Product Description

In tenth- and 11th-century England, Anglo-Saxon Christians retained an old folk belief in elves as extremely dangerous creatures capable of harming unwary humans. To ward off the afflictions caused by these invisible beings, Christian priests modified traditional elf charms by adding liturgical chants to herbal remedies. In this text Karen Jolly traces this cultural intermingling of Christian liturgy and indigenous Germanic customs and argues that elf charms and similar practices represent the successful Christianization of native folklore. Jolly describes a dual process of conversion in which Anglo-Saxon culture became Christianized but at the same time left its own distinct imprint on Christianity. Illuminating the creative aspects of this dynamic relationship, she identifies liturgical folk medicine as a middle ground between popular and elite, pagan and Christian, magic and miracle. Her analysis, drawing on the model of popular religion to redefine folklore and magic, reveals the richness and diversity of late Saxon Christianity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #509398 in Books
• Published on: 1996-12-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

Customer Reviews

A very interesting book.... keeps you turning pages
the book is great, you see, cause it's informative and incredibly detailed. It's obvious much work went into the book, and that much research was done. The book, however, isn't for those just starting out in the field of charms and magic... you should have a little background before reading the book. It's more for the historical reader then just any plain person... details on spells are also found in the book. Just plain great.