European Magic and Witchcraft: Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures

This unique new reader incorporates material from Late Antiquity through the early Enlightenment, taking a chronological approach to the history of magic in order to highlight the conflicting, complementary, and complex mix of magical ideas that developed in this time period. It draws from a wide range of sources--including ecclesiastical, polemic, pastoral, literary, and medical materials--and examines observed practices as well as proscriptive or theoretical texts. The addition of Norse, Celtic, and Anglo-Saxon texts demonstrate how medieval and early modern magic evolved from several historical and cultural milieus. The book concludes with a chapter on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century witch-hunts.