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Narratives and Rituals of the Nightmare Hag in Scandinavian Folk Belief

  • Book
  • © 2020

Overview

Authors:
  1. Catharina Raudvere

    1. Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

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  • Explores varying conceptions of the Nightmare hag, mara, in Scandinavian folk belief
  • Analyses how this female creature was conceived of in oral literature and everyday ritual practice in pre-industrial Scandinavia
  • Evaluates what role she played in a larger pattern of belief in witchcraft and magic

Part of the book series: Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic (PHSWM)

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
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  2. Why the Nightmare Hag?

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
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    2. Why the Nightmare Hag? Points of Departure

      • Catharina Raudvere
      Pages 3-46

  3. Imagining the Nightmare Hag and Warding Her Off

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 47-47
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    2. Imagining of the Nightmare Hag

      • Catharina Raudvere
      Pages 49-86

    3. Protection Against the Nightmare Hag

      • Catharina Raudvere
      Pages 87-133

    4. The Nightmare Hag and Magic Thinking

      • Catharina Raudvere
      Pages 135-146

  4. Narrating About the Nightmare Hag

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 147-147
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    2. A Model for an Analysis of the Hag Legends

      • Catharina Raudvere
      Pages 149-164

    3. Analogy Legends

      • Catharina Raudvere
      Pages 165-214

    4. Curse Legends

      • Catharina Raudvere
      Pages 215-251

    5. The Man Who Caught the Hag

      • Catharina Raudvere
      Pages 253-278

  5. The Nightmare Hag: Narrative Figure, Personal Experience and Explanation of Misfortune—Some Concluding Remarks

    • Catharina Raudvere
    Pages 279-282

  6. Back Matter

    Pages 283-310
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Keywords

About this book

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.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Catharina Raudvere

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.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Narratives and Rituals of the Nightmare Hag in Scandinavian Folk Belief

  • Authors: Catharina Raudvere

  • Series Title: Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48919-9

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: History, History (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-48918-2Published: 27 February 2021

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-48921-2Published: 27 February 2022

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-48919-9Published: 26 February 2021

  • Series ISSN: 2731-5630

  • Series E-ISSN: 2731-5649

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XI, 310

  • Number of Illustrations: 14 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: History of Modern Europe, Russian, Soviet, and East European History, Social History

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