The History & Use of Amulets, Charms and Talismans

The History & Use of Amulets, Charms and Talismans

Author: Gary R. Varner

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2008-01-27

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 1435719883

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Amulets and charms have been used since mankind evolved from its distant origins millions of years ago. They have been used to protect and to harm, and in both the practice and avoidance of witchcraft and sorcery. They are made of wood and stone, clay, metal, plants and dead animals. They are carved into crude shapes and in the most exquisite forms. They may also be composed entirely of words, which are believed to have great power and magical properties. Used by pagans, Christians, Jews and followers of every faith and tradition known across the world, they are considered direct links to the gods and local spirits. All are links to the supernatural. Regardless if they are called amulets, charms or talismans, these objects are credited with providing cures, causing evil, and bringing health and prosperity. This book, using ethnographic studies, ancient records and folklore, will explore the history and use of amulets and will show that they continue to be an important part of our modern culture.


Sheela-na-gigs

Sheela-na-gigs

Author: Barbara Freitag

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2005-08-15

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 1134282494

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A study of the mysterious stone carvings of naked females exposing their genitals on medieval churches all over the British Isles.


Islamicate Occult Sciences in Theory and Practice

Islamicate Occult Sciences in Theory and Practice

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2020-11-16

Total Pages: 721

ISBN-13: 9004426973

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Islamicate Occult Sciences in Theory and Practice brings together the latest research on Islamic occult sciences from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, namely intellectual history, manuscript studies and material culture. Its aim is not only to showcase the range of pioneering work that is currently being done in these areas, but also to provide a model for closer interaction amongst the disciplines constituting this burgeoning field of study. Furthermore, the book provides the rare opportunity to bridge the gap on an institutional level by bringing the academic and curatorial spheres into dialogue. Contributors include: Charles Burnett, Jean-Charles Coulon, Maryam Ekhtiar, Noah Gardiner, Christiane Gruber, Bink Hallum, Francesca Leoni, Matthew Melvin-Koushki, Michael Noble, Rachel Parikh, Liana Saif, Maria Subtelny, Farouk Yahya, and Travis Zadeh.


Charms and Charming

Charms and Charming

Author: Svetlana Adonyeva, Saša Babič, Valer Simion Cosma, Maria Eliferova, Liudmila Fadeyeva, Henni Ilomäki, Toms Ķencis, Olga Khristoforova, Louise S. Milne, Davor Nikolić, Éva Pócs, Evelina Rudan, Alevtina Solovyeva, Eszter Spät, Josipa Tomašić, Inna Veselova, Vilmos Voigt, Deniver Vukelić, Zsuzsa Závoti

Publisher: Založba ZRC

Published: 2019-09-01

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 9610502156

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In the book are presented studies of 18 renowned researchers focussing on the verbal aspects of everyday magic, placing in the centre the richest and most poetic manifestation of verbal magic – the charm or incantatio. Incantations are in Europe well spread folklore genre, which contain very old magical elemrnts. The book covers wide spectrum of regions, from United Kingdom to Russia and Iran, and includes also Slovenia. The researchers have devoted their attention to phenomenological and theoretical studies of incantatio, and have discussed various topics, from the origin of charms and ancient European magical practices, to the receptions and diffusions of different types of charms. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Knjiga ('Zagovori in zagovarjanje: Študije o magičnem v vsakdanjem življenju') je skupno delo osemnajstih uglednih evropskih raziskovalcev verbalne magije in zdravljenja z zagovori. Prispevki so posvečeni fenomenološkim in teoretskim raziskavam zagovarjanja, pri čemer avtorji uporabljajo številne metodološke pristope in obravnavajo zelo različne teme, od vprašanj izvora ustnega izročila do recepcije in razširjenosti zagovarjanja. Osrednja tema raziskav je zagovarjanje, ki je najbolj poetična oblika besedne magije. Zagovori so v Evropi še vedno razširjen žanr in vsebujejo zelo stare elemente magije. Poleg pestrega metodološkega spektra zaobjemajo študije tudi široko geografsko območje: od Anglije do Rusije in Irana, vključujejo tudi Slovenijo.


