Overview

This collection surveys the rich tradition of ‘words of power’ – prayers and varieties of verbal magic, both spoken and written – together with associated rituals, in Ireland from the early Middle Ages until the present day. Presenting the work of a broad array of scholars and field researchers, it is the first book to cover the full range of the topic.

Full Product Details

Author:   John Carey ,  Ciaran O Gealbhain ,  Ilona Tuomi ,  Barbara Hillers
Publisher:   University of Wales Press
Imprint:   University of Wales Press
ISBN:  

9781786834928

ISBN 10:   1786834928
Pages:   288
Publication Date:   15 October 2019
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
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Table of Contents

List of Illustrations and Maps List of Tables Abbreviations Notes on Contributors Introduction 1. Jacqueline Borsje – European and American Scholarship and the Study of Medieval Irish ‘Magic’ (1846–1960) 2. John Carey – Charms in Medieval Irish Tales: Tradition, Adaptation, Invention 3. Cathinka Dahl Hambro – The Religious Significance of the sén 7 soladh in Altram Tige Dá Medar 4. Ilona Tuomi – Nine Hundred Years of the Caput Christi Charm: Scribal Strategies and Textual Transmission 5. Ksenia Kudenko – In Defence of the Irish Saints who ‘Loved Malediction’ 6. Barbara Hillers – Towards a Typology of European Narrative Charms in Irish Oral Tradition 7. Nicholas M. Wolf – Nineteenth-Century Charm Texts: Scope and Context 8. Joseph J. Flahive – A Toothache Charm in a Manuscript Fragment of John Lysaght 9. Bairbre Ní Fhloinn – ‘The Cure for Bleeding’: Charms and Other Cures for Blood-stopping in Irish Tradition 10. Deirdre Nuttall – ‘Cahill’s Blood’: Mr Cahill Makes the Cure 11. Denis McArdle – Aisling na Maighdine: The Virgin’s Dream in Irish Oral Tradition 12. Gearóid Ó Crualaoich – An Leabhar Eoin: The ‘In Principio’ Charm in Oral and Literary Tradition 13. Shane Lehane – The Cailleach and the Cosmic Hare 14. Stiofán Ó Cadhla – ‘We’ll talk now about charms’: Knowledge as Folklore and Folklore as Knowledge Bibliography Index 

Reviews

Charms, Charmers and Charming in Ireland introduces the reader to the range of medieval and modern Irish charms and illuminates the complex and changing cultural contexts in which such charms were employed and transmitted. Striking a good balance between earlier and later sources, this outstanding collection will be of value to readers interested in medieval Irish medicine and Irish folklore, as well as to readers with general interests in alternative approaches to health and healing. --Elizabeth Gray, Harvard University Connecting ancient and modern, textual and oral traditions, this collection of essays is a landmark publication in the field of Irish charm scholarship. For the first time, readers can access the richness of Irish charm materials insightfully interpreted and theorized by the very best scholars in the field. --James Kapalo, University College Cork

Author Information

This book will appeal to various specialist readerships, as well as to lay readers. The specialist constituencies will be scholars of medieval Irish, scholars of Irish folklore, and scholars of charms and magic more generally. The interdisciplinary inherent in the collection will contribute to its broad appeal, also internationally. Another possible readership might wish to learn about alternative medical practices, whether or not rooted in western traditions.

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