Magic in the Middle Ages

A revised and expanded edition of this fascinating interdisciplinary study of magic in the Middle Ages.

Richard Kieckhefer (Author)

9781108796897, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 9 September 2021

300 pages
22.8 x 15.3 x 1.5 cm, 0.5 kg

How was magic practiced in medieval times? How did it relate to the diverse beliefs and practices that characterized this fascinating period? This much revised and expanded new edition of Magic in the Middle Ages surveys the growth and development of magic in medieval Europe. It takes into account the extensive new developments in the history of medieval magic in recent years, featuring new material on angel magic, the archaeology of magic, and the magical efficacy of words and imagination. Richard Kieckhefer shows how magic represents a crossroads in medieval life and culture, examining its relationship and relevance to religion, science, philosophy, art, literature, and politics. In surveying the different types of magic that were used, the kinds of people who practiced magic, and the reasoning behind their beliefs, Kieckhefer shows how magic served as a point of contact between the popular and elite classes, how the reality of magical beliefs is reflected in the fiction of medieval literature, and how the persecution of magic and witchcraft led to changes in the law.

1. Introduction: Magic as a crossroads
2. The classical inheritance
3. The twilight of paganism: Magic in Norse and Irish culture
4. The common tradition of medieval magic
5. The romance of magic in courtly culture
6. Arabic learning and the occult sciences
7. Invocation and conjuration of angels
8. Conjuration of demons
9. Prohibition, condemnation, and prosecution.

Subject Areas: Witchcraft & Wicca [VXWT], Magic, spells & alchemy [VXWM], Occult studies [HRQX], Social & cultural history [HBTB], Medieval history [HBLC1], European history [HBJD]