Narratives and Rituals of the Nightmare Hag in Scandinavian Folk Belief
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Published:27th Feb '22
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£79.99(9783030489182)
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.
ISBN: 9783030489212
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
310 pages
1st ed. 2020