Leif Søndergaard

Dramatic Aspects of Medieval Magic in Scandinavia

This article deals with the performance aspects of medieval spells and rituals. Magic might take various shapes from benedictions to maledictions, adjurations and conjurations, divinations and omens. Some spells were written, others spoken or performed in rituals. Spells could be shouted in a shrill voice or combined with ritual procedures where magic gained efficacy. It was important that this was done in the right way, or else the magic could fail. Most of the spells and rituals were performed by professional sorcerers or sorceresses but clerics and ordinary people in some cases might expel the demons who were believed to cause illness or harm in other ways. Special interest in the article is invested in the spells and rituals where the performance aspects are explicitly or implicitly stated. The most important spells and rituals from the Scandinavian counties are cited in extenso and commented upon.

Polyphony and Pragmatism in Scandinavian Spells c.1300–1600

The essay deals with magic spells, charms and rituals in Scandinavia during the later Middle Ages and early modern period, that is, approximately 1300–1600, especially the relations between Christian and non-Christian elements. The essay takes its starting point in the Norwegian Vinje book from the 1480s which is the first extensive collection of spells in Scandinavia, preserved from the Middle Ages. This unique collection is introduced for the first time in an international context. The borders between religion and magic, religion and natural science, Christian and non-Christian elements, were fluctuating during the later Middle Ages. The spells were used in a functional way, no matter who the practitioners were. Ordinary people simply searched for a solution to their problems. Origin and content of the spells were of lesser importance. People were pragmatic in their choice: what did work and what did not.