Traditional healing with animals (zootherapy): medieval to present-day Levantine practice
Since ancient times animals and products derived from different organs of their bodies have constituted part of the inventory of medicinal substances used in various cultures; such uses still exist in ethnic folk medicine.
Remnants of Revenants: The Role of the Dreaded Draugr in Medieval Iceland
The term ‘revenant’ is a French term for ghost, derived from the verb revenir, ‘to return.’ The Icelandic term is more specific to the returning and violently unhappy dead: the feared draugr.
Miracle or Magic? The Problematic Status of Christian Amulet
The Church Fathers and intellectuals made the distinction between the miracle of the relics and sacred words of the Bible, verba sacra….
The Manuscript Context of the Middle Dutch Fabliaux
Busby’s conclusion with regard to Old French fabliaux might just as well apply to Middle Dutch tales: “Reading fabliaux in their manuscript context reveals an important aspect of their significance for early readers or listeners which would otherwise remain concealed.”
Christmas traditions and performance rituals: a look at Christmas celebrations in a Nordic context
This article grew out of a project with our drama students at Bergen University College, Norway, in December 2002. I wanted to introduce the students to pre-Christian roots of Yule, and to give them an historical introduction to extant dramatic/ritual Christmas customs in our country.
Medieval Christmas Celebrations
Richard and Anne’s first Christmas as king and queen in 1483 was happy, even though they were in London and their only son Edward had to remain at Middleham, too sickly to travel.
Christmas: Its Origin and Associations: Together with Its Historical Events and Festive Celebrations During Nineteen Centuries
Henceforth, I became a snapper-up of everything relating to Christmastide, utilised every opportunity of searching libraries, bookstalls, and catalogues of books in different parts of the country…
“To all grave and modest matrons”: Practical Midwifery and Chirurgery in De conceptu et generatione hominis (1580)
If previous manuscripts offered helpful remedies to soothe women’s suffering, these new works studied reproduction for theoretical gain, not practical application.
Practical Texts in Difficult Situations: Bulgarian Medieval Charms as Apocrypha and Fachliteratur
The apocrypha are one of the most important phenomena of the Middle Ages. They provide a different perspective and a valuable insight to the mentality of the period.
‘It’s a Magical World’: The Page in Comics and Medieval Manuscripts
In this essay I examine the location in the material world that calls forth that cognitive frontier: the page.
Elfland Revisited: A Comparative Study of Late Twentieth Century Adaptations of Two Traditional Ballads
Elfland Revisited: A Comparative Study of Late Twentieth Century Adaptations of Two Traditional Ballads Giebert, Stefanie PhD Dissertation, Philosophy, University of Trier, (2009) Abstract Once upon a…
The Role of Women as Portrayed in the Malleus Maleficarum
To help them identify the followers of Lucifer, Heinrich Kramer wrote the ‘Malleus Maleficarum,’ and it was ‘written to give teeth to the papal bull by Pope Innocent VIII.’ Where did he get his ideas for witchcraft? From what sources did he draw?
Ships, Fogs, and Traveling Pairs: Plague Legend Migration in Scandinavia
Ships, Fogs, and Traveling Pairs: Plague Legend Migration in Scandinavia By Timothy R. Tangherlini Journal of American Folklore, Vol.101 (1988) Abstract: This article…
PETERBOROUGH MONASTERY AND ITS CHRONICLE: ANNALISTIC HISTORY AS AN EXPRESSION OF INDEPENDENT IDENTITY
PETERBOROUGH MONASTERY AND ITS CHRONICLE: ANNALISTIC HISTORY AS AN EXPRESSION OF INDEPENDENT IDENTITY Hall, J. Megan M.A. Thesis, The University of Georgia, December…
Vampire or Megalomaniac Serial Killer?: The Bloody Countess Elizabeth Bathory
The legend of the Countess Erzsébeth Bathory presents a unique case in which the fictional elements of vampire and witch folklore combine with true historical facts to create the quasi-mythical figure of the Bloody Countess.
Man and nature in the Middle Ages
Man and nature in the Middle Ages By Christian Rohr Lecture given at Novosibirsk State University (2002) Introduction: If we try to define…
The Werewolf in Medieval Icelandic Literature
In northern regions much prominence is given to two kinds of shape-shifting: the ability to change into either a bear or a wolf, although the latter seems to have been more popular.
Uses of Wodan: The development of his cult and of medieval literary responses to it
Scholars working on Germanic pre-christian religion have generally considered Wodan to have been a deity of considerable importance to most if not all Germanic tribes.
Supernatural Abductions in Japanese Folklore
Supernatural Abductions in Japanese Folklore By Carmen Blacker Asian Folklore Studies, Vol. 26:2 (1967) Introduction: The belief that children may in an unguarded…
The Symbolic Nature of Gold in Magical and Religious Contexts
The Symbolic Nature of Gold in Magical and Religious Contexts By Charlotte Behr Paper given at the Staffordshire Hoard Symposium, held at the…
A New Vision of Death: Re-Evaluating Huizinga’s Views on the Late Medieval Macabre
The 31st Annual Canadian Conference of Medieval Art Historians A New Vision of Death: Re-Evaluating Huizinga’s Views on the Late Medieval Macabre Kralik,…
Leprechauns, mermaids, were the descendants of Cain, according to medieval Irish text
A medieval scholar has uncovered an Irish account of the murder of Abel by Cain that explains how the descendants of Cain were…
A Knightly Sword with Presentation Inscriptions
A Knightly Sword with Presentation Inscriptions NICKEL, HELMUT (Curator of Arms and Armor, The Metropolitan Museum of Art) Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 2 (1969)…
Monastic Medicine: A Unique Dualism Between Natural Science and Spiritual Healing
One of the most important medical developments of this time was the introduction of medieval monastic hospitals, which arose as a source of medical care in the early Middle Ages.
THE CHANGING MEANING OF ‘THUNDERBOLTS
THE CHANGING MEANING OF ‘THUNDERBOLTS Johanson, Kristiina Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore, Issue no.42 (2009) Abstract The article concentrates on the widespread belief in…