Magie im Mittelalter.

by Richard Kieckhefer, Peter Knecht (Übersetzer)

How was magic practiced in medieval times? How did it relate to the diverse beliefs and practices that characterized this fascinating period? Richard Kieckhefer surveys the growth and development of magic in medieval times. He examines its relation to religion, science, philosophy, art, literature and politics before introducing us to the different types of magic, the kinds of people who practiced magic, and the reasoning behind their beliefs. This book places magic at the crossroads of medieval culture, shedding light on many other aspects of life in the Middle Ages.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Magic, Medieval History, Religion, Occult

Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

"John Evans Professor of Religious Studies. Research interests focus mainly on the late Middle Ages, with special interest in church architecture and in the history of witchcraft and magic. Currently writing books on "the mystical presence of Christ" in the late Middle Ages (an exploration of the relationship between ordinary and extraordinary piety, between shared religious culture and exceptional religious experience) and late medieval church-building (an inquiry into the collaboration and conflict among different interest groups in the creation of monuments meant to serve and symbolize communal interests). Books include European Witch Trials (Routledge & Kegan Paul; 1976),Repression of Heresy in Medieval Germanyi (Pennsylvania, 1979), Unquiet Souls (Chicago, 1984), Magic in the Middle Ages (Cambridge, 1989),Forbidden Rites (Sutton and Penn State, 1997), and Theology in Stone(Oxford, 2004). A theme underlying much of his research is the way in which communities create and sustain a sense of shared culture in the face of difference, dissention, and dispute."
http://www.religion.northwestern.edu/...

"In addition to the DAAD, his research has been supported by the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 2006, he was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard...

Reviews

[Owlseyes]

(Christ and Mary blessing the herbs; 14th century)

(the mandrake root had a sort of personality...)

(...and powerful magical effects...)

(...but you had to be careful while extracting it; solution: stuff your ears with earth)

Defining Magic in the Middle Ages isn't that easy, so suggests the author, as the notion took on several meanings through the years. Yet, by the 12th century the definition by Isidore of Seville (560-636) was a good one; it implied magic as a source of "divination" and encompassed several "disciplines": geomancy, hydromancy, aeromancy, and pyromancy (divination by earth, water, air and fire) but also the "divinitory observation of the flight and cries of birds, the entrails of sacrificial animals, and the positions of stars and planets (i.e. astrology)". Then Isidore included : enchantment (magical use of words), ligatures (medical use of magical objects bound to the patient), and various "other phenomena". Quite a broad definition. One author, Alexander of Hales, included in the word 'divination' several species of occult art, sorcery and illusion. William of Auvergne (a theologian and bishop of Paris) acknowledged the distinction between natural and demonic magic.

Through the ages, the book shows that the Egyptians and the Greeks used "magical gems" and the pronunciation of "magical words". Homer's Odysseus had to face the enchantments cast by Circe on his companions (transformed into pigs) in her island; to which Odysseus countered with a protecting magical herb provided by Hermes. Circe performed necromancy.

Saint Patrick had to fight the power of the druids (even in contests). The Norse legends refer magic and magic amulets. Likewise, the sagas mention sorcery.



But one question remains throughout: where does the power of magic issue from? from God? or from the demons?

Kieckhefer approaches also several instances of Middle Age literature ('romances') and, still, the question lingers on: "is the magic of the romances natural or demonic?". He finds cases where "even when magic was most explicitly demonic, then it held a kind of romantic fascination".


(Morgan Le Fey studied Magic)

But then we have the Islam factor. As the Crusades happened, many works in Arabic got translated (especially about astrology and astral magic) into Latin, namely. And that turned important both for Medicine and Magic; even for Philosophy.

"A surgeon or a barber surgeon was supposed to know which signs of the zodiac governed which parts of the body, because it was dangerous to operate or bleed a patient when the wrong constellation was dominant"

"If the stars make a man a murderer or a thief, then all the more it is the first cause, God, who does this, which it is shameful to suggest".
Gerard de Feltre (13th century), in "Summa de astris"

[Forensic Psych Student · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Kieckefer has written a broad, detailed and objective examination of magic in the Middle Ages. The reader is presented with various perspectives, and over the course of the book a vivid picture is built up showing how these various perspectives interconnect, allowing the reader to come away with a lucid understanding of the Medieval conception of magic.

