Incantations in Medical Advice and Recipes from 16th to 18th Centuries
Incantations in Medical Advice and Recipes from 16th to 18th Centuries

Author(s): Jana Skladaná
Subject(s): Cultural history, Customs / Folklore, Modern Age, Culture and social structure , Health and medicine and law, 16th Century, 17th Century
Published by: Historický ústav SAV
Keywords: magic; modern age; medicinal practice; medical advice; incantations; recipes;
Summary/Abstract: In scholarly literature incantations are defined as set verbal units or phrases expressing superstitions that according to popular beliefs were thought to have a real effect. Incantations are probably the oldest folkloric expressions. Their origin dates far back to the Pre-Christian period. One of the earliest illustrations of their practice can be found in Persian sources. Incantations stemmed from primordial conscience according to which word and action were identical and through them one could make one’s wishes come true. Incantations are much older than prayers. They formed the basis of magical healing, love magic, driving away storms, fires and evil powers; they were part of wishes, carols and other ritual verbal expressions. Incantations differ from prayers in that that one is trying to reach the result directly, while prayer has only a mediating function, representing a link between man and God, an appeal with which a man turns to God awaiting fulfilment of his supplication. The older types of prayers used some elements of incantations. For example prayers against fever, for a good harvest and so on, in which the older pattern was only formally adjusted to the Christian ideas. For example, the person saying an incantation formula in its introductory and final part would stress that he is acting in the name of God, and there were various insertions, such as not with my, but with the help of God and so on.

• Details
• Contents