Apotropaic act

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Apotropaic ( Greek  ἀποτρόπαιος , defensive ') are actions that are supposed to drive out demons or avert harm. These are measures in the context of a defense spell, with which harmful spells are to be kept away or made ineffective.

term

The word "apotropaic" came into German in the 19th century as a specialist term for religious and ancient studies . For the first time related Otto Jahn it in his 1855 published study the superstition of the evil eye at the old man over . Jahn thus linked to the ancient term of the apotropaic gods ( apotrópaioi theoí ). In ancient times this was understood to mean gods who could cause bad things and therefore had to be fended off, or who were trusted to fend off something bad.

practice

A variety of apotropaic acts and signs have been developed for defense , such as the sign of the cross or the head of Medusa . Apotropaic acts occur again and again without the actors knowing of their ritual origin. In particular, certain things are used to which certain protective functions are assigned.

For example, it was once believed that it would help against an over leg to rub a fresh hazelnut rod over it every morning before breakfast and then rub it with saliva. The function of an apotropaic object sometimes results from its nature. For example, a stone with a natural hole, which is supposed to prevent ghosts from entering the cattle shed, is an abnormal object due to its shape and thus predestined for magical use. The opening makes it appear suitable as a counterpart to the closure against supernatural powers.

The defense magic is practiced to a large extent outside of religious contexts, for example when wearing amulets , certain tattoos and items of clothing (especially headgear, for example bash kebab ).

The originally pre-Christian custom of driving away the ghosts of the old year on New Year's Eve ( New Year's Eve ) with a noise charm, i.e. by noise and fire, also belongs here. This also forms the background of the Carnival , in which in some places noise is made with a devil's violin or a ratchet . In general, many popular ideas that arose in the Middle Ages are rooted in apotropaic acts. The use of images of saints , icons and relics or other things (e.g. checkerboard stones , herringbone patterns ) for protection against evil is based on the magical effect that is ascribed to the respective object. Even the ringing of church bells could have an apotropaic character in the Middle Ages; it has lasted up to modern times as a defense against storms.

See also

literature

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