The start of the book is broadly concerned with defining magic and also exploring how magic has been perceived since Antiquity. The key point in defining magic is that there existed both natural magic and demonic magic in Medieval thought. The former was believed to make use of natural but occult (hidden) powers within nature and was essentially a branch of science, whilst the latter involved demons, whether implicitly or explicitly, and was heavily connected with religion. It is nonetheless shown that these definitions were not fixed and often the line between them blurred.

Another important point raised in these early chapters is that the usual definition of magic as being coercive and religion as being supplicatory completely falls apart when we consider how magic was actually practiced. Often, it is impossible to separate the two because magic often had a heavy Christian component, both in practice and conception. And this is one of the things I love about the book; it dispels many misconceptions and forces the reader to consider the mind-set of these people. For instance, while it would be easy to assume that it was a purely magical act when people used relics or the Eucharist to bless or to heal, these objects in fact had power because they were connected to God in some way, and so to strip away this religious element and call it a magical act only, would be to misunderstand the intent and belief of the people who did such acts. The same can be said about charms, blessings and adjurations which were often heavily Christian, drawing upon the power of biblical figures, passages and allegories. Having said this, many charms did also contain pre-Christian elements and their evolution is described.

It is commonly thought that opposition to magic is a Christian concept, but the book shows that magic and its practitioners have always been looked upon with high suspicion. We find evidence of this from as far back as antiquity with fictional literature as well as non-fictional writings. The Medieval Church did elaborate on these themes, and certainly in the Late Middle Ages took them to a whole new level, but the pool they drew from was pretty well established.

The book then begins to explore what types of people practiced magic. First explored is the common tradition of magic, which was a diverse range of magical practices, practiced by a wide range of people. These people include monks, leeches, parish priests, lay healers, diviners, physicians, surgeons, barber surgeons, midwives and friars. The magic of the common tradition was accessible to anyone in society and was perhaps what is termed ‘low-magic’. Healing was a big component of this genre and we find various people using what we might call healing magic, though it is unlikely that we would hear the practitioners use this term. First described are leech books, which although had a natural magic element to them, also contained a religious component. The chapter progresses through various topics such as charms, amulets and talismans, sorcery, divination and popular astrology, and trickery. It is a pretty long chapter and contains a plethora of examples which I enjoyed. I find the Medieval conception of sorcery interesting, it being defined as magic that infringed upon a person’s freewill and magic that deliberately caused harm. This definition proved to be problematic because it was pretty subjective, but love magic was widely considered sorcery, as were cases of impotence. The actual magic used in Sorcery was on the whole simply healing magic inverted and the use of biblical allegories was interesting.

Next the romance of magic in courtly culture is examined, and it is here that a different perception and understanding of magic begins to emerge. While the romances do acknowledge the danger of magic, it becomes more synonymous with “enchantment” and other such terms. Magicians were common at court, as was divination, love magic and poisoning, and magic or the accusation of magic often acted as a type of barometer for the tension within court. We also see a different type of magic emerge, with automations and magical gems. In the Norse Sagas, words were the main source of magic, but in the romances gems play a much more prominent role, as do potions, herbs and artefacts with marvellous properties. We see further difference in the role played by magic in the Arthurian Legends because it becomes much more symbolic and is often portrayed as a catalyst for psychological change or betterment.

Next we come to quite an in-depth chapter about the importation of Arabic learning in the 12th Century and how this lead to major changes in the West. With the flow of new translations of Arabic texts came many new ideas regarding Alchemy and Astrology, which also had Greek influences too. Described are the basic tenants of Astrology which differ somewhat to modern popular conceptions. A major dilemma was whether the ability to predict the future impinged on God’s prerogative, so there was much discussion about how Medieval thinkers tackled the idea of determinism. Astral magic was given a short exploration, before going on to Alchemy, a particularly interesting subject. The reader is shown how alchemy lead to many advances in science and medicine, and although this chapter was long, I felt the subject could take up an entire book. The chapter closes with a discussion on the Cult of Secrecy and Renaissance Magus, the latter again highlighting the importance of religion. So too does this chapter chart the journey away from the common tradition into a much more learned type of magic, only available to a section of society who are fully literate. This separation is shown to have major consequences as we head into the penultimate chapter.

