Magic and Impotence in the Middle Ages investigates the common
medieval belief that magic could cause impotence, focusing
particularly on the period 1150-1450. The subject has never been
studied in detail before, but there is a surprisingly large amount
of information about it in four kinds of source: confessors'
manuals; medical compendia that discussed many illnesses;
commentaries on canon law; and theological commentaries on the
Sentences of Peter Lombard. Although most historians of medieval
culture focus on only one or two of these kinds of source, a
broader comparison reveals that medieval writers held surprisingly
diverse opinions about what magic was, how it worked, and whether
it was ever legitimate to use it.
Medieval discussions of magically caused impotence also include a
great deal of information about magical practices, most of which
have not been studied before. In particular, these sources say a
great deal about popular magic, a subject which has been
particularly neglected by historians because the evidence is scanty
and difficult to interpret. Magic and Impotence makes new
information about popular magic available for the first time.
Magic and Impotence also examines why the authors of legal,
medical, and theological texts were so interested in popular
magical practices relating to impotence. It therefore uses
magically caused impotence as a case-study to explore the
relationship between elite and popular culture. In particular, this
study emphasizes the importance of the thirteenth-century pastoral
reform movement, which sought to enforce more orthodox religious
practices. Historians have often noted that this movement brought
churchmen into contact withpopular beliefs, but this is the first
study to demonstrate the profound effect it had on theological and
legal ideas about magic.
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