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

Raudvere, Catharina

Softcover

ISBN 10: 3030489213 ISBN 13: 9783030489212

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022

Synopsis

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. The aim of this monograph is to analyse 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.

About this title

About the Author

Catharina Raudvere is Professor in the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies in the Section for the History of Religions at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Edition details

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3030489213
• ISBN 13: 9783030489212
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 321