IMC 2020: Sessions
Session 318: Blending the Boundaries: The Four Elements in the Middle Ages, II - Air and Fire
Monday 6 July 2020, 16.30-18.00
| Sponsor: | Queen's University Belfast |
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| Organisers: | Elisa Ramazzina, School of Arts, English & Languages, Queen's University Belfast Irene Tenchini, School of Arts, English & Languages, Queen's University Belfast |
| Moderator/Chair: | Marilina Cesario, School of Arts, English & Languages, Queen's University Belfast |
| Paper 318-a | The Four Winds and the Map of the World in the Liber De Optimo Fato of Henry VII (Language: English) Index terms: Geography and Settlement Studies, Mentalities, Science |
| Paper 318-b | 'The sky was seen to be on fire': Aurorae, Meteors, and Other Signs of Fire in the Early Medieval Skies (Language: English) Index terms: Mentalities, Science |
| Paper 318-c | 'Þonne þu fyr sette on mannan þonne nim þu merƿes pores leaf 7 gegniden sealt': Fire in Early Medieval Medicine (Language: English) Index terms: Language and Literature - Old English, Medicine, Mentalities, Science |
| Abstract | This is the second of two sessions exploring the four elements in the medieval worldview. The elements - earth, water, air, and fire - constituted the macrocosm. The human body, being a reflection of the macrocosm, was considered a microcosm, and was thus composed of four humours, the imbalance of which caused disease. The two sessions examine the elements as wide natural categories, that is either as boundaries or as 'bridges' between the microcosm and the macrocosm. The second session is devoted to Air and Fire analysed from different perspectives and in a variety of contexts. It will examine air in late medieval world maps and fiery signs in early medieval skies, as well as investigate the roles of fire in medieval medicine. |