Magic in News: Magic, Witchcraft and Superstition in Estonian Newspapers 1850-1980

This study discusses magic and witchcraft as presented in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century newspaper articles in Estonia. Magic is understood according to its vernacular meaning, including witchcraft, magic, and healing but also fraud, which created a solid but amorphous concept for the c...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Jonuks, Tõnno 1974- (Author) ; Johanson, Kristiina 1980- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2023
In: The pomegranate
Year: 2023, Volume: 25, Issue: 1/2, Pages: 186-215
Further subjects:B Witchcraft
B 19th Century
B Magic
B Journalism
B responses to magic
B 20th Century
B Estonia
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Description
Summary:This study discusses magic and witchcraft as presented in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century newspaper articles in Estonia. Magic is understood according to its vernacular meaning, including witchcraft, magic, and healing but also fraud, which created a solid but amorphous concept for the common people at this period. A diachronic overview emphasizes how perceptions of magic have changed during time. The material is divided into three groups, covering folkloric, authority-related, and educational reactions to magical acts. According to the material discussed in this article, the majority of relevant news was published because of curiosity, and the dominating attitude is to ridicule the persons who have performed or participated in some magical act.
ISSN:1743-1735
Contains:Enthalten in: The pomegranate
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1558/pome.22957