IMC 2011: Sessions

This session explores the variety of ways in which men and women have represented and understood the figure(s) of evil sometimes referred to as the devil, Satan, or Iblīs. Owen Roberson will consider the many techniques the poet uses to create identity in Genesis B. He will consider the techniques the poet uses to achieve a balance between psychological realism and agency and how this supports more conventional forms of characterisation in the text, and, ultimately, how this affects readings to inform the audience's understanding of the didactic purpose of the text. Kate Thomas will explore protection against the devil in Anglo-Saxon England. Praying before a cross and making the sign of the cross protected a person from physical as well as spiritual harm, and acted as a Christian alternative to pagan charms. By contrast, medical manuals, which generally make great use of the sign of the cross in healing physical diseases, take a remarkably unspiritual approach to demonic temptation and devil sickness. Zohar Hadromi-Allouche will explore an Islamic myth that has been present in the collective memory of Muslim Mediterranean society for over a thousand years. This unusual story concerns the origin of evil and Adam and Eve's decision to roast and eat the devil's child. The earliest version is quoted by the mystic al-Hakīm al-Tirmidhī (d. 905-910 C.E.), and has persisted until the 20th Century as a Palestinian folk-tale. In her talk she will present the text, overview the multiple possiblities for reading and analysing it, and focus discussion on the following points: (1) the functions of the text in each of the contexts in which it appears; (2) its origin and circulation; and (3) the character of the Devil(s) and its development in the various versions of the narrative.