The Ancient Precedents

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Do curso por Universitat de Barcelona

Magic in the Middle Ages

661 classificações

Universitat de Barcelona

Magic in the Middle Ages

661 classificações

Magical thought has always attracted human imagination. In this course we will introduce you to the Middle Ages through a wide conception of magic. Students will have an approach to medieval culture, beliefs and practices from the perspective of History and History of Science. Popular magic, as well as learned magic (alchemy, geomancy and necromancy) will be addressed. Moreover, we will also deal with how eastern practices and texts influenced western culture. In July 2016, the course will contain a brand-new module devoted to astrology. Magic in the Middle Ages offers a captivating overview of medieval society and promotes reflection about certain stereotypes associated with this period. At the end of the course, the students: a) will have overcome the usual prejudices about the Middle Ages, b) will be able to analyze historical documentation from the Middle Ages and recognize the most common patterns of juridical documents regarding witchcraft, and c) will be capable of distinguishing between popular magic and the magic of the learned people; will have a notion of which spiritual practices were allowed in medieval Europe and which ones were related to the devil, and will be aware of the link between a cultural product and the society that produced it. This course is taught in English, although subtitles in English, Catalan and Spanish will also be provided. COURSE SYLLABUS Week 1. Introduction to medieval magic (Pau Castell). Week 2. Magic & Heresy (Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel). Week 3. From Magic to Witchcraft (Pau Castell). Week 4. Magic in Islam (Godefroid de Callataÿ and Sébastien Moureau). Week 5. Astrology & Geomancy (Theo Loinaz, Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel, Godefroid de Callataÿ and Blanca Villuendas). © Gemma Pellissa Prades (coord.), Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel and Joana Palau Mumany Magic in the Middle Ages by Gemma Pellissa Prades (coord.), Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel and Joana Palau Mumany is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO MEDIEVAL MAGIC

Introduction2:35

The Idea of Magic3:33

The Ancient Precedents5:26

Magic and Superstition in Christian Europe6:56

The Decline of Magic7:30

Weekly Video 1 (2015)5:22

Conheça os instrutores

Godefroid de Callataÿ - University of Louvain
Professor
Oriental Institute (University of Louvain)
Dr Pau Castell Granados
Research and Teaching Scholar at University of Barcelona
Sébastien Moureau - University of Louvain
Chargé de recherches du F.R.S.-FNRS
Institut Orientaliste (CIOL)
Dr Gemma Pellissa Prades
Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of the Classics, Harvard
Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel
BSc, BA, MA
Dept. of Medieval History, Palaeography & Diplomatics, Institute for Research on Medieval Cultures, University of Barcelona
Blanca Villuendas
PhD Candidate
Instituto de Lenguas y Culturas del Mediterráneo y Oriente Próximo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

[MUSIC]

To begin this journey into medieval magic, we have to place ourselves at the end

of the Roman world, just at the dawn of the so-called late antiquity.

In a period characterized by the dismantling of previous structures and

the merging of different cultures and societies, magical beliefs also merged,

giving birth to new realities issued from the exchanges between Roman,

Judeo-Christian, and Germanic cultures.

The first important thing to note is that, at that time, the frontiers between

magic and religion were not so clearly established in people's minds.

Among Romans, for example, the magical practices abounded and

were part of the religious ritual itself.

Observing the flight of the birds or the entrails of animals to predict the future.

Composing amulets and formulas to attract good or

bad fortune, enchanting objects or concocting filters and potions.

Mediating with invisible spiritual forces, making ointments and

reciting charms to heal, protect, or injure other people.

All of these practices were part of the Roman system of beliefs.

A way to understand and relate to both the visible and the invisible world.

Not very different from the prayers, ceremonies, or

sacrifices offered to the gods.

But then, when did the word magic actually appear, and what did it mean for

ancient peoples?

As early as the fifth century BC, the Greek word mageia was already used to

refer to the activities of the Zoroastrian priests from Persia, known as the magoi.

The beliefs and practices attributed to those magoi were seen as dark and

dangerous, as they differed from Greek religion.

In time, the word mageia would also be used in a pejorative way

to refer to some practices performed by Greek and

Roman peasants, deviated from the official religious practices of the Roman Empire.

During Roman times the word mageia, magic, was

fixated in the Latin language to designate some practices perceived as different or

deviated from the Roman official code, and sometimes even trickery or deceit.

It is with this meaning that the word magic was passed on to the Latin rooted

languages during medieval times.

But by then, the ancient idea of magic had already been related to a much

more obscure concept issued from Christian religion, the concept of superstition.

You better know that word, since it will be crucial in order to understand

the perception of magic during medieval times.

So what about superstition, and when was magic portrayed as such?

With the arrival of monotheistic religions at the end of the Roman era,

especially the Judeo-Christian one.

The mental pattern regarding magic was to be changed forever.

Believing in an only true God, Christians considered a large range of beliefs and

practices performed by their contemporaries as essentially false or

superstitious.

A lot of activities previously performed by ancient peoples, including

the practices of mageia, were considered evil and misguided by Christian authors.

Moreover, since those practices fell outside the only true religion,

they could only be related to demons and should then be eradicated.

As you will see in the following units,

this shift would mark the evolution of Western culture for the centuries to come,

since the so-called superstitious beliefs would be seen as wrong and

dangerous by the new religious authorities, who then pushed for

their extirpation in order to fully embrace the new religion of the Christ.

Nevertheless, magic would become a central aspect of the new medieval society.

A wide range of sources attest to the magical beliefs shared by men and

women from all social strata.

In the next chapters, we will see some examples of this magical thought

characteristic of medieval society, from royal courts, to peasant villages, and

even including some ecclesiastical environments.

We will also see the efforts undertaken by some medieval elites

to end with the magical practices and

beliefs held by the people from the Christianized territories.

An endeavor, we must add, that was not quite accomplished during medieval times.

But for now we will continue to look into the evolution

of the idea of magic throughout the medieval centuries.

[MUSIC]

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