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

Milne, Louise S.

Authors



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
Contract Date Mar 29, 2019

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