ENGLISH

Narratives and Rituals of the Nightmare Hag in Scandinavian Folk Belief (Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic)

By Catharina Raudvere

Book information

Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan
Year
2021
ISBN
3030489183, 9783030489182
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
4 MB (3920598 bytes)
Pages
321\316
Time added
2024-04-15 17:15:53

Description

This books explores varying conceptions of the Nightmare hag, mara, in Scandinavian folk belief. What began as observations of some startling narratives preserved in folklore archives where sex, violence and curses are recurring themes gradually led to questions as to how rural people envisaged good and evil, illness and health, and cause and effect. At closer reading, narratives about the mara character involve existential themes, as well as comments on gender and social hierarchy. This monograph analyses how this female creature was conceived of in oral literature and everyday ritual practice in pre-industrial Scandinavia, and what role she played in a larger pattern of belief in witchcraft and magic.

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