The Celtic Evil Eye and related mythological motifs in medieval Ireland
By: by Jacqueline Borsje ; with a contribution by Fergus Kelly
Contributors: Kelly, Fergus, 1944-
Series: Studies in the history and anthropology of religion -- 2; Studies in the history and anthropology of religion -- 2.
Publisher: Peeters; Peeters Publishers
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Leuven; Paris; Walpole, MA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 387
ISBN-13: 9789042926417
Description: "If looks could kill... They can, according to medieval Irish texts - our richest literary inheritance in a Celtic language. The belief in evil, angry or envious eyes casting harmful glances that destroy their target is widespread. This is the first comprehensive study of 'the evil eye' in medieval Ireland. We follow the trail from Balor the fearsome one-eyed giant and other evil-eyed kings to saints casting the evil eye, and many others. This study surveys a fascinating body of Irish literature and also examines the evidence for belief in the evil eye in the daily life of medieval Ireland, where people tried to protect themselves against this purported harm by legislation, rituals, verbal precautions and remedies. Related mythological imagery is tracked down and a lost tale about a doomed king who follows a sinister-eyed woman into the Otherworld is reconstructed on the basis of surviving fragments. The edition and translation of a medieval Irish legal text by Fergus Kelly and two sagas in English translation conclude the volume."--Publisher's website.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 341-366) and index.
Table of contents: title: The Evil Eye in Medieval Irish Literature; title: The Evil Eye in Medieval Irish Law; title: A Doomed King and the Motif of Being One-Eyed; title: Encounters with One-Eyed Beings; title: Another Doomed King and his Banshee; title: The Power of Words: The Intricacy of the Motif of the Evil Eye.