Strange Histories: The Trial of the Pig, the Walking Dead, and Other Matters of Fact from the Medieval and Renaissance Worlds

by Oldridge; Darren

• ISBN13: 9780415404921
• ISBN10: 0415404924
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-12-12
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

In 1458 a pig was hanged for murder in Burgundy. The French judge Henri Boguet described an apple possessed by demons in 1602. A few years later, Italian Jesuits tried to calculate the physical dimensions of hell. Strange Histories presents a serious account of some of the most extraordinary occurrences of European and North American history and explains how they made sense to people living at the time.

Table of Contents

List of plates	p. viii
Preface	p. ix
Introduction: Strange Worlds	p. 1
Angels on a Pinhead	p. 20
They Hang Horses, Don't They?	p. 40
The Roaming Dead	p. 56
"A Shipwreck of Souls": Understanding Witchcraft	p. 76
Werewolves and Flying Witches	p. 96
Raptures and Forbidden Words	p. 112
Suffering Saints	p. 133
The Case for Killing Heretics	p. 150
Conclusion: "The Edge of Wonder"	p. 166
Notes	p. 176
Index	p. 193
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