Pagans: The Visual Culture of Pagan Myths, Legends and Rituals by Ethan Doyle White

Published May 17, 2024

By FontsInUse

Contributed by Victor Bartis

Anıl Aykan and Sara Ozvaldic at Barnbrook provided the design for this “fascinating, clear, and detailed historical analysis of the eclectic and beautiful visual and material culture of paganism.” They used Kaftan Serif (with condensed proportions) for the title, paired on the cover with Albertus Nova for the subtitle and Apoc (with alternates) for the author’s name. The interior features a range of additional typefaces, see the image captions.

The book was published by Thames & Hudson in 2023. From the description:

Focusing on a curated selection of pagan art and artifacts, this book explains the iconography and mystic power of pagan ritual objects from around the world. Ethan Doyle White identifies three critical elements of paganism from classical antiquity to today: polytheism, affiliation with nature, and witchcraft and divination. Fundamental symbols are identified and examined closely, and central myths and allegories are clarified to provide new insights into the philosophies and beliefs of pagans.

Pagans begins with an introduction that clarifies what we mean by “pagan.” It traces the pre-Christian origins of paganism, the development of the different aspects of pagan belief over centuries, and how materials from the pre-Christian religions of Europe, North Africa, and West Asia are built into the practices of today’s Pagans.

The book is organized into three broad sections—“Ancient Ways,” “Ritual,” and “Community”—each containing three themed chapters.For each chapter, illustrated text is interspersed with double-page presentations of the key figures, stories, and iconography relevant to each theme. Readers will not only come to understand the many symbols that define pagan religions and practices but will also discover the beliefsand philosophies of pagans from around the world, from polytheism to pantheism and from magic and ritual to ideas about the afterlife.

Title page with frontispiece

Albertus Nova is used with initials from Black Mamba Venom for the section titles.

Chapter openings use all-caps Kaftan Serif with Black Mamba initials for the title, all-caps Albertus Nova and Apoc for text, and Gill Sans Light for the rotated credit lines.

Body copy and marginalia are set in SangBleu Kingdom, with Apoc Italic for captions. The drop-cap E is from Infidel, which “is based on letters from the Lindisfarne Gospels and other similar manuscripts and bibles from the middle ages.” [Barnbrook]

“Decoding” features Albertus Nova with its alternate uncial-like E.

The chapter title for “Ritual” uses Serpiente Display.

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FontsInUse

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