Are We Afraid of Magic? Magical Artifacts in Estonian Museums

Abstract

Despite the importance of folk religion in Estonian identity, material collections of magical objects are formed randomly. Scarcity is characteristic also of academic interest towards magical objects, resulting on the one hand in ignoring magical objects, on the other hand in ungrounded over-interpretations. This article explores the formation of museum collections holding magical objects and ways of exploiting magic in academic studies.

Keywords:

• magic
• museum collections
• materia magica
• Estonia

Acknowledgments

The authors of the paper are grateful to the organizers of the session “Cataloguing Magic” at the TAG conference in Manchester in 2014, Pärnu Museum and the Estonian National Museum for their assistance, Ester Oras for making valuable comments to the earlier version of this paper, and the anonymous reviewers.

Notes

1 One story (KKI, KS < Häädemeeste, Kägiste (M. Mäesalu 1963)) mentions a sachet made of old rags—it could consist of different things like burnt matches, hen feces, rags, yarn, dried bread crusts and so on, the sachet had to be tied together with a red yarn and brought to the neighbors whom the witch wanted to harm. Another record (ERA II 20, 119/20 (12) < Hageri, Hageri v < Kose) mentions an old lady who carried a sachet full of different animal hairs and snake heads under her armpit to protect her from getting bewitched.

2 The newspaper Sakala in 1939 (Õudne leid Visaku teel) describes a “horrid find on Visaku road”—a bag filled with snake heads, wasp combs, toads and different bugs, all dried. Apparently they belonged to a country doctor. The newspaper Postimees in 1934 (Kuidas nüüdsel ajal nõiutakse) tells a story of a man calling for the police as he suspected his female neighbor of throwing a witch doll in front of his barn to damage his animals.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kristiina Johanson

Kristiina Johanson is a researcher in archaeology at the Institute of History and Archaeology of the University of Tartu, Estonia. Her research focuses on magically used artifacts in archaeological and ethnographic material, combining it also with re-used archaeological finds.

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Tõnno Jonuks

Tõnno Jonuks is an archaeologist, working on long-term perspective of past religions. His main research interest is the materiality of religion and he has conducted multiple case studies on religious artifacts. He currently works at the Estonian Literary Museum, Department of Folklore, in Tartu, Estonia.

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