It was a commonly expressed view during the First World War that the conflict had seen a major revival of 'superstitious' beliefs and practices. Churches expressed concerns about the wearing of talismans and amulets, the international press paid considerable interest to the pronouncements of astrologers and prophets, and the authorities in several countries periodically clamped down on fortune tellers and mediums due to concerns over their effect on public morale. Out on the battlefields, soldiers of all nations sought to protect themselves through magical and religious rituals, and, on the home front, people sought out psychics and occult practitioners for news of the fate of their distant loved ones or communication with their spirits. Even away from concerns about the war, suspected witches continued to be abused and people continued to resort to magic and magical practitioners for personal protection, love, and success. Uncovering and examining beliefs, practices, and contemporary opinions regarding the role of the supernatural in the war years, Owen Davies explores the broader issues regarding early twentieth-century society in the West, the psychology of the supernatural during wartime, and the extent to which the war cast a spotlight on the widespread continuation of popular belief in magic. A Supernatural War reveals the surprising stories of extraordinary people in a world caught up with the promise of occult powers.
Author(s): Owen Davies
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 295
Tags: Parapsychology, General History Of Religion, History Of Religions
Cover......Page 1
A Supernatural War: Magic, Divination, and Faith during the First World War......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
PREFACE......Page 6
CONTENTS......Page 8
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 10
1: A WAR FULL OF WONDER......Page 12
2: PROPHETIC TIMES......Page 27
Prophecies Old and New......Page 28
A Profusion of Modern Prophets......Page 37
Looking to the Stars......Page 44
Armageddon and the New World Order......Page 51
666: The Sign of the Kaiser......Page 59
3: VISIONS, SPIRITS, AND PSYCHICS......Page 65
Heavenly Signs and Visitations......Page 66
Visions of Mary......Page 74
The White Comrade......Page 78
Haunted Landscapes, Haunted People......Page 81
Spiritualism and the War......Page 86
Spirits on the Battlefield......Page 93
Psychical Warfare......Page 99
Premonitions......Page 104
4: TELLING FORTUNES, TELLING TALES......Page 110
The Business of Fortune Telling......Page 111
Magical Services......Page 116
The Campaign against Fortune Tellers......Page 118
A Women’s Problem......Page 125
Who Do You Think You Are?......Page 129
The Witchcraft Act......Page 136
War Stories......Page 140
5: BATTLEFIELD LUCK......Page 146
Averting Bad Luck......Page 147
Fashioning Protection......Page 150
The Trade in Cauls......Page 158
Clover Wars......Page 160
Swastikas Everywhere......Page 163
Animal Magic......Page 165
Manufacturing Little Gods......Page 171
6: TRENCH FAITH ANDPROTECTION......Page 188
Bible Protection......Page 190
Letters from Heaven......Page 194
The Catholic Armoury......Page 203
Saints and Cults......Page 211
New Thought and Bullet-Proof Thinking......Page 215
Global Faiths......Page 225
7: AFTERMATH......Page 229
Chapter 1......Page 244
Chapter 2......Page 247
Chapter 3......Page 253
Chapter 4......Page 260
Chapter 5......Page 264
Chapter 6......Page 270
Chapter 7......Page 277
PICTURE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 282
INDEX......Page 284
