SEELECTS of ‘Slavic and East-European Lectures’ is een lezingenreeks. Het biedt een forum aan nationale en internationale onderzoekers. De thema’s die aan bod komen hebben alle betrekking op Oost- en Zuidoost-Europa, maar beperken zich niet tot Slavische topics alleen. De thema’s zijn eerder breed explorerend dan eng toegespitst.
SEELECTS or ‘Slavic and East-European lectures’ is a series of scholarly lectures. It is a forum for national and international scholars. All presentations cover East and Southeast Europe, but are not restricted to Slavic topics alone. The talks are rather broad and exploratory, than all too narrow or specific.
Programma 2023-2024
Event Information:
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Do14Dec.201718:00Campus Boekentoren, Blandijnberg 2, room/lokaal 110.022 (first floor/eerste verdieping)
The Power of the Written Words: Textual Amulets in Pre-Modern Bulgaria
Diana Atanasova (Universitet im. Kliment Ohridski, Sofia)
The presentation focusses on textual amulets, a specific type of texts spread in the Medieval and Pre-Modern Bulgarian tradition. These are texts written or engraved on different material – lead, parchment, paper – with the intention to be worn on the body. It was commonly believed that, if one obtained such a text, written on anything, and carried it with him, the text would provide enough protection against diseases and evil powers. It was sufficient to own these texts, while reading them was not required.
The texts found on amulets comprise spells, incantations, lists of names, magical prayers, but also narratives – shorter and expanded. The main issue of my presentation is to discuss the meaning and the principle of selection of these narratives, known also as historiola. What kind of stories did they tell and were they reproduced only on such apotropaic objects?