The Realities of Witchcraft and Popular Magic in Early Modern Europe. Culture, Cognition and Everyday Life; Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic
New York: Palgrave Macmillan, ( 2009 or later ). Digital Reprint. Hardcover. Large Thick Octavo. xx + 628pp. Colour illustrated papered boards, bibliography and index. From the 'Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic' series. From the publisher: "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." Chapter headings: Introduction; Part I: The Reality of Maleficium; (1) The Varieties of Maleficium; Poison and assault; Occult injury and psychosocial factors in disease; Ill will and interpersonal communications; Harm to animals; Conclusion (2) Maleficium and Society; Maleficium and intracommunal conflict; Gender, age, and interpersonal power; Hard times and hard hearts; Part II: The Realities of Diabolism; (3) The Devil in the Duchy of Wurttemberg; Origin and diffusion of the diabolic stereotype; The Devil made me do it; Dealing with the Devil; (4) Witch Dances and Witch Salves; Rumors of witch dances; Dreams of dances; Dances and trances; Scopolamine dreams; (5) Sorcery, Satanism, and Shamanism; The realities of sorcery in early modern Europe; Sorcery and satanism; Witchcraft and shamanism; Part III: The Realities of Beneficent Magic; (6) Divination and Prophesy; The varieties of divinatory activity; Divination and guilt; Locating hidden things; Fortune-telling and prognostication; Prophesy; Conclusion. (7) Beneficent Manipulative Magic; Magical healing; The varieties of healing practices; The efficacy of magical healing; Magical countermeasures; Magical enhancements; Supernatural powers and anomalous events; Part IV: Repression and Reality; (8) Magic and Society; Practitioners of beneficent magic; The mechanisms of repression; The judicial system; The church; Local communities; Individual psychophysiology; Repression and the marginalization of magic; The roots and rise of judicial repression; The prosecutions falter; Second surge and the decline of witchcraft; Enlightenment and repression. Conclusion. Appendix. Notes Bibliography. Index.. "As new" thus a bright clean copy in Fine condition (no dust jacket issued). Item #69465
ISBN: 9781403997814
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