The Material Culture of Magic
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Research Group on Manuscript Evidence; Societas Magica
Organizer Name
László Sándor Chardonnens
Organizer Affiliation
Radboud Univ. Nijmegen
Presider Name
David Porreca
Presider Affiliation
Univ. of Waterloo
Paper Title 1
Arma Christi Roll or Textual Amulet?: The Manuscript Evidence
Presenter 1 Name
Mary Agnes Edsall
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Institute for Research in the Humanities, Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison
Paper Title 2
Down to Earth: The Archaeology of Medieval Magic
Presenter 2 Name
Mirko Gutjahr
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte
Paper Title 3
Inscribed in Lead and Concealed in Stone: The History of a Hitherto Unknown Late Medieval Sigillum Dei
Presenter 3 Name
László Sándor Chardonnens
Start Date
12-5-2013 10:30 AM
Session Location
Bernhard 213
Description
The description and conceptual visualisation of magical artefacts is well-known from medieval written sources, which sometimes dwell on procedures to make and use magical objects at length. Depending on their nature, magical artefacts themselves survive in varying numbers. Protective amulets and verbal charms made, for instance, from parchment, wax, or lead, survive in conspicuously larger numbers than objects of theurgic magic, such as the Sigillum Dei, even though the production of both groups of objects is described in detail in medieval manuals of magic. This session, co-sponsored by the Societas Magica and the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence, focuses on the information which magical artefacts provide about magical practices, in addition to what the written sources tell about the construction and use of these artefacts.
Mildred Budny
The Material Culture of Magic
Bernhard 213
The description and conceptual visualisation of magical artefacts is well-known from medieval written sources, which sometimes dwell on procedures to make and use magical objects at length. Depending on their nature, magical artefacts themselves survive in varying numbers. Protective amulets and verbal charms made, for instance, from parchment, wax, or lead, survive in conspicuously larger numbers than objects of theurgic magic, such as the Sigillum Dei, even though the production of both groups of objects is described in detail in medieval manuals of magic. This session, co-sponsored by the Societas Magica and the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence, focuses on the information which magical artefacts provide about magical practices, in addition to what the written sources tell about the construction and use of these artefacts.
Mildred Budny