Necromancy is the subject of this chapter. A brief introduction explains how the term was changed during the Middle Ages to denote explicitly demonic magic. Originally the term meant divination using the dead, but medieval theology saw this as trickery by demons. The people who engaged in this practice were clerics, who were of course literate and books were essential to this practice. A clerical underground is described as a mixture of young clerics, chantry priests, monks and Friars, and what connected them was broadly a combination of free time and partial or incomplete training. The reader is then provided with examples of rituals and formulas for conjuring spirits. The practice of necromancy was explicitly demonic magic in medieval terms, and practitioners not only inverted the practices of the common tradition, but showed the demons reverence. Often, the aims of practitioners included the control of minds and wills of other people or animals, the creation of various illusions or the divination things normally unknowable, all with the help of demons. While this may seem fanciful, we find corroboration not only in the writings of those who opposed the practice, but also in the books and manuals of the practitioners. The chapter is really good and contains lots of information about how it was practiced, the mentality of the necromancer, and also how it was portrayed in the exemplas. An interesting point of difference between the exempla and practice is the use of the circle; in the former, it is seen as protective, whereas in practice it was actually used to contain inscriptions and other paraphernalia rather than acting as a protective boundary. There is shown to be an important connection between necromancy and exorcisms, with the aim to command rather than expel demons, and also with astral magic. The mentality of the necromancer is complex because he often seeks God’s help in his work, and although many would openly admit to working with malign entities, in some cases the morality of the being invoked and of the necromancer himself is much more ambiguous. In a sense the necromancer is shown to have a perverse sense of piety.

The final chapter deals with the reaction to all of these diverse practices and is focused on the closing years of the middle ages. The concerns were both legal and moral; legalisation was concerned with the harm caused by magic, whereas the moralists were concerned with diabolic implications of all magic and also with the superstitious (unsanctioned) use of holy objects and ceremony. However, the line between the two was often faint and it was common for theological concerns to taint secular legislation, and records show that cases in which harm was caused by natural means (poison) were charged under the same law codes as harmful magic. Punishment was often severe if it was dealt by the secular authorities, while the punishment handed out by the church was generally less lethal and consisted of penance in various kinds, which was self-imposed, as well as excommunication for varying lengths of time. The increase in law education meant that expert opinion was increasingly sought, causing a more nuanced approach to who was prosecuted and for what. The chapter then goes on to discuss the moralist concerns and the sequence of events start to head steadily downhill from here. The preachers conflated many aspects of magic in their sermons, and while it has to be said that there were some thinkers who were willing to explain a wide variety of phenomena in terms of natural magic – incantations for example were said to work via auto-suggestion – the broad trend was towards the stance that all magic was demonic, whether you knew it or not. Towards the end of the Middle Ages much effort was put towards reforming the Catholic Church and to rid it from superstitious practices, and it was during this time that a misogynistic view began to fully emerge of magic and its practitioners. The in-house reform coincided with the actual 16th Century Reformation and is seen as a broad effort at reform, and the notion of superstition is a key cog in this movement.

The closing pages of the book further elucidate upon this crucial conflation between natural magic and demonic magic, charting the rise of persecution, from its humble accusatory beginnings all the way through to the inquisitions. Along the way the evolution of the Witch stereotype is tracked, with its explicit anti-Christian connotations. Undoubtedly the implications of church doctrine underpin this stereotype, and yet equally it is shown that the structure of society plays an important role too. The thinkers who conflated the natural magic of the common tradition with demonic magic were within the same corner of society as the necromancers, and so when they peered out of their offices on high, they merely saw their own image reflected back at them and thus their perception was ill informed. In short, here existed a huge chasm between the perception of judges, theologians and inquisitors, and the actual practices and beliefs of those condemned and persecuted. The chapter closes by detailing the specific components of the witch stereotype and also lays out the conditions that gave rise to the witch hunts in the mid-fifteenth century including the spark that ignited them. The spark was the Catholic reform within its church, while the conditions were a mixture of the use of torture and inquisitorial investigations, the suspicion that natural magic might turn out to be demonic, the idea of an anti-Christian sect and the witch stereotype itself.

