|
Segen
''Segen'' is a German word translating to "blessing, benediction; charm; prayer; spell, incantation". It is in origin a loan from Latin ''signum'' ''sīgnāre'' "to make a sign", viz. the Sign of the Cross used to confer a Christian blessing, The term is attested as Old High German ''seganōn'' from as early as c. AD 800, resulting in a modern ''segnen'' "to bless". The noun ''Segen'' "blessing" was derived from the verb at an early time, attested in the 9th century as ''segan''. Old English had the corresponding ''sægnan'', which survives as the dialectal (esp. Scottish) ''sain'' (popularized by Scott, '' Heart of Mid-Lothian'' "God sain us"). The concept of ''Segen'', understood magically, was very productive in the folklore, folk religion and superstition of German-speaking Europe, studied in great detail by the German philologists and folklorists of the 19th century. The medieval church used the ''Segen'' (the sign of the cross with a spoken formula) liberally, intended a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wolfssegen
In Bavarian folklore of the Early Modern period, a ''Wolfssegen'' (; also ''Wolfsegen, Wolf-Segen'') was an apotropaic charm against wolves; conversely, a ''Wolfbann'' (''Wolf-Bann'') was a malevolent spell causing a wolf attack. The ''Wolfssegen'' is just one specific example of various distinct kinds of '' Segen'' ("blessing; charm, incantation") in the folklore of German-speaking Europe. While early examples of ''Wolfssegen'' survive from the Late Middle Ages, use of these charms seems to have peaked during the 17th century, when they were offered by professional "wolf charmers" (''Wolfssegner'' or ''Wolfbanner''). This corresponds to the cold period known as the Little Ice Age, for which there is ample historical evidence of wolf populations in much of the Bavarian Alps. There is no extant text of a ''Wolfbann'', the malevolent opposite of the ''Wolfsegen''; however, there is the text of a spell ''reversing'' a ''Wolfbann'' recorded in 1635 (in effect again a ''Wolfsegen'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Merseburg Incantations
The Merseburg charms or Merseburg incantations (german: die Merseburger Zaubersprüche) are two medieval magic spells, charms or incantations, written in Old High German. They are the only known examples of Germanic pagan belief preserved in the language. They were discovered in 1841 by Georg Waitz, who found them in a theological manuscript from Fulda, written in the 9th century, although there remains some speculation about the date of the charms themselves. The manuscript (Cod. 136 f. 85a) is stored in the library of the cathedral chapter of Merseburg, hence the name. History The Merseburg charms are the only known surviving relics of pre-Christian, pagan poetry in Old High German literature. The charms were recorded in the 10th century by a cleric, possibly in the abbey of Fulda, on a blank page of a liturgical book, which later passed to the library at Merseburg. The charms have thus been transmitted in Caroline minuscule on the flyleaf of a Latin sacramentary. The spells ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deutsches Wörterbuch
The ''Deutsches Wörterbuch'' (; "The German Dictionary"), abbreviated ''DWB'', is the largest and most comprehensive dictionary of the German language in existence.Synopsis of the ''Deutsches Wörterbuch'' at the Language Research Centre, Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, retrieved 27 June 2012.Clifford Wunderlich ''Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm'' , Andover-Harvard Theological Library, Harvard University Divinity School, April 2012. retrieved 27 June 2012. Encompassing modern |
German Folklore
German folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in Germany over a number of centuries. Partially it can be also found in Austria. Characteristics It shares many characteristics with Nordic folklore and English folklore due to their origins in a common Germanic mythology. It reflects a similar mix of influences: a pre-Christian pantheon and other beings equivalent to those of Norse mythology; magical characters (sometimes recognizably pre-Christian) associated with Christian festivals, and various regional 'character' stories. As in Scandinavia, when belief in the old gods disappeared, remnants of the mythos persisted: Holda, a "supernatural" patron of spinning; the Lorelei, a dangerous Rhine siren derived from 19th-century literature; the spirit Berchta (also known as Perchta); the Weiße Frauen, a water spirit said to protect children; the Doppelgänger, supernatural beings said to resemble the exactly similar appearance of determined person; the Wild Hunt (in Ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magical Thinking
Magical thinking, or superstitious thinking, is the belief that unrelated events are causally connected despite the absence of any plausible causal link between them, particularly as a result of supernatural effects. Examples include the idea that personal thoughts can influence the external world without acting on them, or that objects must be causally connected if they resemble each other or have come into contact with each other in the past. Magical thinking is a type of fallacious thinking and is a common source of invalid causal inferences. Unlike the confusion of correlation with causation, magical thinking does not require the events to be correlated. The precise definition of magical thinking may vary subtly when used by different theorists or among different fields of study. In anthropology (the earliest research), the posited causality is between religious ritual, prayer, sacrifice, or the observance of a taboo, and an expected benefit or recompense. Later research indi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Folk Christianity
In religious studies and folkloristics, folk religion, popular religion, traditional religion or vernacular religion comprises various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized religion. The precise definition of folk religion varies among scholars. Sometimes also termed popular belief, it consists of ethnic or regional religious customs under the umbrella of a religion, but outside official doctrine and practices. The term "folk religion" is generally held to encompass two related but separate subjects. The first is the religious dimension of folk culture, or the folk-cultural dimensions of religion. The second refers to the study of syncretisms between two cultures with different stages of formal expression, such as the melange of African folk beliefs and Roman Catholicism that led to the development of Vodun and Santería, and similar mixtures of formal religions with folk cultures. Chinese folk religion, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alpine Pasture
