Travels to the Otherworld
and other Fantastic Realms
Medieval Journeys into the Beyond
Claude & Corinne Lecouteux
Published by Inner Traditions, 2020
Heading off to discover unknown lands was
always a risky undertaking during the Middle
Ages due to the countless dangers lying in wait for
the traveler - if we can believe what the written
accounts tell us. In the medieval age of intercontinental
exploration, tales of sea monsters, strange
hybrid beasts, trickster faeries, accidental trips to
the afterlife, and peoples as fantastic and dangerous
as the lands they inhabited abounded.
In this curated collection of medieval travelers'
tales, editors Claude and Corinne Lecouteux
explain how the Middle Ages were a melting pot
of narrative traditions from the four corners of
the then-known world. Tales from this period
often drew on geographies, encyclopedias, travel
accounts, bestiaries, and herbals for material to
capture the imagination of their audiences, who
were fascinated by the wonders being discovered
by explorers of the time.
Accompanied by rare illustrations from incunabula
and medieval manuscripts, the stories in
this collection include voyages into the afterlife,
with guided tours of Hell and glimpses of Heaven,
as well as journeys into other fantastic realms,
such as the pagan land of the Faery. It also includes
accounts from travelers such as Alexander the
Great of alarming creatures of unparalleled
strangeness, encounters with doppelgangers
and angels, legends of heroes, and tales of chivalric
romantic misadventures, with protagonists
swept to exotic new places by fate or by quest.
In each story, the marvelous is omnipresent, and
each portrays the reactions of the protagonist
when faced with the unknown.
Offering an introduction to the medieval imaginings
of a wondrous universe, these tales reflect
the dreams and beliefs of the Middle Ages' era
of discovery and allow readers to survey mythic
geography, meet people from the far ends of the
earth, and experience the supernatural.
Claude Lecouteux is a former professor of
medieval literature and civilization at
the Sorbonne. He is the author of numerous
books on medieval and pagan afterlife beliefs
and magic, including The Book of Grimoires,
Dictionary of Ancient Magic Words and Spells,
and The Tradition of Household Spirits.
He lives in Paris.
Corinne Lecouteux is a scholar of linguistic
studies and Master of German at the Sorbonne.
She is also a translator of popular German tales.
She lives in Paris.
(The text above comes from the back of the book)