Lewis Spence
James Lewis Thomas Chalmers Spence was a Scottish journalist, poet, author, folklorist and occult scholar. Spence was a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, and vice-president of the Scottish Anthropological and Folklore Society. He founded the Scottish National Movement.
Early life
Spence was born in 1874 in Monifieth, Angus, Scotland. After graduating from Edinburgh University he pursued a career in journalism. He was an editor at The Scotsman 1899–1906, editor of The Edinburgh Magazine for a year, 1904–05, and then an editor at The British Weekly, 1906–09.Career
In this time Spence's interest was sparked in the myth and folklore of Mexico and Central America, resulting in his popularisation of the Mayan Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Quiché Mayans. He compiled A Dictionary of Mythology, an Encyclopedia of occultism and parapsychology and numerous additional volumes.Turning his interest closer to home, he investigated Scottish folklore. An ardent Scottish Nationalist, he unsuccessfully contested a parliamentary seat for Midlothian and Peebles Northern at a by-election in 1929. He also wrote poetry, collected in 1953.
Spence wrote about Brythonic rites and traditions in Mysteries of Celtic Britain. In this book, Spence theorized that the original Britons were descendants of a people that migrated from Northwest Africa and were probably related to the Berbers and the Basques.
Atlantis
Spence's research into the mythology and culture of the New World, together with his examination of the cultures of western Europe and north-west Africa, led him to the question of Atlantis. During the 1920s he published a series of books which sought to rescue the topic from the occultists who had more or less brought it into disrepute. These works, including The Problem of Atlantis and History of Atlantis, adopted theories inaugurated by Ignatius Donnelly and looked at the lost island as a Bronze Age civilization that formed a cultural link with the New World, which he invoked through examples he found of parallels between the early civilizations of the Old and New Worlds. Despite Spence's erudition and the width of his reading, the conclusions he reached, avoiding peer-reviewed journals, have been almost universally rejected by mainstream scholarship. His popularisations met stiff criticism in professional journals, but his continued appeal among theory hobbyists is summed up by a reviewer of The Problem of Atlantis in The Geographical Journal: "Mr. Spence is an industrious writer, and, even if he fails to convince, has done service in marshalling the evidence and has produced an entertaining volume which is well worth reading." Nevertheless, he seems to have had some influence upon the ideas of controversial author Immanuel Velikovsky, and as his books have come into the public domain, they have been successfully reprinted and some have been scanned for the Internet.Spence's 1940 book Occult Causes of the Present War is an early book in the field of Nazi occultism.
Personal life
In 1899 he married Helen Bruce.Over his long career, he published more than forty books, many of which remain in print to this day. Spence was also the founder of the Scottish National Movement which later merged to form the National Party of Scotland and which in turn merged to form the Scottish National Party.
Death
Spence died in Edinburgh in 1955 aged 80 and is buried in the north-west section of the 20th century northern extension to Dean Cemetery in western Edinburgh. His wife, Helen S. Bruce lies with him.Selected works
Ancient BritainThe Mysteries of Britain: Secret Rites and Traditions of Ancient Britain Restored, London: Senate. The Magic Arts in Celtic Britain, Dover Publications, Celtic Spells and Charms, Kessinger Publishing The History and Origins of Druidism, 1949OccultAn Encyclopaedia of Occultism: A compendium of information on the occult sciences, occult personalities, psychic science, magic, demonology, spiritism and mysticism, Dover Publications, Occult Causes of the Present War, Kessinger Publishing, Second Sight: Its History and Origins, Rider 1951
Atlantis and other lost worldsThe Problem of Atlantis, London, 1924Atlantis in America, London: Ernest Benn, 1925The History of Atlantis Adventures Unlimited Press, The Occult Sciences in Atlantis, Mokelumne Hill Press, The Atlantis of PlatoThe Evidence For Lemuria From Myth And MagicThe Problem of Lemuria: The Sunken Continent of the Pacific, London: Rider & Co., 1932
MythologyThe Popul Vuh: The Mythic and Heroic Sagas of the Kiches of Central America, London, David Nutt, 1908A Dictionary of Mythology, 1910' Longwood, The [Myths and Legends of the North American Indians|The Myths of the North American Indians], London: George G. Harrap & Co, 1914Myths and Legends of Babylonia and Assyria 1917; Kessinger Publishing,
- ca. 1920An Introduction to Mythology George G. Harrap & Co., 1921The Gods of Mexico, Fisher Unwin Ltd., 1923The Mysteries of Egypt, or, The Secret Rites and Traditions of the Nile, 1929The Magic and Mysteries of Mexico, 1932Legends and Romances of Brittany, 1917The Minor Traditions of British Mythology, 1948, London: Rider & Co, Reprinted 1972, Benjamin Blom, Inc The Outlines of Mythology, 1944British Fairy Origins: The Genesis and Development of Fairy Legends in British Tradition, London: Watts & Co., 1946Fairy Tradition in Britain, Kessinger Publishing Hero Tales and Legends of the RhineAncient Egyptian Myths and Legends, Dover, Scottish Ghosts and Goblins, 1952