The Magician, the Witch, and the Law

The Magician, the Witch, and the Law PDF Author: Edward Peters
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 9780812211016
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
"Helps to place our understanding of medieval witchcraft into a broader context. . . . Sheds light on the various genres of literature in which magic was discussed."—Speculum

The Magician, the Witch, and the Law

The Magician, the Witch, and the Law PDF Author: Edward Peters
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 9780812211016
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
"Helps to place our understanding of medieval witchcraft into a broader context. . . . Sheds light on the various genres of literature in which magic was discussed."—Speculum

Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700

Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700 PDF Author: Alan Charles Kors
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 9780812217513
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 470

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Book Description
A thoroughly revised, greatly expanded edition of the most important documentary history of European witchcraft ever published.

The Cambridge History of Magic and Witchcraft in the West

The Cambridge History of Magic and Witchcraft in the West PDF Author: David J. Collins, S. J.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316239497
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1240

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Book Description
This book presents twenty chapters by experts in their fields, providing a thorough and interdisciplinary overview of the theory and practice of magic in the West. Its chronological scope extends from the Ancient Near East to twenty-first-century North America; its objects of analysis range from Persian curse tablets to US neo-paganism. For comparative purposes, the volume includes chapters on developments in the Jewish and Muslim worlds, evaluated not simply for what they contributed at various points to European notions of magic, but also as models of alternative development in ancient Mediterranean legacy. Similarly, the volume highlights the transformative and challenging encounters of Europeans with non-Europeans, regarding the practice of magic in both early modern colonization and more recent decolonization.

The Witch

The Witch PDF Author: Ronald Hutton
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300229046
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 385

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Book Description
This book sets the notorious European witch trials in the widest and deepest possible perspective and traces the major historiographical developments of witchcraft

Witch Hunts in Europe and America

Witch Hunts in Europe and America PDF Author: William E. Burns
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313093822
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 401

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Book Description
From early sorcery trials of the 14th century—associated primarily with French and Papal courts—to the witch executions of the late 18th century, this book's entries cover witch-hunting in individual countries, major witch trials from Chelmsford, England, to Salem, Massachusetts, and significant individuals from famous witches to the devout persecutors. Entries such as the evil eye, familiars, and witch-finders cover specific aspects of the witch-hunting process, while entries on writers and modern interpretations provide insight into the current thinking on early modern witch hunts. From the wicked witch of children's stories to Halloween and present-day Wiccan groups, witches and witchcraft still fascinate observers of Western culture. Witches were believed to affect climatological catastrophes, put spells on their neighbors, and cavort with the devil. In early modern Europe and the Americas, witches and witch-hunting were an integral part of everyday life, touching major events such as the Reformation and the Scientific Revolution, as well as politics, law, medicine, and culture.

Magic and the Supernatural in Medieval English Romance

Magic and the Supernatural in Medieval English Romance PDF Author: Corinne J. Saunders
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
ISBN: 1843842211
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
"This study looks at a wide range of medieval Englisih romance texts, including the works of Chaucer and Malory, from a broad cultural perspective, to show that while they employ magic in order to create exotic, escapist worlds, they are also grounded in a sense of possibility, and reflect a complex web of inherited and current ideas." --Book Jacket.

Magic: A Very Short Introduction

Magic: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: Owen Davies
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191623881
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 153

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Book Description
Defining 'magic' is a maddening task. Over the last century numerous philosophers, anthropologists, historians, and theologians have attempted to pin down its essential meaning, sometimes analysing it in such complex and abstruse depth that it all but loses its sense altogether. For this reason, many people often shy away from providing a detailed definition, assuming it is generally understood as the human control of supernatural forces. 'Magic' continues to pervade the popular imagination and idiom. People feel comfortable with its contemporary multiple meanings, unaware of the controversy, conflict, and debate its definition has caused over two and a half millennia. In common usage today 'magic' is uttered in reference to the supernatural, superstition, illusion, trickery, religious miracles, fantasies, and as a simple superlative. The literary confection known as 'magical realism' has considerable appeal and many modern scientists have ironically incorporated the word into their vocabulary, with their 'magic acid', 'magic bullets' and 'magic angles'. Since the so-called European Enlightenment magic has often been seen as a marker of primitivism, of a benighted earlier stage of human development. Yet across the modern globalized world hundreds of millions continue to resort to magic - and also to fear it. Magic provides explanations and remedies for those living in extreme poverty and without access to alternatives. In the industrial West, with its state welfare systems, religious fundamentalists decry the continued moral threat posed by magic. Under the guise of neo-Paganism, its practice has become a religion in itself. Magic continues to be a truly global issue. This Very Short Introduction does not attempt to provide a concluding definition of magic: it is beyond simple definition. Instead it explores the many ways in which magic, as an idea and a practice, has been understood and employed over the millennia. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Volume 3

Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Volume 3 PDF Author: Karen Louise Jolly
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 9780812217865
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
Covers the rise of "white magic" & Christian persecution of sorcery.

Europe and the Middle Ages

Europe and the Middle Ages PDF Author: Edward Peters
Publisher: Prentice Hall
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 500

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Book Description
For one/two-semester undergraduate courses in Medieval History. This comprehensive, well-balanced historical survey of Medieval Europe--from Roman imperial provinces to the Renaissance--covers all aspects of the history (political, literary, religious, intellectual, etc.) with a focus on social and political themes. It presents a complete picture of the complex process by which an ecumenical civilization that once ringed the basin of the Mediterranean Sea, evolved into three other distinctive civilizations--Latin Europe, Greek Eastern Europe and Asia Minor, and Islam. This text differs from others on the subject in that it attempts to abolish traditional clichés regarding the Middle Ages and promotes critical thinking about our own time and society.

European Magic and Witchcraft

European Magic and Witchcraft PDF Author: Martha Rampton
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 1442634200
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 481

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Book Description
Magic, witches, and demons have drawn interest and fear throughout human history. In this comprehensive primary source reader, Martha Rampton traces the history of our fascination with magic and witchcraft from the first through to the seventeenth century. In over 80 readings presented chronologically, Rampton demonstrates how understandings of and reactions toward magic changed and developed over time, and how these ideas were influenced by various factors such as religion, science, and law. The wide-ranging texts emphasize social history and include early Merovingian law codes, the Picatrix, Lombard's Sentences, The Golden Legend, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. By presenting a full spectrum of source types including hagiography, law codes, literature, and handbooks, this collection provides readers with a broad view of how magic was understood through the medieval and early modern eras. Rampton's introduction to the volume is a passionate appeal to students to use tolerance, imagination, and empathy when travelling back in time. The introductions to individual readings are deliberately minimal, providing just enough context so that students can hear medieval voices for themselves.