Medieval Folklore A Guide to Myths, Legends, Tales, Beliefs, and Customs

by Lindahl, Carl; McNamara, John; Lindow, John

• ISBN13: 9780195147711
• ISBN10: 0195147715
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-05-23
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

[Flaps:] Over a decade in the making, Medieval Folklore offers a wide-ranging guide to the lore of the Middle Ages--from the mundane to the supernatural. Definitive and lively articles focus on the great tales and traditions of the age and includes information on daily and nightly customs and activities; religious beliefs of the pagan, Christian, Muslim, and Jew; key works of oral and written literature; traditional music and art; holidays and feasts; food and drink; and plants and animals, both real and fantastical. While most books on medieval folklore focus primarily on the West, this unique volume brings together an eclectic range of experts to treat the subject from a global perspective. Especially remarkable are the surveys of the major medieval traditions including Arab-Islamic, Baltic, English, Finno-Ugric, French, Hispanic, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Scandinavian, Scottish, Slavic, and Welsh. For anyone who has ever wanted a path through the tangle of Arthurian legends, or the real lowdown on St. Patrick, or the last word on wolf lore--this is the place to look. [Back:] A venerable assemblage of scholars illuminates the folklore of the medieval world and the generations that invented and sustained it. The contributors: Ulrich Marzolph -- Arab-Islamic Thomas A. DuBois -- Baltic John McNamara & Carl Lindahl -- English Thomas A. DuBois -- Finno-Ugric Francesca Canadé Sautman -- French Samuel G. Armistead -- Hispanic Éva Pócs -- Hungarian Joseph Falaky Nagy -- Irish Giuseppe C. Di Scipio -- Italian Eli Yassif -- Jewish Stephen A. Mitchell -- Scandinavian John McNamara -- Scottish Eve Levin -- Slavic Elissa R. Henken & Brynley F. Roberts -- Welsh

Author Biography

Carl Lindahl, author of books and articles on Chaucer, folk narrative, and festive custom, and John McNamara, who has produced many studies of the heroic and monastic lore of medieval England and Scotland, are Professors of English at the University of Houston. John Lindow is a professor at the University of California at Berkeley specializing in Scandinavian folklore and medieval studies.