The two primary deities of The Nameless Tradition are the Grey Lord of the Flint and the Lady of the Chalk – embodiments of the chief numen of the county. These are accompanied by a pantheon of saints, fey folk, historical figures, mythological beings, flora and fauna. The ritual year is tied to the seasonal agrarian cycles; its tides and its practices are thoroughly documented, with a bias towards plant-lore, as one would expect from a practicing herbalist. There are also comprehensive chapters on magical tools and operative magic, all accompanied by personal anecdotes and interesting asides.
It’s almost become a cliche to think of English witchcraft only in terms of west-country traditions. In fact, these Holy Islands are entirely steeped in otherwordly mists. Yet it is true to say that its extremities are especially numinous; both east and west give a sense of withdrawal, of leaning away from the centre. The two traditions have their differences: the east sees the sun first; its topography is relatively flat; farming is agrarian; the heritage is Norse and Anglo-Saxon. The west sees the sun last, is largely hilly and pastoral with a Celtic heritage. Yet as Val makes clear, the two are linked – by telluric and magickal currents, and by the exchange of ideas. Most importantly, both are living traditions that continue to evolve in tandem.
In Val’s paen to Norfolk we have the completion of an East Anglian triad, including Nigel Pennick’s ‘Secrets of East Anglian Magic’ representing Cambridgeshire and Nigel G. Pearson’s ‘The Devil’s Plantation’ for Suffolk. These three books embody the traditions of the three counties of the old kingdom, the three crowns of East Anglia. Anyone with a serious interest in East Anglian magick would do well to include them in their library.