Ritual, Myth and Magic in Early Modern Europe - University of Reading

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miraculous, and other prodigious….‘. It is these events and incidents, and their
interpretation in early modern Europe, that we will discuss in this session.
Seminar Preparation
(1) Portents and Signs in Nature
The earth and the skies presented a vast resource of information and occurrences that
required interpretation and understanding. Comets, lights in the sky, storms, unusual
animals and animal behaviour – all could be warnings of divine anger, messages from
the angels, or lures and tricks of the devil. But how was nature to be interpreted?
What was a natural event, and what had a preternatural significance? What kind of
events and incidents caused alarm and generated fear? Was there a difference between
such a portent and a miracle? What was it about the early modern period that meant
that these events acquired a great significance? How were true signs and portents
separated from superstition or impious interpretation and divination?
(2) Signs in the Body : Monstrous Births and Physiognomy
It was not only the natural world which provided signs and portents : the human body
could also be a mirror for supernatural revelation. We witness a number of reports in
this period of ‗monstrous births‘ – births of animals to humans, malformed
individuals and twins, and even monsters. What kind of interpretations are advanced
of these events? Are they to be feared or welcomed? What role does the monster –
either real or imaginary – play in popular beliefs? Is it possible to ascertain the
character of something – even and individual – from its physical form? For example
what meaning is attached to certain facial or bodily characteristics – and is there a line
between science and superstition in such interpretations?
(3) Dreams
Although it was widely believed among Protestants that the age of miracles had
passed, there was still some debate over dreams – were they purely the result of
physical causes, or did they have a supernatural significance for example. So how
were dreams to be understood and interpreted? Were dreams divinely inspired? Was
it thought to be particularly good to dream of certain things and not of others? How
much attention were dreams given as a means of prediction or divination?
(4) Popular and Unpopular Prophets
The most famous prophet of the early modern period – or at least the one whose
prophecies have been most clearly transmitted to the present day was Nostradamus.
His predictions are not the simplest to grapple with – but alongside his prophecies lie
those of numerous other ‗popular prophets‘, some of whom attracted a widespread
following. Such individuals and their revelations were not uncommon before the
reformation – indeed late medieval mysticism did much to encourage the growth of
the genre – but it is also possible to chart individual prophets during and after the