IMC 2019: Sessions
Session 201: Esoteric Knowledge in Anglo-Saxon England, II: Transforming and Divining
Monday 1 July 2019, 14.15-15.45
| Organiser: | Helen Appleton, Balliol College, University of Oxford |
|---|---|
| Moderator/Chair: | Patricia O'Connor, School of English, University College Cork |
| Paper 201-a | Between Charms and Prognostication: Ælfwine's Prayerbook and British Library, Cotton Tiberius A. iii (Language: English) Index terms: Language and Literature - Old English, Learning (The Classical Inheritance), Mentalities, Science |
| Paper 201-b | Veronica's Bloods and the Royal Prayerbook (Language: English) Index terms: Language and Literature - Old English, Learning (The Classical Inheritance), Liturgy, Medicine |
| Paper 201-c | Blood and Bone: The Enigmatic Poetics of the Metrical Charms (Language: English) Index terms: Language and Literature - Old English, Medicine, Mentalities, Rhetoric |
| Abstract | These three linked sessions examine the creation, presentation, and communication of 'esoteric knowledge' in Anglo-Saxon England: forms of knowledge, or modes of conveying knowledge, that may not have been readily available to a wide audience or that were intentionally enigmatic in register or content. Each session explores performances, translations, and uses of materials that are obscure, inexplicable, or mysterious. We will also strive to address forms of knowledge in Anglo-Saxon England that are treated as esoteric or 'unsolvable' in modern scholarship, and investigate what literary, scientific, or religious understanding can be gained through their close examination. Our second session examines the use of enigmatic language and imagery in magical and prognostic texts. |