The Book of Forgotten Witches
Balazs Tatrai
Illustrated by Lilla Bolecz
Dark and Twisted Folklore From Around the World
Published by Watkins Media Ltd 2024
Tatrai binds her journey through time and space with the magical thread of the tarot. From The Fool to the tenth card of The Wheel of Fortune, Tatrai links her chapters from Curse Bringers to Fate Turners with the beginning of the Fool’s Journey.
This is, indeed, dark and twisted folklore. Some of the characters are familiar to us. Morgan le Fay, Hecate and Ceridwen are well known witches in the European tradition.
Add to them witches and demons from around the world and we have an incredible tale of beings who can shape shift, tell fortunes, cause the death of a baby in the womb or lure men into the woods.
Tatrai also includes characters like Alison Gross (immortalized in a folk song) and Agnes Waterhouse who really was hanged for witchcraft.
Lilla Bolecz’s visionary illustrations bring each witch to life.
This really is a book for those of us who identify with the Crone and with she who is not named, the dark time of the moon.
Tatrai gives us much to think about as we consider the nature of good and evil, the balance between dark and light.
This really is a book which needed to be written.
Review by Fiona Dowson. Fiona’s tarot videos can be found on her YouTube channel Fiona Dowson4550