Medieval demons and spirits of place

Description

LECOUTEUX (Claude). Local demons and geniuses in the Middle Ages. Imago, 1995, octavo, 218 pages, foreword by Régis Boyer, 9 text illustrations, bibliography, index, paperback, illustrated cover. In the heart of wild, untamed nature, man exposed to invisible dangers long felt like an intruder and usurper. Every settlement, every colonization was first and foremost a conquest of the primitive and supernatural—mostly threatening—presence of local demons and spirits. Claude Lecouteux, a distinguished medieval specialist, examines popular traditions, legends and tales, discovering traces of archaic fear before countless unspeakable creatures haunting pristine spaces. At the origin of numerous rituals lies the desire to ward off dangers and terrors, to render spirits favorable, and to organize coexistence between genius loci and mankind in specific places. This remarkable work thus illuminates the original role of place in the development of many beliefs and reveals the roots of an ancient respect for nature corresponding to our most current ecological concerns.