Building magic : ritual and re-enchantment in post-medieval structures / Owen Davies, Ceri Houlbrook.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Davies, Owen, 1969- author.

Houlbrook, Ceri, author.

Series:

Palgrave historical studies in witchcraft and magic

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Charms--History.

Charms.

Ritual--History.

Ritual.

Protection magic--History.

Protection magic.

Buildings--Protection--History.

Buildings.

Buildings--Protection.

History.

Genre:

Electronic books.

History.

Physical Description:

vii, 179 pages ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cham, Switzerland : Palgrave Macmillan, Springer Nature Switzerland, [2021]

Summary:

This book redresses popular interpretations of concealed objects, enigmatically discovered within the fabric of post-medieval buildings. A wide variety of objects have been found up chimneybreasts, bricked up in walls, and concealed within recesses: old shoes, mummified cats, horse skulls, pierced hearts, to name only some. The most common approach to these finds is to apply a one-size-fits-all analysis and label them survivals and apotropaic (evil-averting) devices. This book reconsiders such interpretations, exploring the invention and reinvention of traditions regarding building magic. The title Building Magic therefore refers to more than practices that alter the fabric of buildings, but also to processes of building magic into our interpretations of the enigmatic material evidence and into our engagements with the buildings we inhabit and frequent.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction

2. Foundation Sacrifice: The Survival of a Problem in Archaeology, Folklore, and History

3. Bodies: Mummified But Not Ancient

4. Folk Science Meets Folk Memory: Acoustics and Illumination

5. Sealing Memories

6. Seeking Protection: Objects of Power

7. Luck and Wellbeing in the Home

8. Curators and Custodians of the Revealed Concealed

9. Conclusion.

Notes:

Print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

ebook version :

ISBN:

9783030767648

3030767647

OCLC:

1268113911

Publisher Number:

99988508773

9783030767648