Gränsdragningar och ritualiserade praktiker : Förhållandet mellan religion, naturfilosofi och magi i 1500- talets Danmark

Sammanfattning: The prime focus of this dissertation is the relationship between natural philosophy, magic and religion. This is studied through an emphasis on ritual and ritualising practices centred on predicting and causing effect through ritual action. A focus therefore follows on astrological, healing and Christian practices, studied through almanacks and healing texts. The analysis is limited geographically to Denmark, and more specifically to Copenhagen and Scania. Conclusions drawn include the need to emphasise a continuity in ideas throughout the early modern period. This is demonstrated by showing a gradual shift in ritualised practices from the catholic era to and throughout the protestant era during the 1500s. Furthermore, astrologyis seen as an important ritualised practice that spans the spheres of both natural philosophy, magic and religion. Astrology as a ritualised practice is also shown to have been used foracademic, theological and agricultural purposes. The ritualised astrological practices within these spheres are confirmed to vary in execution but also show many similarities in regards to underlying ideas. Such ideas include sympathetic links between nature and the body and between the celestial spheres and earth. Christian ideas are also demonstrated to permeate ritual practices in the astrological, magical and medicinal fields. Re-ritualisation of healing and astrological practices are also concluded to have been used as a tool for implementing reformation ideals