By Prof. Ann Marie Rasmussen, University of Waterloo
Prof. Ann Marie Rasmussen from the University of Waterloo (Canada) brings to the fore the modernity of medieval pilgrim badges and the medieval dimensions of a modern cell phone camera.By Dr Aletta Leipold, Saxon Academy of Science and Humanities
The Old High German noun rûna does not denote a character, as one might erroneously assume based on the meaning of the German word Rune. The majority of words connected to rûna, rûnên and related derivates and compounds pertain to the semantic field of words such as ‘whisper’, ‘whispering’, ‘murmur’, and ‘murmuring’. This semantic range, associated with orality, was further expanded to include meanings related to ‘sorcery’ and ‘secret’. How much magic is in these Old High German words and what may we learn from them about medieval concepts of magic?