The Slavic Religion in the Light of 11th- and 12th-Century German Chronicles (Thietmar of Merseburg, Adam of Bremen, Helmold of Bosau)

The Slavic Religion in the Light of 11th- and 12th-Century German Chronicles (Thietmar of Merseburg, Adam of Bremen, Helmold of Bosau)

Author: Stanisław Rosik

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2020-03-23

Total Pages: 451

ISBN-13: 9004331484

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In this volume, Stanisław Rosik focuses on the meaning and significance of Old Slavic religion as presented in three German chronicles (the works of Thietmar of Merseburg, Adam of Bremen, Helmold of Bosau) written during the time of the Christianization of the Western Slavs. The source analyses show the ways the chroniclers understood, explained and represented pre-Christian beliefs and cults, which were interpreted as elements of a foreign, “barbarian”, culture and were evaluated from the perspective of Church doctrine. In this study, individual features of the three authors are discussed– including the issue of the credibility of their information on Old Slavic religion– and broader conclusions on medieval thought are also presented.


Tattooed Mountain Women and Spoon Boxes of Daghestan

Tattooed Mountain Women and Spoon Boxes of Daghestan

Author: Robert Chenciner

Publisher:

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13:

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Beneath the rural Islamic society in ancient villages perched among the Great Causasus Mountains, animist tattoos on women and decorations on ritual spoon boxes share symbols that are believed to protect the heart and the family. Three experts have recorded this system of folk medicine.


Charms, Charmers and Charming

Charms, Charmers and Charming

Author: J. Roper

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2008-11-19

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0230583539

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Bringing together many of today's key scholars of verbal charming, these essays cover vernacular magical texts and practice from Malaysia to Madagascar, and from England to Estonia. As the most comprehensive collection of research on charms, charmers and charming available in the English language, it forms an essential reader on the topic.


The Materiality of Magic

The Materiality of Magic

Author: Dietrich Boschung

Publisher: Brill Fink

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 9783770557257

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In the last two decades we have had many books and proceedings of conferences on the history, formulas and incantations of magic in antiquity, both in East and West, but this is the first book of its kind that focuses on the material aspects of magic, such as gems, rings, drawings, grimoires, amulets and figurines. In recent years scholars have focused not only on the discourse and practices of magic in antiquity, but also on its practitioners, literary stereotypes and historical shifts. Much less attention, however, has been paid to the material that was used by the magicians for their curses and incantations. Yet there is no magic without materiality. The practice of magic required a specialist expertise that knew how to handle material such as lead, gold, stones, papyrus, figurines or voodoo dolls. That is why we present new insights on the materiality of magic by studying both the materials used for magic as well as the books in which the expertise was preserved.--Publisher.


Mythic Discourses

Mythic Discourses

Author: Frog

Publisher: BoD - Books on Demand

Published: 2018-03-05

Total Pages: 490

ISBN-13: 952222376X

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Mythic discourses in the present day show how vernacular heritage continues to function and be valuable through emergent interpretations and revaluations. At the same time, continuities in mythic images, motifs, myths and genres reveal the longue durée of mythologies and their transformations. The eighteen articles of Mythic Discourses address the many facets of myth in Uralic cultures, from the Finnish and Karelian world-creation to Nenets shamans, offering multidisciplinary perspectives from twenty eastern and western scholars. The mythologies of Uralic peoples differ so considerably that mythology is approached here in a broad sense, including myths proper, religious beliefs and associated rituals. Traditions are addressed individually, typologically, and in historical perspective. The range and breadth of the articles, presenting diverse living mythologies, their histories and relationships to traditions of other cultures such as Germanic and Slavic, all come together to offer a far richer and more developed perspective on Uralic traditions than any one article could do alone.


The Cambridge History of Magic and Witchcraft in the West

The Cambridge History of Magic and Witchcraft in the West

Author: David J. Collins, S. J.

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2015-03-02

Total Pages: 897

ISBN-13: 1316239497

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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.