The Terrors of the Night: Charms against the Nightmare and the Mythology of Dreams

Milne, Louise S.

Abstract

This article takes a semiotic and structuralist approach to understanding the characteristic nightmare package of imagery, or image-constellation, which appears also in charms, curses and lullabies to do with disturbed sleep. Elements of the nightmare package – its mythos – is related to a spectrum of charms and related belief-narratives. Charms against the nightmare are investigated, as are sleep charms as representative of the nightmare narrative of threat coming close to fruition. Detail is provided on spiritual beings believed to attack the sleeper, as well as on charms as methods to ward off such attacks. Psychological explanations are considered, such as the nightmare antagonist being a disguised avatar of the self.

Citation

Milne, L. S. (2017). The Terrors of the Night: Charms against the Nightmare and the Mythology of Dreams. Incantatio : An International Journal on Charms, Charmers and Charming, 6, 78-116. https://doi.org/10.7592/incantatio2017_6_milne

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 8, 2017
• Publication Date: 2017-12
• Deposit Date: Mar 29, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2019
• Journal: Incantatio. An International Journal on Charms, Charmers and Charming
• Print ISSN: 2228-1355
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 6
• Pages: 78-116
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.7592/incantatio2017_6_milne
• Keywords: Body; dreams; dream imagery; lullabies; mara; metaphor; nightmare; sleep; spells
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1697388