Demons. Spirituality – Manifestation – Materiality

Lecture series at the Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics" in the winter term 2024/25

The lecture series is dedicated to the subject of ‘demons’, elusive entities that have haunted people since antiquity and are still present even in the discourse of the modern period. In ancient Greece, the broad term ‘daimon’ could be used as a synonym for ‘theos’ (God), but more often referred to divine power in general. In ancient thought, demons were mediators between God and human beings; they represented, as it were, the bond between the sensual and the supernatural world. In Christian philosophy, demons serve as anchor points for discussions about the origin of evil and its status in the world.

Demons were a reality for people in the early modern period. In principle, it was conceivable for every person to come into contact with demons. After the belief in demons declined in the course of the ‘scientific revolution’, there emerged more abstract concepts of the demonic, as well as the idea of the demonic human. Though often understood metaphorically in modern times, demons have lost none of their power of fascination in art and literature.

In discussing theories and concepts of the demonic and focusing on the changing nature of demonic beings through history, scholars from literary studies, history and art history will shed light on the subject of ‘demons’. Taking an interdisciplinary perspective, the lectures will show how people from the Middle Ages to the present day have dealt in their respective cultural media with the idea that a latently threatening ‘other’ exists that is neither human nor divine. This will be explored in stories of relationships that people enter into with devils, demons, fairies and witches, in the dramaturgical staging of the demonic in the theatre, and in examples of late medieval architecture. A common point of departure is the question of how historical conceptions of the nature of the human being are reflected in the respective notions of the demonic.

Demons in context: Literature, religion, politics and law

The 12th century saw a new literary genre emerge that deals with relationships between humans and demons, and that still has an impact on contemporary pop culture. At the same time, the Third Lateran Council (1179) dogmatically confirmed the real existence of demons, while the ecclesiastical and secular ruling elite used military and legal means to combat new heresies that understood the devil and his demons as a power independent of God. The lecture examines the overarching interests of literature, religion, politics and law in dealing with demons and, taking a sideways glance at Jewish demon narratives, explores their potential to fascinate people across historical periods and cultures.

Speaker: Silvia Reuvekamp (Münster)
Lecture series "Demons. Spirituality – Manifestation – Materiality", Thursday, 22 October 2024, 6-8 pm
JO 1, Johannisstraße 4, 48143 Münster

Can architecture embody the demonic? Reflections on iconic architecture around/after 1500

Can architecture embody anything at all – and, if so, what and how? The lecture deals with nothing less than the question of meaning, applied to the media of late medieval architecture. It is certainly possible to use reflections on the meaning and forms of expression of the demonic in built spaces as embodiments of social spaces and apply them to other areas, such as film art.

Speaker: Stefan Bürger (Würzburg)
Lecture series "Demons. Spirituality – Manifestation – Materiality", Thursday, 5 November 2024, 6-8 pm
JO 1, Johannisstraße 4, 48143 Münster

The animals of witches and wizards

The lecture deals with the controversial notion of humans transforming into animals in early modern witchcraft discourse, as well as that of the spiritus familiaris, , the demonic helper in animal form that accompanies witches and wizards. Adopting the perspective of literary studies, the lecture shows how literature reshaped theological and legal concepts in the historical documents.

Speaker: Tobias Bulang (Heidelberg)
Lecture series "Demons. Spirituality – Manifestation – Materiality", Thursday, 19 November 2024, 6-8 pm
JO 1, Johannisstraße 4, 48143 Münster

The bodies of witches and demons: Corporality and the origins of the European witch-hunt

Witchcraft was a crime people heard about rather than saw. It was the confessions of witches that made real a reality that could not be seen. This lecture suggests that the bodily experience of witchcraft was much more important than historians have realized, and that changing ideas about the devil’s corporality significantly contributed to the witch-hunt’s origins.

Speaker: Jan Machielsen (Cardiff)
Lecture in English
Lecture series "Demons. Spirituality – Manifestation – Materiality", Thursday, 03 December 2024, 6-8 pm
JO 1, Johannisstraße 4, 48143 Münster

‘Wunderbahre Secreta’ or ‘Neue Teufels Stücklein’ : Popularising and demonising everyday magic in the early modern period

Despite our fascination with witches, it is easy to forget that the early modern period saw people of all social strata and confessions use magic to counter everyday dangers. There were many ways to harness natural or sacred forces, and to use them for the purposes of healing, protection or entertainment. Theologians became increasingly convinced during the 16th century that such practices were at least ‘superstitious’, if not ‘demonic’. While many magical practices seemed to be completely legitimate, it could not be ruled out completely that the devil was somehow involved. However, this did little to curb the popularity and popularisation of magical practices. On the contrary, the 17th century saw an increase in publications that told their readers of magical remedies and recipes for use in all situations. The lecture thus addresses an area of early modern culture that is often overlooked, and examines the tension between popularising and demonising everyday magic.

Speaker: Nikolas Funke (Münster)
Lecture series "Demons. Spirituality – Manifestation – Materiality", Thursday, 17 December 2024, 6-8 pm
JO 1, Johannisstraße 4, 48143 Münster

*Please note: the lecture by Rita Voltmer has been cancelled.

Demons of modernity

We might think that there are no more demons in secularized modernity. But, besides the invocation of demons in public discourse, e.g. when people invoke the “demons of the past”, there are a multitude of demonic appearances in modern and contemporary literature. Demons are clearly associated with forces that haunt people without the latter being able to grasp them concretely. The lecture traces their literary forms and functions.

Speaker: Martina Wagner-Egelhaaf (Münster)
Lecture series "Demons. Spirituality – Manifestation – Materiality", Thursday, 14 January 2025, 6-8 pm
JO 1, Johannisstraße 4, 48143 Münster