely more engaging than the main bulk of the work. Some points like Macbeth are not exactly groundbreaking but brief discussion of the role of Picts in legend or a de-constructino of the MacCrimmon piper school myth are real examples of Scottish lore. Categorising by type with a list of places where different variations emerge would have been a much more useful way of constructing the information.
The limited sources used for so many of the tales is compounded by an apparent lack of discrimination in inclusion. Several tedious ghost stories told by minor aristocrats who wrote about their own family keep the narrative bogged down. Ghost stories do not equal lore. Lengthy retellings of fireside stories about a haunted castle cannot credibly be described as the Lore of Scotland. On the other hand tales such as the Macleod faerie flag are given a disappointingly cursory glance.
Indeed it is the absence of so much of what could really be described as lore which makes Lore of Scotland a disappointment. A lengthy and turgid read could be excused if it was really comprehensive. Where though are the stories hidden in place names or mountain legends? Where are the numerous mythological histories of the clans? Not even a mention of Somerled and the legends that sprung up around him? Pretty much nothing at all about the Earls of Orkney? Nothing about the clearances. Where is the story of Berwick and the Hanseatic League? Does Ogham script really not have any tale of its own to tell? A brief mention of Iberian origin myth is discarded without a second thought as not being worthy of discussion. It is part of Scotland's lore and the genetic data as well as ice age refuge locations make it worth noting.
On the positive side there are still plenty of fascinating points to find throughout the text like the locations of different references to Fingal, a very brief interlude into the world of the Reivers, a grizzly story or two including bodysnatching in Edinburgh. There are quite a few points of interest for the persistent to locate.
Ultimately the Lore of Scotland does not set out what it aims to achieve. It is not a guide to Scottish legends. It offers no guidance to make it worthy of the description 'guide'. There are enormous gaps in the legends compiled because of the choice of sources and the exclusion of so many others. This is not a book for the faint hearted, it is more of a source for future academic study but unfortunately the listing of too many ghost stories and nowhere near enough of what makes Scotland leads to disappointment at the end of a very long journey through this book. show less
As a compendium of various myths and legends it is a worthy endeavour. Cataloguing the stories into one work could have made this a useful source for future analysis. For the casual reader it is pretty much a chore. There are so many entries, so many different points listed. It is not exactly a page-turner. The format is also off-putting. The decision to catalogue by location rather than by myth type means there is a lot of repetition. A glaring example is repetition of the explanation of the word 'glamour' - not a word those with an interest in myth will need any introduction to. Despite offering explanation of something unnecessary, there is really very little context or commentary in the catalogue element of the work, it is a seemingly endless list of micro stories.
There are though some really interesting things that come out of the catalguing. One of these is the extraordinarily damaging impact of Christianity on a host culture once it has embedded itself. The imposition of the devil as the source of malicious supernatural intent is fascinting because it has often seemingly been imposed over the top of existing tales and beliefs, notably belief in faeries. Another interesting element is the drastically different types of tales from the Highlands and the Islands (both west and north) when compared to the rest of Scotland. The distinct types of myth presented here reinforce Scotland being a land of two broad groups of very different people.
The analysis of specific phenomena is interesting and is largely more engaging than the main bulk of the work. Some points like Macbeth are not exactly groundbreaking but brief discussion of the role of Picts in legend or a de-constructino of the MacCrimmon piper school myth are real examples of Scottish lore. Categorising by type with a list of places where different variations emerge would have been a much more useful way of constructing the information.
The limited sources used for so many of the tales is compounded by an apparent lack of discrimination in inclusion. Several tedious ghost stories told by minor aristocrats who wrote about their own family keep the narrative bogged down. Ghost stories do not equal lore. Lengthy retellings of fireside stories about a haunted castle cannot credibly be described as the Lore of Scotland. On the other hand tales such as the Macleod faerie flag are given a disappointingly cursory glance.
Indeed it is the absence of so much of what could really be described as lore which makes Lore of Scotland a disappointment. A lengthy and turgid read could be excused if it was really comprehensive. Where though are the stories hidden in place names or mountain legends? Where are the numerous mythological histories of the clans? Not even a mention of Somerled and the legends that sprung up around him? Pretty much nothing at all about the Earls of Orkney? Nothing about the clearances. Where is the story of Berwick and the Hanseatic League? Does Ogham script really not have any tale of its own to tell? A brief mention of Iberian origin myth is discarded without a second thought as not being worthy of discussion. It is part of Scotland's lore and the genetic data as well as ice age refuge locations make it worth noting.
