Date of Award
Spring 2026
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Department
History
First Advisor
Kathryn A. Edwards
Abstract
This thesis analyzes the Virgin Mary’s role in late medieval and early modern high magic, arguing that her presence and absence in magic display cases of enchantment and disenchantment. Starting in the twelfth century, debates on Mary’s immaculate conception and purity gradually reshaped and elevated her status in Latin Christendom. This enabled Mary to be an active agent within magic as a purifier and advocate. However, early modern natural philosophers and leaders of the Reformation removed these divine abilities from Mary, producing a disenchanted Virgin within high forms of magic.
This thesis applies Karen Barad’s concept of intra-activity and continuous world reconfiguration to the enchantment and disenchantment of the Virgin Mary. By doing so, her enchantment and disenchantment are interpreted as ontological phenomena shaped by shifting metaphysical frameworks. This further explains how high magic was responsive to religious change. Mary’s rise and decline within magical texts reveal how magic functioned as a product of religion.
Rights
© 2026, Quentin Jameson
Recommended Citation
Jameson, Q.(2026). The Enchantment and Disenchantment of the Virgin Mary From Late Middle Ages Through the Reformation. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8826