Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index


  • Record Number: 18756
  • Author(s)/Creator(s): Keefer , Sarah Larratt.
  • Contributor(s):
  • Title: A Monastic Echo in an Old English Charm [The Old English metrical poem most commonly known as “Charm for Delayed Birth” is often interpreted as a magical incantation intended to protect a woman from a spontaneous miscarriage or stillbirth. Although the poem may have origins in pagan practices, the poem’s references to Bethlehem and the Nativity give it Christian relevance. Moreover, the poem repeatedly echoes monastic references to scripture and liturgy, giving the poem an oral quality that could serve a prayerful or devotional purpose instead of just being a pagan incantation with Christian terminology. Title note supplied by Feminae.].
  • Source: Leeds Studies in English 21, ( 1990): Pages 71 - 80.
  • Description:
  • Article Type: Journal Article
  • Subject (See Also): Charms Childbirth in Literature Devotional Literature Devotional Practices Literature- Verse Magic Miscarriages Monasticism Old English Language Oral Tradition Pagan Influences Paganism Pregnancy in Literature Women in Literature
  • Award Note:
  • Geographic Area: British Isles
  • Century: 8-9
  • Primary Evidence:
  • Illustrations:
  • Table:
  • Abstract:
  • Related Resources:
  • Author's Affiliation:
  • Conference Info: - , -
  • Year of Publication: 1990.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN/ISBN: 00758566