On the positive side there are still plenty of fascinating points to find throughout the text like the locations of different references to Fingal, a very brief interlude into the world of the Reivers, a grizzly story or two including bodysnatching in Edinburgh. There are quite a few points of interest for the persistent to locate.
Ultimately the Lore of Scotland does not set out what it aims to achieve. It is not a guide to Scottish legends. It offers no guidance to make it worthy of the description 'guide'. There are enormous gaps in the legends compiled because of the choice of sources and the exclusion of so many others. This is not a book for the faint hearted, it is more of a source for future academic study but unfortunately the listing of too many ghost stories and nowhere near enough of what makes Scotland leads to disappointment at the end of a very long journey through this book. show less
The Atlas of Legendary Places consists of a series of short articles, each presenting an overview of a particular place (some of which are more "legendary" than others). Most articles are either four or six pages in length, with at least half that space devoted to photos and other illustrations. While some of the photos are breathtaking, others are uninspiring, and some are even a bit blurry (such as the largest photo of Stonehenge, which apparently was chosen more for the large rainbow show more arching over the structure than for its photographic quality). Only half the pages are printed in color; the rest are black-and-white, interspersed with some sepia spot color.
The articles themselves are interesting enough, and there is a good variety of places, ranging from mythical to historical, natural to architectural, and famous to obscure. An enjoyable book, considered for what it's meant to be -- i.e., the sort of book you pick up and browse through, reading for a few minutes at a time rather than cover-to-cover.
Contents include:
Eternal Realms: The Garden of Eden, Atlantis, Camelot, Avalon;
Timeless Landscapes: Mount Ararat, The Nile, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Mount Fuji, Cappadocia, The Ganges, Haleakala Crater, Shenandoah Valley, The Himalayas;
Sacred Wonders: Altamira, Stonehenge, The Tomb of Tutankhamun, Delphi, Gotland, Serpent Mound, Petra, Tikal, Machu Picchu, Tintern Abbey;
The Creative Vision: Shwedagon Pagoda, Haghia Sophia, The Potala, Assisi, Mont-St-Michel, The Alhambra, The Forbidden City, Elsinore, The Taj Mahal, Neuschwanstein;
Triumph of the Spirit: Oberammergau, Arkadi Monastery, The Italian Chapel, Coventry Cathedral
Also contains a brief Gazetteer (information for travelers, probably long outdated), Bibliography, & Index. show less
The articles themselves are interesting enough, and there is a good variety of places, ranging from mythical to historical, natural to architectural, and famous to obscure. An enjoyable book, considered for what it's meant to be -- i.e., the sort of book you pick up and browse through, reading for a few minutes at a time rather than cover-to-cover.
Contents include:
Eternal Realms: The Garden of Eden, Atlantis, Camelot, Avalon;
Timeless Landscapes: Mount Ararat, The Nile, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Mount Fuji, Cappadocia, The Ganges, Haleakala Crater, Shenandoah Valley, The Himalayas;
Sacred Wonders: Altamira, Stonehenge, The Tomb of Tutankhamun, Delphi, Gotland, Serpent Mound, Petra, Tikal, Machu Picchu, Tintern Abbey;
The Creative Vision: Shwedagon Pagoda, Haghia Sophia, The Potala, Assisi, Mont-St-Michel, The Alhambra, The Forbidden City, Elsinore, The Taj Mahal, Neuschwanstein;
Triumph of the Spirit: Oberammergau, Arkadi Monastery, The Italian Chapel, Coventry Cathedral
Also contains a brief Gazetteer (information for travelers, probably long outdated), Bibliography, & Index. show less
The Atlas of mysterious places : the world's unexplained sacred sites, symbolic landscapes, ancient cities, and lost lands by Jennifer Westwood
Lots of photos (colour and B&W) plus line drawings, engravings and etchings of sites around the world. More of a quick introductory guide to each than an in depth examination. Good basis for beginning to research specific sites.
Grouped into sacred sites, symbolic landscapes, ancient cities and lost lands.
Grouped into sacred sites, symbolic landscapes, ancient cities and lost lands.
Who among us is not curious about the mysterious places in the world, that challenge science and and our logical minds? This book explores many of those mysteries with wonderful photography and points to ponder~
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Statistics
- Works
- 22
- Also by
- 5
- Members
- 1,965
- Popularity
- #13,082
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 11
- ISBNs
- 88
- Languages
- 14