Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index


  • Record Number: 14584
  • Author(s)/Creator(s): Skemer , Don C.
  • Contributor(s):
  • Title: Amulet Rolls and Female Devotion in the Late Middle Ages [medieval written amulets in scroll form rarely survive, but those that do frequently are intended to guarantee safety in pregnancy and childbirth; these amulets might be read aloud, bound to the woman or even fed to her; many of the surviving rolls are dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, the patron saint of pregnant women; this article edits one such roll (with the Latin text presented in the appendix) and provides a plate with a picture of the original; its mention of Saint Sigismund, a Burgundian martyr, may point to an origin in or near the ancient Burgundian realm; some of the charms are general ones, intended to provide generalized protection; but others make specific reference to childbirth, the greatest period of danger in many women's lives; other religious objects, including books of hours, were expected to serve similar protective purposes].
  • Source: Scriptorium 55, 2 ( 2001): Pages 197 - 227.
  • Description:
  • Article Type: Journal Article
  • Subject (See Also): Amulets Books of Hours Childbirth Magic Manuscripts Margaret of Antioch, Saint Pregnancy Sigismund of Burgundy, Saint
  • Award Note:
  • Geographic Area: France
  • Century: 15
  • Primary Evidence: Amulet;Manuscript; Private collection, scroll. Eighty-seven lines of Latin text copied by a professional scribe, early fifteenth century.
  • Illustrations: One figure. Figure One Scroll with Latin text (private collection).
  • Table:
  • Abstract:
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  • Author's Affiliation:
  • Conference Info: - , -
  • Year of Publication: 2001.
  • Language: English;Latin
  • ISSN/ISBN: 00369772