Medieval Graffiti: Apotropaic Symbols & Ritual Protection Marks
Surveys undertaken by the author have recorded a fascinating corpus of medieval and historic graffiti which includes compass-drawn circles, ‘Marian’ marks, pentangles & saltires, all of which will be discussed in this illustrated talk.
Many of the marks are so-called ‘ritual protection marks’ – also known as ‘apotropaics’ (from the Greek, ‘to turn away evil’) – whose purpose was to defend the buildings against evil spirits and to confer good luck. This graffiti spans the entire medieval period but appears to peak between AD 1650 –1850, the time of the so-called ‘witch craze’ in Europe. Recent re-evaluation of these marks has revealed many more subtleties and diverse meanings than hitherto imagined, and we’ll explore them tonight.
The talk will begin with examples culled from the medieval buildings of England, then expand the discussion to compare the corpus of graffiti with international examples.
About the Speaker
Wayne Perkins is an archaeologist of 23 years with a special interest in apotropaic graffiti, folklore and concealed objects recovered from ancient buildings.
Don’t worry if you can’t make the live event on the night – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day.
