Medieval spirits and supernatural guardians of places

Description

LECOUTEUX (Claude). Local demons and geniuses in the Middle Ages. Imago, 1995, octavo, 218 pp., preface by Régis Boyer, 9 illustrations in the text, bibliography, index, paperback with illustrated cover. In the heart of wild, untamed nature, man exposed to invisible dangers has long felt like an intruder and usurper. Any settlement or colonization was first a conquest over primitive and supernatural presences—often threatening—of local demons and geniuses. By scrutinizing popular traditions, sagas and stories, Claude Lecouteux, an eminent medievalist specialist, traces archaic fears of countless unspeakable creatures haunting virgin spaces. He identifies in numerous rites the desire to ward off dangers and terrors, to make spirits propitious, and to organize coexistence with man at specific sites. This remarkable work illuminates the primordial role of place in developing many beliefs and reveals roots of ancient respect for nature aligned with current ecological concerns.