To sum up, this is a fantastic read. It is in depth, extremely objective and enjoyable. It teaches you the importance of context and it encourages you to appreciate the nuances of history. It is sufficiently focused, and yet you are able to appreciate the many diverse perspectives that create the history of magic in the middle ages. It is well written and easy to understand, and there is no agenda. Facts are presented with no bias, and the reader is always given exceptions so as to avoid generalisations. If you are a historian, you will enjoy the objectivity with which the author handles the sources. There are adequate notes, but they are kept to a minimum, with a good bibliography at the end. If you are interested in magical practices, many examples are given, and you will learn how to appreciate the context in which they were practiced. The physical book is deceptively thin because the font is small, but inside is a wealth of information.

Highly recommended.

[Zorlon Zorlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a perfectly fine look at what the heck magic meant to people, lay or otherwise, especially otherwise. In fact, one of the more interesting things one could take away from this book is how much magic and the mystical arts were largely the preserve of churchmen and elites who wanted to preserve its status as a special thing that only they got to do! Sounds familiar, right?
Other fun bits include K's discussion of how Islamic science filtered up into the European backwater and were the sources of not only the "scientific" knowledge of the time, but also the sources of a lot of the magic stuff.
It is an enjoyable book, perhaps too curt, actually, since the discussion of how magic quickly became utterly diabolical instead of semi-diabolical (in fashionable church circles) is too brief.

[Sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good but dense, scholarly read. I highly recommend this for those who want to understand the popular beliefs of the Middle Ages and why/how the Inquisition starts. It connects natural forces, science, the stars, etc. with religion. It shows how fine a line it is between "magic" and "religion." Moreover it shows the importance of Arabic culture in the development of beliefs. It is also surprising to see who is doing the magic (and it was not always mean old hags!). However, it does lead to more questions if you are really interested in the subject, and his "books for further reading" lacks a source for Thomas Aquinas, who he refers to a couple of times throughout the book.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a text meant for undergraduate courses, I thought this was very good and not dumbed-down at all. Kieckhefer discusses different kinds of magic (black and white, occult and natural, etc.) and the different attitudes towards them. The subjects of class and gender were covered but without them dominating the book (which they shouldn't for a general course on the topic). Even though I've read a lot about witchcraft, magic and the occult in early modern times, I found the book interesting.

[Elizabeth Scott Tervo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent work.

[Christopher Plaisance · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this volume Kieckhefer presents a clear and concise description of Medieval magic which, by means of illustrations throughout from exemplars of period texts manages to effect a presentation of magic's history as it was present in various sectors of Medieval society. Of particular interest to me was his exploration of the so-called “clerical underworld” as the fountainhead of Medieval necromancy. This fascinated me both in that it was this group who was at once responsible for the semantic alteration of the term “necromancy” to mean demonic evocation and for the adaption of clerical exorcisms into the evocative rites of the Medieval grimoire tradition. Overall, as an introduction to the phenomenon of Medieval magic, Kieckhefer's text provides a sound overview which can, perhaps, only be seriously faulted for relying a bit too much on secondary sources—something which makes the investigation of the magicians themselves more difficult for researchers.

[Zhelana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after getting interested in magic from reading a book on Jewish Magic and Superstition. It was very interesting getting to see how Christian magic and Jewish magic were different. It has sparked an interest in further magical studies, perhaps on pagan magic, or eastern magic. It was clear and easy to read for an academic study, and overall I really enjoyed this book.

