"e;The North"e; is simultaneously a location, a direction and a mystical concept. Although this concept has ancient roots in mythology, folklore and fairy tales, it continues to resonate today within modern culture. McIntosh leads readers, chapter by chapter, through the magical and spiritual history of the North, as well as its modern manifestations, as documented through physical records, such as rune stones and megaliths and, also, through mythology and lore. This mythic conception of a unique, powerful and mysterious Northern civilisation was known to the Greeks as "e;Hyberborea"e; - the "e;Land Beyond the North Wind"e; - which they considered to be the true origin place of their god, Apollo, bringer of civilisation. Through the Greeks, this concept of the mythic North would spread throughout Western civilisation. In addition, McIntosh discusses Russian Hyperboreanism, which he describes as among "e;the most influential of the new religions and quasi-religious movements that have sprung up in Russia since the fall of Communism"e; and which is currently almost unknown in the West.