Medievalists.net » Magic

Curse or Blessing: What’s in the Magic Bowl?

Medievalists.net — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 22:00:04 +0000

I intend to look at magic bowls in order to see how and for what purpose they were used, and to get a glimpse at the way they worked and what hidden treasures can be found within them.

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BOOK REVIEW: The Tapestry by Nancy Bilyeau

Medievalists.net — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 22:32:02 +0000

Joanna Stafford, our intrepid ex-Dominican super sleuth is at it again. This time, she’s hurled straight into the midst of plotting and deception at Henry VIII’s court.

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Magic in Anglo-Saxon England

Medievalists.net — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 04:30:25 +0000

Magic was a regular part of daily life in pre-Christian Europe, as it was and still is in many other parts of the world. In this context, the term 'magic' is distinct from its modern usage which is better described as optical illusion.

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Courtly Magic in the Middle Ages

Medievalists.net — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 02:10:00 +0000

The possibility of the everyday use of magic by courtiers is emphasized by the employment of magic advisors and, very frequently, astrologists. The medieval court was a place for the elite, and thus the educated sector of society at this time.

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Mystery, Secrets and Magic

Medievalists.net — Tue, 12 May 2015 16:21:48 +0000

When I decided to put pen to paper for a Tudor historical fiction story, I had no idea what I wanted to write. The subject has been analyzed and romanticized for five hundred years. What could I do that would be an original slant on this iconic subject matter? After having a look around I noticed that no one appears to have the exact moment of her execution. From there, the story began to slowly develop and present itself to me.

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Trolls in the Middle Ages

Medievalists.net — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 21:03:26 +0000

Where did trolls come from? What did medieval and early modern people think of trolls? How did the concept of the modern day troll evolve?

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Medieval Black Magic

Medievalists.net — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 18:45:51 +0000

Sins of evil black magic, as listed by the medieval theologian Burchard of Worms in the 11th century.

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Magic in the Cloister

Medievalists.net — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 00:32:42 +0000

St. Augustine’s Abbey can be viewed as a centre of magical studies in the late Middle Ages because of the large and diverse collection of magic texts present in the library, the number of monks interested in unorthodox studies and the ways in which magic was integrated within the monastic context

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Christian Ritual Magic in the Middle Ages

Medievalists.net — Sat, 15 Nov 2014 06:05:34 +0000

This article gives a brief introduction to the area of medieval ritual magic, outlining the main kinds of texts likely to be understood as belonging to the category – image magic, necromancy, and theurgy or angel magic.

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Crafting the witch: Gendering magic in medieval and early modern England

Medievalists.net — Sun, 02 Nov 2014 19:01:47 +0000

This project documents and analyzes the gendered transformation of magical figures occurring in Arthurian romance in England from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries.

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