Compilation Contexts of Medieval and Early Modern Bulgarian Charms

Abstract

The article deals with the medieval and early modern Bulgarian verbal charms and their textual contexts. More specifically, the focus is on the manuscripts in which these charms can be found. Both the charms and the manuscripts are discussed as cultural phenomena, which were part of complex cultural contexts, including processes like compilation, usage, adaptation and transmission. The article traces the organising principles of the miscellanies containing verbal magic, and also the actors and factors that influence these manuscripts and their content. Then, the article discusses the specifics and the role of variation and practicality, and the complex interrelation between the written and the oral. Finally, the article points out some specific patterns and relations between the apotropaic and curative functions of the charms, the processes of written and oral transmission, and the broader textual content of the manuscripts. The main goal of the paper is to urge a discussion on medieval and early modern Bulgarian verbal charms in the light of their immediate textual and broader cultural environment.