Medieval Folklore : A Guide to Myths, Legends, Tales, Beliefs, and Customs

Over a decade in the making, Medieval Folklore offers a wide-ranging guide to the lore of the Middle Agesfrom the mundane to the supernatural. Definitive and lively articles focus on the great tales and traditions of the age and includes information on daily and nightly customs and activities; religious beliefs of the pagan, Christian, Muslim, and Jew; key works of oral and written literature; traditional music and art; holidays and feasts; food and drink; and plants and animals, both real and fantastical. While most books on medieval folklore focus primarily on the West, this unique volume brings together an eclectic range of experts to treat the subject from a global perspective. Especially remarkable are the surveys of the major medieval traditions including Arab-Islamic, Baltic, English, Finno-Ugric, French, Hispanic, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Scandinavian, Scottish, Slavic, and Welsh. For anyone who has ever wanted a path through the tangle of Arthurian legends, or the real lowdown on St. Patrick, or the last word on wolf lorethis is the place to look. The contributors: Ulrich Marzolph Arab-Islamic Thomas A. DuBois Baltic John McNamara & Carl Lindahl English Thomas A. DuBois Finno-Ugric Francesca Canad Sautman French Samuel G. Armistead Hispanic va Pcs Hungarian Joseph Falaky Nagy Irish Giuseppe C. Di Scipio Italian Eli Yassif Jewish Stephen A. Mitchell Scandinavian John McNamara Scottish Eve Levin Slavic Elissa R. Henken & Brynley F. Roberts Welsh