Magic in the Middle Ages

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

List of contents

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.

About the author

Richard Kieckhefer has taught in Religious Studies and History and is now Emeritus Professor at Northwestern University, where his work focuses on the history of late medieval religious culture and the history of magic and witchcraft, with particular focus on the late Middle Ages. His published books include European Witch Trials: Their Foundations in Popular and Learned Culture, 1300–1500 (1976), Repression of Heresy in Medieval Germany (1979), Unquiet Souls: Fourteenth-Century Saints and their Religious Milieu (1984), Forbidden Rites: A Necromancer's Manual of the Fifteenth Century (1997), Theology in Stone: Church Architecture from Byzantium to Berkeley (2004) and Hazards of the Dark Arts: Advice for Medieval Princes on Witchcraft and Magic (2017).

Summary

This revised and expanded edition surveys the growth and development of magic in medieval times. Examining its relationship with religion, science, philosophy, art, literature and politics, Richard Kieckhefer sheds light on the different types of magic that were used, the people who practiced it and the reasoning behind their beliefs.

Product details

• Authors: Richard Kieckhefer, Richard (Northwestern University Kieckhefer, Kieckhefer Richard, Kieckhefer Richard Kieckhefer
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.09.2021
• EAN: 9781108494717
• ISBN: 978-1-108-49471-7
• No. of pages: 302
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; European History, BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Witchcraft, RELIGION / Wicca, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Magick Studies, CE period up to c 1500, Medieval History, Social and cultural history, Witchcraft and wicca, Magic, spells and alchemy, Magic, spells & alchemy, European history: medieval period, middle ages, HISTORY / Europe / Medieval, C 500 CE To C 1000 CE, Witchcraft & Wicca, Occult Studies