Fever, sun, and blood
Sermons, amulets, and incantations as sources for magical practices in Medieval Europe
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11991892 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Clara Dalsgaard (Stockholm University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 421-444 |
| Publication date | 2024-05-03 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Scandinavian Journal of History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0346-8755 • E-ISSN: 1502-7716 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03468755.2024.2345406 |
| OpenAlex | W4396610805 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 26 |
This paper presents a novel method to access lived religion and magical practices of a Medieval congregation via sermons combined with material culture. Previously, scholars have dismissed sermons as having low 'truth value' due to the copying inherent in the genre. In this paper, I first examine how one Danish sermon was adapted from a German model to fit a local context. This adaptation reveals specific local practices that the preacher thought were relevant to his congregation. Secondly, I demonstrate how several practices described in the sermons are mirrored in surviving non-normative material evidence such as amulets and incantations in manuscripts. This interdisciplinary combination of sermon studies, magic studies, archaeology, and medieval studies yields an as-yet-untapped source group. The paper concludes that 1) sermons can indeed be used as sources for magical practices and lived religion, and 2) they can be used as sources for practices that did not leave material evidence. Finally, discussions of the importance of material evidence in sermon studies and how magical practices were both locally anchored and part of an international network are broached
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Incantation · Literature · Middle Ages · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · History · Medieval Literature and History · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices
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Agents of Witchcraft in Early Modern Italy and Denmark
Witchcraft and Magic in the Nordic Middle Ages
The Ways that Never Parted
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Charms and Prayers in Medieval Medical Theory and Practice
Danger, Stupidity, and Infidelity’
Sacred Heritage
| Highly cited | No |
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