Alpine transhumance is transhumance as practiced in the Alps, that is, a seasonal droving of grazing livestock between the valleys in winter and the high mountain pastures in summer (German ' from the term for "seasonal mountain pasture", '). Transhumance is a traditional practice that has shaped much of the landscape in the Alps, as without it, most areas below would be forests. While tourism and industry contribute today much to Alpine economy, seasonal migration to high pastures is still practiced in Bavaria, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, France and Switzerland, except in their most frequented tourist centers. In some places, cattle are taken care of by local farmer families who move to higher places. In others, this job is for herdsmen who are employees of the cooperative owning the pastures. Most Alpine pastures are below ; all are below . The higher regions not suitable for transhumance are known as the High Alps. Etymology The German word ''Alp'' or ''Alm'' (meaning "sea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Schweizerisches Idiotikon
''Schweizerisches Idiotikon'' ("the Swiss idioticon", also known as ''Wörterbuch der schweizerdeutschen Sprache'' "Dictionary of the Swiss German language") is an ongoing, major project of lexicography of the Swiss German dialects. Publication began in 1881 and is projected to be complete by 2022. Its scope includes the language since the end of the classical Middle High German period (13th century) and as such also represents the historical dictionary of the dialects of German-speaking Switzerland, and is one of the most detailed treatments of the Early Modern High German language in general. As of 2010, it contains 150,000 words. The history of the project began in 1862 with the foundation of a ''Verein für das Schweizerdeutsche Wörterbuch'', led by Friedrich Staub (1826–1896). Originally envisaged as a dictionary in four volumes, the first fascicle was published in 1881. From 1896, the project was led by Albert Bachmann (philologist), Albert Bachmann (1863–1934), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
German-speaking Switzerland
The German-speaking part of Switzerland (german: Deutschschweiz, french: Suisse alémanique, it, Svizzera tedesca, rm, Svizra tudestga) comprises about 65 percent of Switzerland (North Western Switzerland, Eastern Switzerland, Central Switzerland, most of the Swiss Plateau and the greater part of the Swiss Alps). The variety of the German language spoken in Switzerland is called Swiss German which refers to any of the Alemannic dialects and which are divided into Low, High and Highest Alemannic. The only exception within German-speaking Switzerland is the municipality of Samnaun where an Austro-Bavarian dialect is spoken. German is the sole official language in 17 Swiss cantons (Aargau, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Glarus, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Uri, Zug, and Zurich). French and German are co-official in 3 cantons (Bern, Fribourg, and Valais). In the trilingual can ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Des Teufels Netz
Des is a masculine given name, mostly a short form (hypocorism) of Desmond. People named Des include: People * Des Buckingham, English football manager * Des Corcoran, (1928–2004), Australian politician * Des Dillon (other), several people * Des Hasler (born 1961), Australian rugby league player-coach * Desmond Des Kelly (born 1965), British journalist * Desmond Des Lynam (born 1942), British television presenter * Desmond Des Lyttle (born 1971), English footballer * Desmond Des O'Connor (1932–2020), British entertainer * Des O'Connor, Australian rugby league player in the 1970s * Desmond Des O'Grady (born 1953), Irish retired Gaelic footballer * Des O'Hagan (1934–2015), Irish communist * Desmond O'Malley (1939–2021), Irish politician, government minister and founder and leader of the Progressive Democrats * Desmond Des O'Neil (1920–1999), Australian politician * Des O'Reilly (1954–2016), Australian rugby league player * Desmond Smith (general) (1911–1991 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Early Modern Witch-hunts
Witch trials in the early modern period saw that between 1400 to 1782, around 40,000 to 60,000 were killed due to suspicion that they were practicing witchcraft. Some sources estimate that a total of 100,000 trials occurred at its maximum for a similar period. Groundwork on the concept of witchcraft (a person's collaboration with the devil through the use of magic) was developed by Christian theologians as early as the 13th century. However, prosecutions for the practice of witchcraft would only reach a highpoint from 1560 to 1630 during the Counter-Reformation and the European wars of religion, with some regions burning those who were convicted at the stake, of whom roughly 80% were women,, mostly over the age of 40. Medieval background Christian doctrine Throughout the medieval era, mainstream Christian doctrine had denied the belief in the existence of witches and witchcraft, condemning it as a pagan superstition. Some have argued that the work of the Dominican Thomas Aquina ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sign Of The Cross
Making the sign of the cross ( la, signum crucis), or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. This blessing is made by the tracing of an upright cross or + across the body with the right hand, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of the Trinitarian formula: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The use of the sign of the cross traces back to early Christianity, with the second century ''Apostolic Tradition'' directing that it be used during the Minor exorcism in Christianity, minor exorcism of baptism, during ablution in Christianity, ablutions before praying at fixed prayer times, and in times of temptation. The movement is the tracing of the shape of a cross in the air or on one's own body, echoing Instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, the traditional shape of the Christian cross, cross of the Christianity, Christian crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion narrative. Wher ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
