Pre-Modern Seminar No 12: Svetlana Tsonkova

Today, Monday February 13th, Svetlana Tsonkova will give a interdisciplinary talk called:

"Medieval and Early Modern Verbal Magic - Crisis Management and Fachliteratur."

The seminar will take place in the library of Skandinavistika (Ülikooli 17) at 18.15.
 

Svetlana has sent us a short presentation of the lecture:

"The sources for my presentation are medieval and early modern Bulgarian charms in Old Church Slavonic Language, preserved in manuscripts and on amulets. This extant material has three main topics (health care, protection angainst evil powers and natural disasters, and provision of success and prosperity), which refect the most important aspects and critical situations of human everyday life. The constant contact between Our World and the Other World causes crises, but also gives the power to solve the problems.

In my talk I shall discuss Bulgarian charms in the context of this dynamic interaction between magical and supernatural. My interest is in the role of verbal magic as a central instrument of crisis management, connected with the power of text and objects, and requiring specialized knowledge.

Also, I shall refer to the oral and written aspects of this knowledge, its transmission, adaptation and applicatioin in quotidian environment. Based on textual material, my research includes cultural history, history of magic, history of mentalities, archeology, folklore and ethnology."

Welcome!