[Sauerkirsche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Kieckhefer ist eine Koryphäe auf dem Forschungsgebiet der Magiegeschichte bzw. der mittelalterlichen Magie und Volksglaube. Die sogenannte Münchner Handschrift wurde von Kieckhefer ausgiebig erforscht, womit sich sein Hauptschwerpunkt auf die Nekromantie erstreckt.
Kieckhefer geht hier auf die unterschiedlichen Formen der Magie ein, bspw. Naturmagie, Nigromantie, Nekromantie etc. Er erläutert die Unterscheidung zwischen Magie und Religion, wobei die Grenzen hier oft sehr fließend sind.
Volksbrauchtum und magische Praktiken waren im Hochmittelalter quasi an der Tagesordnung und wurden erst zum Spätmittelalter hin im großen Maßstab verteufelt und verboten. Während das gemeine Volk eher einfache Zauber angewendet hat, mit harmlosen Kräutern und Sprechformeln die aus zusammenhanglosem Kaudawelsch bestehen, gab es eine klerikale Unterwelt die u.a. Dämenonbeschwörung betrieben hat. Und nein, den Begriff des schwarzen Klerus bzw. der klerikalen Unterwelt hab ich mir nicht ausgedacht, er stammt auch nicht aus Fantasybüchern sondern ist eine historische Tatsache.
Der Klerus war immerhin gebildet, konnte lesen und hatte leichten Zugang zu alten Schriften, da ist es fast schon verständlich wenn einen die Neugierde zum Experimentieren treibt.
Kieckhefer geht streckenweise sehr ins Detail, er wird jedoch nie zu akademisch und bleibt durchweg für den Laien verständlich. Außerdem beschreibt er die Thematik oft mit einem Augenzwinkern und einer trockenen Prise Humor.
Die Vorstellung von Hexen und ihrem Reigen, die im Spätmittelalter/Beginn Renaissance aufkam, beschreibt er wie folgt (verkürzt):

"Dieser Autor, vermutlich Inquisitor verstand das Hexenwesen als Sekte, deren Anhänger in Synagogen zusammenkamen und dort dem Satan vorgestellt werden. Dieser lässt das neue Mitglied schwören, es werde der Sekte die Treue halten, sich bemühen so viele Kinder zu erwürgen wie nur möglich, es werde ferner mit Eifer Männern Impotenz anhexen und so ihr Eheleben stören. Der oder die Intiierte küsst dann zum Zeichen der Verehrung das Hinterteil des Satans. Dann findet ein großes Festmahl statt (Hauptgericht ist Kinderbraten), anschließend wird getanzt, es hebt ein allgemeines Kopulieren an, man setzt sich zu Tisch, schließlich zelebriert man eine blasphemische Messe."

Na, wenn das nicht lohnend klingt.

Wer sich mit dem Mittelalter auseinandersetzen möchte, der kommt an Magie kaum vorbei da sie einen alltäglichen Teil der Gesellschaft ausgemacht hat. Kieckhefers kulturhistorische Analyse der mittelalterlichen Magie ist dabei ein Muss.

[Luke Mizzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a bit of an info dump but very good in delineating the specifics and nuances of how magic was perceived.
Our concepts of magic are very different from those of people of varying medieval classes.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intensive treatment of the subject drawing on a lot of primary sources. Starting with a discussion of definitions. And natural magic vs. sorcery -- using the virtues of a herb rather than dealing with demons. Then, Thomas Aquinas, discussing the occult properties of things, cites the ability of magnets to attract iron, and the ability of rhubarb to act as a purgative -- a sample of what makes it so fun.

Discusses the classical sources -- Roman, Greek, Jewish -- down to the fictional portrayal of witches in Roman literature and more briefly the German/Norse magics, with their heavy use of runes. The sagas often ended with the sorcerer outlawed, partly because magic was a sneaky and underhanded technique.

The heavily Christian formulas for spells, such as treating illness. Amulets and talismans.

Astrology -- which was most heavily used for picking propitious times. Unsurprisingly, weddings were the most governed by it, since they are a lot easier to schedule than battles. Astral magic, which attempted to draw down the influence of the stars. Theologians got prickly about invocations and images, but that didn't keep people from using them.

Necromancy, which was overwhelmingly clerical. Then, that could mean "literate."

Lots of interesting stuff.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always wanted to study more about magic and witchcraft, and I was lucky enough to take a college history class that assigned this book as part of the reading. I think this is a great guide to learning about magic in the Middle Ages before the major witch hunts began. Kieckhefer takes the time to describe specific examples of different types of magic and how a person might have used them in rituals. I also liked the specific examples of witch trials Kieckhefer lists at the end of the book. Kieckhefer is very knowledgeable about the magic and witches of the Middle Ages which makes this a great resource. The only problem I had with this book is that it's pretty dry, and somewhat confusing, to read which was disappointing for me because magic and witchcraft are such fascinating subjects.

[Sabine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't quite make it all the way through this one before I had to take it back to the library, and I was not about to expand the energy to renew it. The book was fine, I am however a fiction reader who is trying my hardest to read at least one non fiction a month. The material in this book was good and very interesting, but it was written too academic for my taste. I think you would enjoy this material if you enjoy more if you enjoy that style of writing. That being said, the material was well planned out and the book did give me a lot of insight into magic and the middle ages.

