Sacred Wells: A Study in the History, Meaning, and Mythology of Holy Wells and Waters

by Gary R. Varner

Sacred Wells is an in depth study of springs, wells and waters that have been venerated from California to Cornwall, Russia to Australia. Tales of faeries, black hounds, hauntings and miraculous cures are explored. Many of these sites are still locations for religious festivals and ritual, unchanging for hundreds of years. The book is illustrated with photos taken by the author.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 22, 2002

Reviews

[Allyson Shaw]

An immense amount of research went into this thin little book, but it's a confusing jumble of ideas, chronology, geography and cultural studies. Despite my fascination with this subject, I regularly fell asleep reading this.

[Nicholas Holt]

No, he does not!

Gary Varner provides a collection of holy wells and their associated myths and rituals from across the globe. His addition to holy wells literature emphasizes the deep connections that formed between the natural environment and Catholic sacred space.

[Claire Bracegirdle]

Lots of interesting detail, but hard to follow.