page_title: Magic in Anglo-Saxon England
section_title: Paganism
hierarchical_section_title: Magic in Anglo-Saxon England / Magic and religion / Paganism
caption_attribution_description: Enhanced grayscale image of seventh-century "shield on tongue" buckle, described in S.C. Hawkes, H.R.E. Davidson, C. Hawkes, 1965 "The Finglesham man," Antiquity 39:17-32.
context_page_description: Magic in Anglo-Saxon England refers to the belief and practice of magic by the Anglo-Saxons between the fifth and eleventh centuries AD in Early Mediaeval England. In this period, magical practices were used for a variety of reasons, but from the available evidence it appears that they were predominantly used for healing ailments and creating amulets, although it is apparent that at times they were also used to curse.
  The Anglo-Saxon period was dominated by two separate religious traditions, the polytheistic Anglo-Saxon paganism and then the monotheistic Anglo-Saxon Christianity, both of which left their influences on the magical practices of the time.
  What we know of Anglo-Saxon magic comes primarily from the surviving medical manuscripts, such as Bald's Leechbook and the Lacnunga, all of which date from the Christian era.
  Written evidence shows that magical practices were performed by those involved in the medical profession. From burial evidence, various archaeologists have also argued for the existence of professional female magical practitioners that they have referred to as cunning women.
context_section_description: Anglo-Saxon paganism was polytheistic, believing in the existence of multiple deities. They also appeared to have revered a number of local deities and spirits in addition to holding nature and specific natural formations in high regard. lack of surviving evidence makes it unclear what Anglo-Saxon people believed the relationship between magic and the gods was like, although from examining the Norse mythological story surrounding the god Odin and his quest for knowledge, Godfrid Storms argued that across the Germanic-speaking world, there was a belief that the gods were "as much subject to magic as more earthly creatures."
  The god Woden is the only pre-Christian deity to be mentioned in the surviving Anglo-Saxon charms. The charm in question is known as the Nine Herbs Charm, and involves a discussion of nine different herbs used medicinally. In the charm, it is proclaimed that:
  A worm came crawling, it killed nothing.
  For Woden took nine glory twigs,
  he smote then the adder that it flew apart into nine parts.
  Storms noted that in this charm, Woden's victory in smiting the adder is evoked to symbolise how the poison in the human body is smitten by the recitation of the charm.
  Animal charms also featured prominently in Anglo-Saxon magic as wards against evil magic users. These charms contained clear zoomorphic symbolism borrowed from Pagan beliefs such as symbols of the Boar, Eagle and Wolf. Furthermore, these charms were often designed for
caption: Anglo-Saxon belt buckle uncovered in Finglesham, which is widely believed to depict the god Woden.[26]
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