[Eseula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Büyü hakkında çok detaylı olmasa bile Orta Çağ'a ait ele geçen kaynaklardan bahsederek genel bir anlatım sunuyor kitap. Konuyla ilgilenenler ve merak edenler için bir nevi başlangıç noktası sayılabilecek, yola çıkmalarına yardım edebilecek bir kapı niteliğinde. O yüzden çok da sürükleyici, ohoo neler de varmış dedirtici bir anlatım beklemeyin, çoğu yerde biraz kafa bulandırıcı ve sıkıcı da olabiliyor.

[Lucija · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
The ultimate guide for understanding magic of medieval times.
A word of advice: it's very scientific, definitely not a light read but absolutely worth it.

[Telarak Amuna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il maggior pregio di questo libro è la grande estensione temporale e spaziale, partendo fin dai primordi dell’idea culturale di magia (in ambito occidentale), passando poi per greci, latini e così via (e curando sempre tanto le voci a favore, quanto le condanne e le parodie o critiche ironiche mosse alla magia fin dagli inizi) e toccando anche popolazioni più marginali, come gli irlandesi o gli scandinavi. In tal modo si ha un’idea di come un fenomeno tanto importante sia nato, si sia sviluppato e abbia informato di sé la cultura di numerose nazioni. Emerge chiaramente come, anche se in sottotraccia, la magia non esercita una funzione di molto subalterna alla religione nel plasmare le credenze e la condotta della società, o in positivo (pratica di riti magici) o in negativo (paura e contrapposizione a queste pratiche) in un atteggiamento che raramente è di semplice scetticismo: emerge che a essere messa in dubbio, qualora lo sia, non è l’esistenza della magia, ma i suoi effetti, sia come obiettivi raggiungibili, sia come loro liceità. Altro elemento rilevato dall’autore è la motivazione che per lo più è retrostante al suo utilizzo, vale a dire il desiderio di ottenere qualcosa altrimenti irraggiungibile, che sia il controllo del mondo naturale e dei suoi fenomeni o la possibilità di influenzare le interazioni sociali, o ancora il miglioramento di una propria condizione fisica o mentale. Insomma, la magia è lo strumento della rivalsa, della rivincita di limiti sentiti come troppo angusti in rapporto alla propria posizione nella società (quindi limiti per così dire civili) e alla propria natura di uomini (quindi limiti divini o naturali); in altre parole essa è una risposta all’insicurezza del periodo medievale on entrambi i poli in cui si colloca, fungendo così da capro espiatorio per gli avvenimenti negativi (e nei secoli successivi questo ruolo della strega, parallelo a quello degli ebrei, sarà sempre più evidente) o da scorciatoia per ricompense positive.
Infine si evidenziano anche i rapporti tra magia e religione (uso privato e costrizione vs uso pubblico e richiesta, nonché l’uso politico ce se n’è fatto per screditare altre religioni, accusate di essere accozzaglie di terribili riti magici), magia e scienza (la prima come gradino ulteriore per comprendere e controllare le virtù nascoste degli elementi naturali, inaccessibili alla seconda) e magia demoniaca e magia naturale (la prima vicina alla religione, ma rivolta a demoni, la seconda alla scienza e metodo per sfruttare le virtù insite, ma nascoste) quantunque in queste distinzioni pecchi un po’ di eccessiva esemplificazione, sia nel non distinguere con la necessaria precisione filoni più popolari e quelli invece colti (tanto evidenti da Ficino in poi), sia nel tracciare confini che potrebbero risultare, nella loro eccessiva fissità, quasi inoperanti, soprattutto all’interno di una miscela di credenze, come quella magica, che assorbe apporti da numerosi fonti, li rielabora e spesso li cambia di segno (basti pensare all’ermetismo, che mescola varie scuole filosofiche greche a concetti biblici e a presunti riti religiosi egiziani). Nonostante questa pecca, per un inquadramento generale che non anneghi nei dettaglia questo rimane un’opera molto utile; basti ricorrere poi, in caso di desiderio di approfondimento, ad opere più focalizzate e di scavo più approfondito, in modo da correggere quelli che non sono errori, ma visioni semplicemente troppo semplicistiche di fronte ad alcune specifiche realtà, quali le credenze di un Pico o di un Ficino.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, pretty interesting. My daughter was taking a class in witchcraft & medieval history (yes, really, in college. I paid for it.), and this was one of the text books. We were having a conversation about astronomy v. astrology, and she started talking about medieval days when they were essentially one and the same, and then we moved on to how much of the early "science" came from the Middle East and or Greece, and how much got lost in translation. The conversation concluded with her recommendation that I read this book. I did, it was short.

