Magical Writing in the North – Textual Lead Amulets from the Viking Age and the Scandinavian Middle Ages
| Date: | 01/20/2027, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM |
| Category: | talk |
| Location: | Bibrastr. 14, MagEIA Haus, Raum 01.001 |
| Organizer: | Kolleg-Forschungsgruppe MagEIA |
| Speaker: | Dr. Julia-Sophie Heier |
On 20 January 2027, from 16:00 to 17:30, Dr Julia-Sophie Heier will give a talk entitled ‘Magical’ in room 01.001 at the MagEIA Haus, 14 Bibrastr.
About the event
The paper presents the corpus of textual amulets from the Viking Age (750–1050) and the Scandinavian Middle Ages. The amulets were usually worn close to the body, folded, and used for healing or apotropaic purposes. The objects bear inscriptions carved in Latin minuscule or runes and were written in Latin or the vernacular, i.e. Old Norse. A significant number of the amulets contain inscriptions that, at least from a modern perspective, do not allow for a meaningful linguistic interpretation. This is either due to the fact that the arrangement of the signs does not yield a plausible interpretation or the inscriptions were carved using rune-like signs. This subgroup of amulets will be the main focus of the paper. The aim is to understand how the act of writing – rather than the content of the inscriptions – contributed to the perceived magical efficacy of these amulets. To address this question, I will also examine the small number of amulets that contain indications of ritual and performative writing practices.
Participation
Participation is free of charge; no registration is required.
