The Realities of Witchcraft and Popular Magic in Early Modern Europe: Culture, Cognition and Everyday Life (Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic)

This book explores the elements of reality in early modern witchcraft and popular magic through a combination of detailed archival research and broad-ranging interdisciplinary analyses. The book complements and challenges existing scholarship, offering unique insights into this murky aspect of early modern history. What did witchcraft and magic in Early Modern Europe really involve? The Realities of Witchcraft and Popular Magic explores the elements of reality in early modern witchcraft and popular magic through a detailed study of actual cases and broad-ranging interdisciplinary investigations of psychological influences on health, subliminal communication, perception and cognition, and transcultural aspects of shamanism. Assessing the results in light of research in other parts of Europe, it demonstrates that early modern fears of malefic magic reflected actual practices and potential harms, belief in the Devil not only contributed to but also reflected the perceptual and cognitive processes by which people construct their experience of reality, beneficent magic was both a pervasive and a potent element in early modern life, and the systematic repression of magic played a critical role in its eventual decline Cover 1 Contents 8 List of Figures 10 List of Tables 11 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction 15 Part I: The Reality of Maleficium 22 1 The Varieties of Maleficium 26 Poison and assault 29 Occult injury and psychosocial factors in disease 32 Ill will and interpersonal communications 41 Harm to animals 58 Conclusion 60 2 Maleficium and Society 61 Maleficium and intracommunal conflict 61 Gender, age, and interpersonal power 68 Hard times and hard hearts 81 Part II: The Realities of Diabolism 85 3 The Devil in the Duchy of Württemberg 87 Origin and diffusion of the diabolic stereotype 87 The Devil made me do it 93 Dealing with the Devil 99 4 Witch Dances and Witch Salves 113 Rumors of witch dances 117 Dreams of dances 126 Dances and trances 138 Scopolamine dreams 149 5 Sorcery, Satanism, and Shamanism 171 The realities of sorcery in early modern Europe 174 Sorcery and satanism 188 Witchcraft and shamanism 205 Conclusion 232 Part III: The Realities of Beneficent Magic 234 6 Divination and Prophesy 237 The varieties of divinatory activity 237 Divination and guilt 239 Locating hidden things 248 Fortune-telling and prognostication 268 Prophesy 276 Conclusion 287 7 Beneficent Manipulative Magic 289 Magical healing 291 Magical countermeasures 321 Magical enhancements 330 Supernatural powers and anomalous events 336 Conclusion 352 Part IV: Repression and Reality 354 8 Magic and Society 355 Practitioners of beneficent magic 355 The mechanisms of repression 365 Repression and the marginalization of magic 394 Conclusion 445 Conclusion 449 Appendix 457 Notes 460 Bibliography 520 Index 574 A 574 B 578 C 581 D 587 E 591 F 594 G 597 H 599 I 603 J 606 K 606 L 607 M 608 N 613 O 615 P 615 Q 622 R 622 S 625 T 635 U 638 V 639 W 640 Y 643 Z 643 What Did Witchcraft And Magic In Early Modern Europe Really Involve? The Realities Of Witchcraft And Popular Magic In Early Modern Europe Explores The Elements Of Reality In Early Modern Witchcraft And Popular Magic Through A Detailed Study Of Actual Cases And Broad-ranging Interdisciplinary Investigations Of Psychological Influences On Health, Subliminal Communication, Perception And Cognition, And Transcultural Aspects Of Shamanism. Assessing The Results In Light Of Research In Other Parts Of Europe, It Demonstrates That Early Modern Fears Of Malefic Magic Reflected Actual Practices And Potential Harms; That Belief In The Devil Not Only Contributed To But Also Reflected The Perceptual And Cognitive Processes By Which People Construct Their Experience Of Reality; That Beneficent Magic Was Both A Pervasive And A Potent Element In Early Modern Life; And That The Systematic Repression Of Magic Played A Critical Role In Its Eventual Decline. The Book Complements And Challenges Existing Scholarship, Offering Unique Insights Into This Murky Aspect Of The Past.--jacket. The Varieties Of Maleficium -- Maleficium And Society -- The Devil In The Duchy Of Württemberg -- Witch Dances And Witch Salves -- Sorcery, Satanism, And Shamanism -- Divination And Prophesy -- Beneficent Manipulative Magic -- Magic And Society. Edward Bever. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 504-557) And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-xx Front Matter....Pages 1-4 The Varieties of Maleficium....Pages 5-39 Maleficium and Society....Pages 40-63 Front Matter....Pages 65-66 The Devil in the Duchy of Württemberg....Pages 67-92 Witch Dances and Witch Salves....Pages 93-150 Sorcery, Satanism, and Shamanism....Pages 151-213 Front Matter....Pages 215-217 Divination and Prophesy....Pages 219-270 Beneficent Manipulative Magic....Pages 271-335 Front Matter....Pages 337-337 Magic and Society....Pages 339-432 Conclusion....Pages 433-440 Back Matter....Pages 441-627 Exploring the elements of reality in early modern witchcraft and popular magic, through a combination of detailed archival research and broad-ranging interdisciplinary analyses, this book complements and challenges existing scholarship, and offers unique insights into this murky aspect of early modern history. The varieties of maleficium Maleficium and society The devil in the Duchy of Wurttemberg Witch dances and witch salves Sorcery, satanism, and shamanism Divination and prophesy Beneficent manipulative magic Magic and society.