Love in the fens: a medieval magical amulet from Burwell, Cambridgeshire
- DATE WRITTEN:
- READING TIME: 5 minutes
- AUTHORS: Alex Bliss (Finds Officer)
Introduction
Post-excavation research into the finds made during our 2021 excavations at Burwell has thrown up some exciting results. In 2021 we reported on the discovery of what we thought was a medieval personal seal matrix for officiating documents (Fig. 1)…. but read on! We now believe it to be a magical charm or love-amulet. This has led us down paths of discovery, looking at this fascinating object as well as exploring some of the concepts of medieval love-magic and the superstition associated with it.
Spells and superstitions
Think of magic in the medieval period and you would be forgiven for instantly leaping to mental images of bearded Merlin-esque figures casting spells or the Monty Python crew weighing witches against ducks. However, for all the modern ridiculousness frequently ascribed to it, the concept of magic during this era was very real to people and often manifested as a very real part of daily life.
The immaterial world of magic frequently interacted with the physical one through items of material culture. A wide range of spells, charms, words or inscriptions protecting against a diverse range of ailments and misfortunes appear throughout the period. In many instances, these are emblazoned upon an equally diverse assortment of different object types – primarily personal items or dress accessories (Fig. 2).
However, other charms and invocations are also known from more strange contexts (Fig. 3), and of course not all the host objects for the inscription of such invocations and spells were metal. There is evidence for some spells being written down on parchment and carried on one’s person, but they could be as easily spoken as written down. The use of repeated verbal incantations calling for saintly intervention sometimes recommended in contemporary medical treatises as treatments for disease. In an era and society far removed from modern scientific principles, the lines between religion and medical treatment were frequently blurred.
But medieval magic did not solely exist as a form of protection against illness or bad happenstances, it could be used in other ways. One of these was for the purpose of eliciting feelings of attraction, love or lust (Fig. 4) – often termed ‘love-magic’ by modern scholars. Court documents and church confessional records suggest that both men and women in Britain as well as across other parts of Western Europe engaged in this practice, though how exactly these magical undertakings were carried out varied instance by instance. Several occurrences refer specifically to the concocting of special potions – though it is worth considering also that some recorders of these occurrences may have allowed their imaginations to run wild during the documentation process!
The Burwell find
But how does the amulet from Burwell fit into this?
Originally circular in plan, the amulet is manufactured from a lead alloy probably quite similar in composition to pewter. Its surfaces are well preserved despite one edge being damaged. While its upper surface is plain, the other side is inscribed with a central flower motif surrounded by two concentric rings of text and an outer border of zig-zag incised decoration. Although the inscriptions have been cut or engraved into the metal in a similar manner as would occur with a seal matrix, they are the wrong way round for this purpose – if impressed into wax, the lettering would appear backwards. Additionally, it is manufactured from rather thin, brittle metal – which also makes it quite unsuitable for this purpose. Despite this, the style of lettering and central flower design is very reminiscent of those present upon seals, suggesting it is of broadly contemporary (perhaps later 12th-13th century) date. Equally, it may well have been engraved by someone who was also engaged in producing inscriptions on seal matrices.
The nature of the script surrounding the central design is highly unusual. The outer is a combination of Latin and Old French, reading: CRAS DABOR NON HODIE SV DRV – best translatable as: ‘I will not be given away, neither today nor tomorrow. I am a gift of love.’ This phrase and variations thereof appear on a wide range of other medieval objects, ranging from seal matrices to brooches (Fig. 5) and even high-status items like bishop’s croziers. In this context, it almost seems like this portion of the inscription was intended as an appeal to the recipient – ‘never give me away’!
The inner ring of script, by contrast, is much shorter – the word ‘AGLAAL’ interspersed with cross motifs. This element can be interpreted as an unusually spelled version of ‘AGLA’ – a medieval acrostic based on the Hebrew prayer Atha Gebri Leilan Adonai (‘Thou art mighty forever, O Lord’). The latter was frequently invoked in the medieval period as a charm against fevers – often appearing on pendants (Fig. 6). It is quite unusual to find this occurring in combination with other inscriptions, especially one associated with the context of love. Perhaps the person who owned or made this object intended the amulet to have a dual function -working as a love charm while also protecting the bearer from sickness.
Conclusions
So, what does this highly unusual object tell us? Though not found in a stratified context, this does not diminish its significance or archaeological importance. It represents a valuable addition to the small number of medieval amulets known from Britain and offers a rare glimpse into the mindset of medieval people. Popular media often characterises daily life in this era as nasty, brutish and short – objects such as this reveal a rich system of tradition, folk-magic and belief underpinning the mundane ‘daily grind’. However, it stimulates more questions than it answers – how exactly did it come to lie in the topsoil of an East Anglian fen edge town? Was it a treasured possession inadvertently lost, or rather thrown away in anger or grief following unsuccessful romantic overtures? Who owned it? Was its purpose to magically infatuate the recipient, or rather given as a gift – much as one might give a box of chocolates or bunch of flowers in the 21st century?
Whatever your thoughts, as you read this on St Valentine’s day – consider the following. Irrespective of the era, in matters of love, some things simply never change.
Acknowledgements
Thanks are given to Dr Malcolm Jones for his expertise, which was instrumental in the initial identification of the find and subsequent writing of this article.
