Valentine's Day Special: Magical and Medical Contraception

The Maniculum Podcast

Happy Valentine's Day! In this episode, we delve into medieval love spells, contraception, and the challenges women faced in matters of love and pregnancy. From mysterious plants and potions to debates among theologians on abortion ethics, explore the intersection of magic, societal views, and women's health in the Middle Ages.

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Citations & References:

• Bailey, Michael D. ‘The Age of Magicians: Periodization in the History of European Magic.’
• Bailey, Michael D. ‘The Disenchantment of Magic: Spells, Charms, and Superstition in Early European Witchcraft Literature.’
• Bailey, Michael D. ‘The Meanings of Magic.’ Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft,
• Kieckhefer, Richard. ‘The Specific Rationality of Medieval Magic.’
• Kieckhefer, Richard. Magic in the Middle Ages.
• John M. Riddle, Contraception and Early Abortion in the Middle Ages
• Thomas R Forbes, Midwifery and Witchcraft.
• Lydia Harris, Evacuating the Womb: Abortion and Contraception in the High Middle Ages,
• circa 1050-1300.
• Etienne van de Walle, Flowers and Fruits: Two Thousand Years of Menstrual Regulation.
• John Haldane and Patrick Lee, Aquinas on Human Ensoulment, Abortion and the Value of Life.
• John M. Riddle and J. Worth Estes, Oral Contraceptives in Ancient and Medieval Times.
• John Scarborough and Andrea Fernandes, Ancient Medicinal Use of Aristolochia: Birthwort's Tradition and Toxicity
• Phillip A. Bernhardt-House, The Old Irish Impotence Spell: The Dam Dli, Fergus, Fertility, and the Mythic Backround of an Irish Incantation