Middle Ages Witchcraft and Magic Flashcards
What periods do scholars divide the Middle Ages into when looking at the problem of magic?
- conversion period
- 12th century renaissance
- late middle ages
What sparked the conversion period? What transition was observed? What was the result of this transition?
Spark = Greco-Roman influences, such as texts and practices were dying out
Transition to orthodoxy: “right belief” –> increased accusations of Heresy (being a heretic) - the “wrong” versions of Christiantity –> strong binary estabilished
What were the two main souces that defined “magic” during the conversion period? How did they define magic?
- laws, sermons, and other texts condeming what the authors identify as magic: usually curses, rituals, etc involving the dead; magic was depticed as illusory, deceptive, and demonic; magic = pagan and destructive
- hagiographies, magical texts, etc: described practices that modern scholars would indentify as magic (e.g. saints who heal by touch, use of amulets, etc); magic = manipulations of nature in a way that modern science does not allow/explain BUT considered legitimate and good (and therefore not magic)
What are is the major theme concerning magic during the Renaissance? What drove this?
Growing distinction between high and low magic
Crusades –> access of arabic and greeek texts –> rise of universitities and scholasticism –> development of astrology and alchemy in the university context (high magic = science) –> protection of knowledge from the “less sophisiticated” –> division
What is the spititual battle motif that is assoicated with the Reniassance?
fight for the holy land and get the sacred city into Christian hands
What was the major thought concerning magic in the late middle ages? What was a consequence?
common/low magic as diabolism (Christian prayer vs “Pagan” prayer); high magic = science –> focus on the “otherness” of magicians –> magic was real and needed to eliminate it by prosecuting practioners (e.g. Joan of Arc)
What allowed for the rapid spread of ideas against magic in the late middle ages?
the printing press
Describe the teutonic crusades and how it affected Lithuania
- Mindaugas received baptism to become king of Lithuania
- Lithuania was recognized as a Chistian state, but Mindaugas still perfoemed rituals to Lithuanian dieties
- Christianity as a diplomatic tool and weapon - promised conversion to preserve their independence (numerous attempts of conversion failed)
- Later, large scale baptisms were perfomed in Vilnius - Parishes were established and the New Vilinus cathedral was built at the site of the destroyed pagan temple
- Last sections of Lithuania became Christian after defeating the Teutonic Order at The Battle of Grunwald
- Nobles were the main converts, the peasant population held onto their pagan beliefs, as there wasn’t any prosecution against it
- by the 17th century, Catholicism had entrenched and taken over
- witches from Lithuanian folklore became seen as untrusted figures (e.g. Ragana and Velnias)
- witches legacy and paganism in general were commemorated at Nergina (Witches hill)
Describe how Ragana and Velnias from Lithuanian folklore became twisted during the conversion to Christianity
Ragana: crazy, senile old lady –> child eating witch
Velnias: trickster –> devil and demon
What was the purpose of The New Vilnius cathedral being built at the site of the destroyed pagan temple?
seen as a sacred ground/space, so when a new building is put on holy ground, then that new building is holy
What is Malleus maleficarum? What is its significance?
“The Witch Hammer” - connected concerns with diabolism to more common worries about maleficia; developed theological theory for the persecution of witches – witchcraft is criminal and secular courts should persecult to eliminate threats
significance: most influential text about the persecution of witches in the middle ages and maybe even today
Describe the three section of Malleus Maleficarum
- convincing people that magic is real and dangerous; if you don’t think magic is real/an illusion, you’re a heretic
- court proceedings: types of witnessses (cannot be enemies of the accused)
- how to obtain confession: strip people and look for the devil’s mark (skin blemishes), look for witchcraft instruments (e.g. bones of babies); confession methods - if you confess, you won’t be killed (lies), expose her to torture (start with gentel toruture); make sure the accused doesn’t off herself (can’t find more heretics or details if she dies, or doesn’t properly get rid of the bad magic)
What is the saducismus triumphatus? What is it’s significance?
argued for the real existence of “witches” and the supernatural because they are present in the bible; discusses the “witch bottle” – fill with your hair, fingernails, urine, menstraul blod, etc – like an amulet: protective agent against magic; discussed the meeting place of witches with satan – an island called Blockula
this location was emplyed to discuss the Mora Witch Trials
During the middle ages, magic was seen as diabolical and those who were considered “other” were labeled as magicians, give 3 examples of the “other”
- Muhammed (in Golden Legend, Jacobus de Vergaine was a heretical priest)
- stories about Jewish groups engaing in practices similar to perceived witch pratices – Blood Libel Myth = Jews killing Chistian children to make Matza with their blood
- The German Legend “Faust” = Faust makes a deal with the devil at the crossraod, gets a woman pregnant out of wedlock and at birth, the woman kills the baby and herself
Why was the pushback of witch trials not from morals, but from finances?
- easier to keep track of
- only became an issue with Hopkins was taking 1/7th of the town’s money for prosecuting witches
- hard to go against the grain, you’d just get called a witch yourself
