IMC 2020: Sessions

This session examines medieval boundaries from different angles. The first paper discusses the formation of boundaries through rhetorical means by looking at the ways in which Paulinus of Aquilea contructed a boundary between orthodox Christian belief and the 'adoptionists'. The second paper critically examines the concept of 'emotional communities' by looking at letters written by crusaders during the First Crusade. It will argue that in this context the concept of liminality is more useful as well as that of emotional practices, as developed by Monique Sheer. The third paper looks into snakes with the face of a young woman, which were known as Draconcopedes. It examines in particular how these borderline creatures were depicted in the iconography of 'the Fall' from the 13th century onwards in relation to Lilith, the first wife of Adam who was mostly known from Jewish literature. The last paper will look into the giants as found in medieval literary sources written in Middle Welsh and Middle High German and will argue that these creatures are much more interesting than the current interpretation as simply malevolent characters warrant. An analysis of these non-human creatures will shed light on the boundaries between giants and humans.