Sarah,

>   I've recently been writing a short article about
> the Cornish bowsenning technique for curing medieval
> madness

What is the "bowsenning technique" ?  Thanks for all
your references -- but I can't stand the suspense!

Many thanks,

Nancy Rieser

\--- Paul Burkitt <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Sarah,
>
> thank you for that- it takes me in a curvy
> direction, but I'll have a look- truly, thanks for
> the interest. Paul.
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Sarah Head
>   To: [log in to unmask]
>   Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2005 10:04 PM
>   Subject: Re: Dissertation
>
>
>   Hi Paul
>
>   I've recently been writing a short article about
> the Cornish bowsenning technique for curing medieval
> madness. These were my sources. You might want to
> have a look at them for an understanding of the
> healing power of some water.
>
>   CAREW, "Survey of Cornwall," p. 139 quoted in
> http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/prwe/prwe150.htm
>
>   Faull, T Holy wells in Tarka Country
>
http://www.holywells.com/html/opposition_to_holy_wells.html
>
>   Hope, RC, The Legendary lore of the Holy Wells of
> England 1893
>
http://www.antipope.org/feorag/wells/hope/contents.html
>
>   Pennick, N "Celtic Saints: An Illustrated and
> Authoritative Guide to these Extraordinary Men and
> Women New York 1997 p184
>
>   Quoted in Persoon, J "Ethiopian Monasticism and
> the Visit of the Holy Family to Ethiopia" in Kirche
> und Schule in Aethiopien , Heft 56, November 2003
>
>   Quiller-Couch, M & L Ancient and Holy Wells of
> Cornwall - 1894 reprinted 1994 Tamara Publications,
> Liskeard, Cornwall: ISBN 9-780951-282250
>
>   Rowan, BUTTONS, BRAS AND PINS (The Folklore of
> British Holy Wells)
> http://www.whitedragon.org.uk/articles/holywell.htm
>
>   Straffon, C Fentynyow Kernow : In Search of
> Cornwall's holy Wells
>
>   I've not yet visited any Irish sacred wells, but
> I'm fairly familiar with ones in Cornwall and a few
> others. You may want to look at Druid practices and
> how Celtic Christianity incorporated a lot of their
> principles, e.g. circle casting.
>
>   Just some thoughts.
>
>   Best wishes
>
>   Sarah
>
>
>   [Sarah Head]
>
>    -----Original Message-----
>   From: WATER TALK - the email discussion list for
> springs and spas enthusiasts
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
> Paul Burkitt
>   Sent: 09 January 2005 08:22
>   To: [log in to unmask]
>   Subject: Re: Dissertation
>
>
>
>     Thanks for that- yes, that's the book which is
> central-I need though to make it more 'academic' and
> put it it context with any historical and
> archaeological material- ask more questions and
> develop their ideas. Thanks again. Paul
>       ----- Original Message -----
>       From: Mary LaBarge
>       To: [log in to unmask]
>       Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2005 1:32 AM
>       Subject: Re: Dissertation
>
>
>       Dear Paul:
>
>       An interesting book you may want to take a
> look at is the following:
>
>       Brenneman, Walter and Mary Brenneman.
> Crossing the Circle at the Holy Wells of Ireland.
> Charlottesville, Virginia:  University Press of
> Virginia, 1995.
>
>       These folks look at the wells from a sort of
> folkloric perspective.  Although their book is a bit
> academic, I enjoy rereading it now and then.  They
> try to analyze individual wells along the lines of
> broad patterns of "Cosmic Symbolism" - I won't
> define that, but leave it to you.  For example they
> look at fertility symbols, the goddess figure, the
> tree motif, etc.
>
>       Hope this helps a tiny bit.
>
>       Mary LaBarge
>
>
>
>       >From: Paul Burkitt
> <[log in to unmask]>
>       >Reply-To: WATER TALK - the email discussion
> list for springs and spas              enthusiasts
> <[log in to unmask]>
>       >To: [log in to unmask]
>       >Subject: Re: Dissertation
>       >Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2005 10:54:36 -0000
>       >
>       >Gill,
>       >Many thanks for that- it's a broad area, and
> I may well have to focus- I've some archeology- but
> also Jungian psychology-so the whole area of
> archetypal landscapes fascinates as well- the shrine
> to monument process and how the shrine is somehow
> depotentiated when 'converted'. Also the transition
> of goddesses into saints-relates to the sagas. I
> just have a vision of the hero saint singing his/her
> litany whilst circling the well!
>       >Thanks again- I could try Bangor. No doubt
> there are other aspects we can share-my time is very
> limited though with all this as I work as Parish
> Priest at the centre of Hull and part-time as a
> staff nurse on the Acute Assessment Unit! Sorry to
> hear of your husband. Paul
>       >   ----- Original Message -----
>       >   From: Gill Rice
>       >   To: [log in to unmask]
>       >   Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2005 12:03 PM
>       >   Subject: Re: Dissertation
>       >
>       >
>       >   Hello Paul
>       >
>       >   A difficult subject. Do you have a
> background in archaeology?
>       >
>       >   I was looking at the role of water in
> prehistory ie Neolithic/Bronze Age in ' so called
> Celtic areas' as a part of my PhD on
> Neolithic/Bronze Ages of North Wales/ Ireland. I had
> to suspend study as my husband died recently
>       >
>       >   Alot of things that are written have no
> backup through archaelogy and are pure speculation
>       >   Scandinavian mythology and lore has lots
> of useful parallels. I have a book which might help
> but would have to find it and get back to you
>       >
>       >   It's a definition as to what constitutes a
> well rather than watery place in the early period as
> wells as such tend to be later
>       >   For example there are so called 'ritual
> lakes' near Newgrange in Co Meath which were places
> for deposit of 'ritual' ojects in the Irish
> Neolithic
>       >   It's such a big subject and well (scuse
> the pun) worth looking at early lore and epic tales
> which may have pre- Christian roots.
>       >
>       >   I do know that an undergraduate at Bangor
> University was doing similar for her dissertation -
> she will have finished now
>       >
>       >   You could contact the Dept of
> History/Archaeology to find out if she completed the
> work
>       >
>       >   If you send a bit more on your subject I
> might be able to help
>       >
>       >   Regards Gill Smith N Wales
>       >     ----- Original Message -----
>       >     From: Paul Burkitt
>       >     To: [log in to unmask]
>       >     Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2005 9:24 AM
>
>       >     Subject: Dissertation
>       >
>       >
>       >     Just to say I'm new to the list- I'm
> just beginning the dissertation phase of an MA in
> 'Celtic Christianity' (Lampeter). I hope to explore
> how the holy wells, along with the early litanies of
> Ireland, were 'tools' in the transfer of faith. It's
> about the subtle move from the loric to the
> universal- the process of assimilation and maybe how
> the 'good pagan' was redeemable!
>       >     Is there anyone who knows anything about
> this
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