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Bringing Men Through the Air: the Charms and the Stories

Summary/Abstract: The author presents (A) the types of contexts in which (young) women perform charms for bringing their lover/fated partner/husband through the air; (B) the charm scenario types that explicitly state as their function the bringing through the air of a male partner; (C) a corpus of stories about men who were seen flying as a result of such charms. In contradistinction to the charm scenarios, usually collected from expert female magic insiders, the stories were told by magic outsiders (women and men who either do not believe or do not agree with charming as such and who do not know how to charm). Also, while charm-scenarios „work” upon the intentionality of their male Object, submitting it to the wishes and needs of the Charmee, the stories concentrate upon the technicalities of flying, its speed, dangers, trajectory etc. The comparison between the charm-scenarios and the stories about charming makes visible an implicit dialogue between different groups in the communities that were studied.

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