The author does an excellent job of setting forth the circumstances of "magic" at that time. He breaks it into many categories, and tries to show where it challenges, and where it overlaps with religion. Mr. Kieckhefer really knows and enjoys his topic. I started to wonder if he actually believed in some of this magic. I think his ultimate goal was to show that people in the middle ages were not as ignorant as we often think, and that their belief in magic/sorcery/magical religion/alchemy was, for their time and place, very reasonable. It is also quite obvious how all those beliefs became the basis for much better "science" as time went by, but thatnwhat we think of as real science grew out of the concepts inspired by magic. As in alchemists had a valid concept: everything can be broken down to its elements. Their problem was they were stuck with the 4 basic Greek elements that you can see with the naked eye. Astrologers were truly on to something watching the movements of the stars. The same for the other areas. In other words, these folks we like to mock were slowly moving in the right direction.

[Des Bladet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kieckhefer is extremely pre-occupied with the taxonomical question of whether specific practices would be seen as "magic" by the authorities (not just the Church but also secular authorities), based on mainly the question that the Church especially would have had of whether or not the source of power was demonic.

This question interests me precisely not at all, which frankly took a lot of the edge off the fun, but there are enough details of actual practices and attempts to sketch the world views of practitioners and so on to make it not a total washout, but if you want the concerns and analyses of Frances Yates you should look elsewhere (possibly the works of Frances Yates would be a good place to start?).

[Hannahcomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is adorable. I think Kieckhefer has unapologetically nerdy enthusiasm for the subject that translates well to his writing. I wish there had been more on 11th-12th century spells but as a broad compendium it does a good job, via strict categorization, of illustrating how little difference there was between 'science' and 'magic' in the medieval mind.

To those who mention that it is dense: Not really, when compared to other history books. Every concept is paired with a historical reference, it doesn't arrange every last detail in mechanical order, and relies more on descriptions of books and magic involved. My favorite is the section on alchemy, and I walked away with the notion that alchemy was the MLM scheme of its day.

[Erika Canto · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Un vistazo hacia el pasado para entender nuestro presente y así construir nuestro futuro”. Entender la historia social del camino que se nos trazó a través del temor a lo desconocido, creando hostilidad, sospecha y desconfianza entre las personas por parte de la religión inquisidora. Pero también el conocer lo que se nos quedó muy presente de esa magia que al conectarnos con las estrellas y la naturaleza, nos llama una y otra vez hasta el fin de los tiempos. (Historia, sociología, folklorismo, religiosidad, ciencia)

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scholarly text I have had on my shelves for a long time; quite entertaining for a deep dive into history and manuscript evidence. Don't ask me to summarize what I learned because the joy was in the reading itself; my brain has already started to move on.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting survey of how magic was used by different practioners and on different contexts. I would've liked more specific examples of magic though. The examples that are therr are just scattered throughout the book.

[Freyja Vanadis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't quite what I expected. The author writes in a very dry, scholarly way, and it wasn't really the material I was hoping for.

[Clayton Brannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and researched book on magic and its origins and the effects it had on the middle ages. Thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent textbook showing how in the Middle Ages Magic was dealt with, who did it and how was it seen in society. Also how attitudes towards it changed over time - well worth a read!

[Alessandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manuale molto interessante, che tratta la storia della magia medievale in modo dettagliato. Consigliato, se vi interessa l'argomento, soprattutto come introduzione generale alla tematica.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice primer.

[frogfairie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[Jan Zelinka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hodně stručné. Jako úvod ke skutečné historii magie bych to bral.

[Jeff Lewonczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most scintillating prose, but an excellent aggregation/distillation of valuable material.