In this article, the topic of Anglo-Saxon metrical charms and everything it encompasses will be explored in depth. From its origins to its impact today, every relevant aspect surrounding Anglo-Saxon metrical charms will be analyzed in detail. Different perspectives, theories and approaches will be examined that will allow the reader to gain a comprehensive understanding of Anglo-Saxon metrical charms. In addition, data, statistics and concrete examples will be presented to support the arguments presented. This article aims to provide a complete and enriching view on Anglo-Saxon metrical charms, encouraging the reader to reflect and form their own opinion about it.
Anglo-Saxon metrical charms were sets of instructions generally written to magically resolve a situation or disease. Usually, these charms involve some sort of physical action, including making a medical potion, repeating a certain set of words, or writing a specific set of words on an object. These Anglo-Saxon charms tell a great deal about medieval medical theory and practice. Although most medical texts found from the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon period are translations of Classical texts in Latin, these charms were originally written in Old English.
Today, some alternative medical practitioners continue to use herbal remedies, but these are often based on some sort of scientific reasoning. The medical procedures and herbal remedies in these Anglo-Saxon medical charms are not based on science, but on spiritual qualities. While many of these charms do have pagan qualities, Christian influences are regularly observed, with most of the charms including both pagan and Christian characteristics. For example, the Nine Herbs Charm mentions both the Germanic god Woden and Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity.
Twelve Metrical Charms survive in Old English, principally in the collection of medical texts known in modern scholarship as Lacnunga (10th to 11th century), but also in Bald's Leechbook (10th century) and as marginal additions in other manuscripts. They are: