The use of ordeals and sworn oaths to prove one's innocence invites trickery. The guilty trickster cannot influence the judgment of the divine powers, but he can-by disguise or by equivocation in wording the oath-create a presumption of innocence. Ralph Hexter surveys the varieties of such stories in a number of folk literatures and looks at the use of this motif in three important medieval story cycles, with special attention to the way Christian writers handled story material based on a pre-Christian act of truth.
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The use of ordeals and sworn oaths to prove one's innocence invites trickery. The guilty trickster cannot influence the judgment of the divine powers, but he can-by disguise or by equivocation in wording the oath-create a presumption of innocence. Ralph Hexter surveys the varieties of such stories in a number of folk literatures and looks at the use of this motif in three important medieval story cycles, with special attention to the way Christian writers handled story material based on a pre-Christian act of truth.
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Add this copy of Equivocal Oaths and Ordeals in Medieval Literature to cart. $31.37, Sold by Zubal Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Cleveland, OH, UNITED STATES, published 1975 by Harvard University Press.
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96 pp., Paperback, covers lightly discolored else text clean & binding tight. -If you are reading this, this item is actually (physically) in our stock and ready for shipment once ordered. We are not bookjackers. Buyer is responsible for any additional duties, taxes, or fees required by recipient's country.
Add this copy of Equivical Oaths & Ordeals in Medieval Literature to cart. $69.84, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by Harvard University Press.
