Functioning of Biblical Inclusions in Anglo-Saxon Charms.

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of biblical inclusions in Anglo-Saxon charms, and analyzes onomastic vocabulary, prayers and liturgical inclusions in the structure of the charms. The research material includes examples of the use of biblical terms in Anglo-Saxon charms from the Grendon Collection. The author pays attention to the analysis of the researchers’ views on the changes in the structure of the charms due to the inclusion of Christian prayers and liturgical texts. The addressees, represented by biblical characters, whose use of names may be related to the purpose of the charm and its content, are singled out and described. It is established that both direct and indirect addressing are used in charms, the latter being predominant and is represented by a large number of characters depending on the purpose of the conspiracy. Special attention is paid to the functionality of basic Christian prayers. The main content of the study is the analysis of additional meanings that fragments of the Christian religion give to the pagan in origin conspiracy-magic text. Based on the analysis of prayer inclusions it is concluded that the function of prayers can be different depending on the content of the conspiracy and ritual, but the common setting for all inclusions is the impact on the actions performed and strengthening their effectiveness. Influence refers to the sanctification and blessing of various ritual actions related to pagan practices. The mixture of pagan and Christian ideas about miracles, belief in the supernatural powers of prayer and legendary characters contributed to the integration of Christian practices into pagan conspiracies. The methods of analysis, synthesis and generalization, as well as the hypothetical-inductive method were used in conducting the research.