Talisman, Amulet, and Intention in Medieval and Early Modern Iberia

Abstract

This study examines amulets and talismans in medieval and early modern Iberia. I argue that the terms amulet and talisman can be used to examine how, on the one hand, some Iberian magic texts are considered magic or magical based on a belief that the objects themselves have intentions, and on the other, that magic texts possess a magic effect as a result of the intentions that a human user attributes to them. While a provisional distinction between amulets and talismans can be made using the criterion of intention, this study ultimately argues that intention is simply a means by which we might understand the complexity of the functioning of magic texts and objects, rather than a means to classify them in any sort of definitive way. To examine function in the realm of magic texts, I examine three motifs of intention, illustrating each one with examples from Christian and Islamic Iberian contexts: the acquisition and uses of knowledge; reading and other forms of communication; and metonymy and interpretation. I draw on magic texts depicted in medieval Iberian literature, magic compilations confiscated by the Spanish Inquisition that contained magic and could themselves be used as amulets, and Morisco recipes that aim to cure a variety of ailments and to solve problems.