ABSTRACT

The Routledge History of Medieval Magic brings together the work of scholars from across Europe and North America to provide extensive insights into recent developments in the study of medieval magic between c.1100 and c.1500.

This book covers a wide range of topics, including the magical texts which circulated in medieval Europe, the attitudes of intellectuals and churchmen to magic, the ways in which magic intersected with other aspects of medieval culture, and the early witch trials of the fifteenth century. In doing so, it offers the reader a detailed look at the impact that magic had within medieval society, such as its relationship to gender roles, natural philosophy, and courtly culture. This is furthered by the book’s interdisciplinary approach, containing chapters dedicated to archaeology, literature, music, and visual culture, as well as texts and manuscripts.

The Routledge History of Medieval Magic also outlines how research on this subject could develop in the future, highlighting under-explored subjects, unpublished sources, and new approaches to the topic. It is the ideal book for both established scholars and students of medieval magic.

Introduction

Sophie Page and Catherine Rider

Part I: Conceptualizing magic

1 Rethinking how to define magic

Richard Kieckhefer

2 For magic: Against method

Claire Fanger

3 A discourse historical approach towards medieval

learned magic

Bernd-Christian Otto

4 The concept of magic

David. L. d’Avray

5 Responses

Richard Kieckhefer, David. L. d’Avray, Bernd-Christian Ott o, and Claire Fanger

Part I I: Languages and dissemination

6 Arabic magic: The impetus for translating texts and their

reception

Charles Burnett

7 The Latin encounter with Hebrew magic: Problems

and approaches

Katelyn Mesler

8 Magic in Romance languages

Sebastia Giralt

9 Central and Eastern Europe

Benedek Lang

10 Magic in Celtic lands

Mark Williams

11 Scandinavia

Stephen A. Mitchell

Part I I I: Key genres and figures

12 From Hermetic magic to the magic of marvels

Antonella Sannino

13 The notion of properties: Tensions between

Scientia and Ars in medieval natural philosophy

and magic

Isabelle Draelants

14 Solomonic magic

Julien Veronese

15 Necromancy

Frank Klaassen

16 John of Morigny

Claire Fanger and Nicholas Watson

17 Cecco d’Ascoli and Antonio da Montolmo: The building

of a “nigromantical” cosmology and the birth of the

author-magician

Nicolas Weill-Parot

18 Beringarius Ganellus and the Summa sacre magice: Magic

as the promotion of God’s Kingship

Damaris Aschera Gehr

19 Jerome Torrella and “Astrological Images”

Nicolas Weill-Parot

20 Peter of Zealand

Jean-Marc Mandosio

Part IV: Themes (magic and…)

21 Magic and natural philosophy

St even P. Marrone

22 Medicine and magic

Peter Murray Jones and Lea T. Olsan

23 Illusion

Robert Goulding

24 Magic at court

Jean-Patrice Boudet

25 Magic and gender

Catherine Rider

26 Magic in literature: Romance transformations

Corinne Saunders

27 Music

John Haines

28 Magic and archaeology: Ritual residues and

“odd” deposits

Roberta Gilchrist

29 The visual culture of magic in the Middle Ages

Alejandro Garcia Aviles

30 Medieval magical figures: Between image and text

Sophie Page

Part V: Anti-magical discourse in the later Middle Ages

31 Scholasticism and high medieval opposition to magic

David J. Collins

32 Pastoral literature and preaching

Kathleen Kamerick

33 Superstition and sorcery

Michael D. Bailey

34 Witchcraft

Mart ine Ostorero

35 Epilogue: Cosmology and magic – The angel of Mars

in the Libro de astromagia

Alejandro Garcia Aviles

Further reading

Index