Course Description:
Folklore tends to be a little more important than what we would like to give it credit. It is the mirror of the Otherworld in combination with the characters of our would. Mass hysteria is only mass by collective thought. This collective thought that is designed from a similarity of thought from a people or a group has enough essence to be a thought and alive on its own, on the outside of the human body. For this thought to have a significance in relation it must have a home. This home is a character that is agreed upon by the masses and carried out throughout time. Because humans do not know how long we have been on Earth. These thoughts could have been literal and alive on its own in previous times that could stretch back a millennia. Either way it goes, these thoughts are attached to mankind. There is a possibility that these thoughts and/or characters assisted with mankind's physical, psychological or social development. Folklore is the embodiment of these newly identified and created characters and also the ones that have been forgotten over a millennia of time. History repeats itself. The wild man and woman were entities representing the uncivilized status of Europeans. They were entities that represented a life of freedom in the woods. Freedom was seen as a status of not having self control and meeting everything with unbridled violence. Folklore also goes into fairies and what they truly are.
There are many forms of magic that were used during these times. Today many of these things would be considered “superstitious” and “nonsense.” I would beg to differ, with close observation we will see that these things should be taken with a small tone of seriousness. The Evil Eye was taken very seriously throughout the majority of the Medieval world. In our modern times we see the evil eye coming from another person when they are angry all the time. We do not consider it as a mechanism for murder. In Old Europe it was identified as a tool to use for the cursing of a person. Magic Mirrors and Crystal balls were also used during these times. How they were made their designation in usage and many other elements pertaining to them will be discussed. The Wax Men was a form of magic that is found in a multitude of cultures was definitely used in Europe specifically Scotland. How this is done will be discussed. Other forms of petty magic will be observed and presented as it states in the course material.