Download PDF | [Cambridge Medieval Textbooks] Richard Kieckhefer - Magic in the Middle Ages, Cambridge University Press, 1990.
231 Pages
MAGIC IN THE MIDDLE AGES
This textbook deals with magic, both natural and demonic, within the broad context of medieval culture. Covering the years c. 500 to 1500, with a chapter on antiquity, it investigates the way magic relates to the many other cultural forms of the time, such as religion and science, literature and art. The book begins with a full discussion of the social history of magic and of the ways in which magical beliefs borrowed from a diversity of cultures. Thereafter, within a wider study of the growth and development of the phenomenon, the author shows how magic served as a point of contact between the popular and elite classes, how the reality of magical beliefs is reflected in the fiction of medieval literature, and how the persecution of magic and witchcraft led to changes in the law.
The chapter on necromancy is the most original, based largely on unpublished manuscripts and arguing for a new interpretation of the material. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, Professor Kieckhefer has taken magic from its cultural isolation and placed it firmly at the crossroads of medieval culture, as a focal point for our understanding of many other aspects of medieval history.
PREFACE
Some years ago I wrote a book about notions of witchcraft in late medieval Europe. My own greatest reservation about that book, after I had written it, was that it seemed artificial to discuss witchcraft in isolation from the broader context of magic in general. I thus accepted the invitation to write this present book partly as an opportunity to do what I did not do earlier: examine the full range of medieval magical beliefs and practices. In the process of research and writing I have come to realize more fully the complexity of this topic, and the need to see each of its parts in the light of the whole. I have written for an undergraduate audience, although I hope others as well may find the book useful.
In attempting to do a rounded survey I have had to synthesize a wealth of secondary literature in some areas, while for other topics there is such a dearth of usable material that I have turned mainly to manuscripts. The result is in some ways a new interpretation. I have tried, first of all, to rethink the fundamental distinction between demonic magic and natural magic. Secondly, I have tried to locate the cultural setting of the magicians (as members of various social groups) and of magic (as a cultural phenomenon related to religion and science). Especially in my presentation of necromancy I have had to tread on uncharted ground. Nonetheless, I have of course stood on the shoulders ofLynn Thorndike and other giants. While.} have provided only a minumum of notes, I trust that the notes and bibliography taken together will sufficiently indicate my indebtedness to these scholars.
My personal debts of gratitude are many. My colleague Robert Lerner and my wife and colleague Barbara Newman read the book as it progressed, provided numerous valuable suggestions about matters of detail, and helped in repeated conversation to clarify the focus of my. presentation; their aid has been invaluable. I am grateful also to Robert Bartlett, Charles Burnett, Amelia J. Carr, John Leland, Virginia Leland, and Steven Williams for reading one or another version of the typescript, making helpful comments, and correcting errors. David d'Avray, Timothy McFarland, W.F. Ryan, and students in my classes were useful sounding-boards for my ideas and sources offurther insight and information. Dr. Rosemary Morris and the staff of Cambridge University Press provided expert assistance. Christine E. E. Jones of the Museum of London gave me important references, and Margaret Kieckhefer helped by providing valuable bibliography. Librarians at several institutions aided my efforts patiently. Without listing them all, I must at least thank those at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, the Warburg Institute, the Bodleian Library, and the libraries of Trinity College and St. John's College, Cambridge. My debt to both the British Library and the British Museum goes well beyond what the notes and the list of illustrations might suggest.
I am indebted also to the National Endowment for the Humanities, whose support for an unrelated project allowed me the opportunity to gather materials and carry out revision of this book. Finally I must thank T. William Heyck, without whom this book could have been written but might not have been. Richard Kieckhefer Note. Translations in Chapter 2 are from the sources cited. Elsewhere translations are my own except where noted. Biblical quotations are from the Revised Standard Version, but are consistent with the Vulgate text.
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