Medical Condition, Demon or Undead Corpse? Sleep Paralysis and the Nightmare in Medieval Europe
Social History of Medicine March 4, 2015 DOI: 10.1093/shm/hkv005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Citations | 10 |
| Key points | Argues that the medieval nightmare experience can be read as an independent 'text'—a universal function of the human body whose substance and coherence depend on the habits, experiences, and fears of the percipient. The article shows how Church doctrine, classical dream theory, and Galenic medicine shaped interpretations, and how these were replicated, rejected, or interpolated in Anglo-Saxon medical remedies and Anglo-Norman tales of demonic or ghostly assault. |
Abstract
The aim of this article is to analyse the popular perception of the nightmare in medieval Europe. The first section will explore the ways in which the base experience of the nightmare (as documented in neuropsychological research) was interpreted according to Church doctrine, classical dream theories and Galenic medicine. Then, with reference to the remedies used to protect the body against the mara found in Anglo-Saxon medical manuals and the tales of demonic/ghostly assault from twelfth-century Anglo-Norman literature, it will be seen how the authoritative interpretations of the nocturnal assault were replicated, rejected or interpolated in the rhythms of daily life. Ultimately, this article will argue that the nightmare experience can be read as an independent ‘text’; a universal function of the human body that is given substance and coherence depending on the habits, experiences and fears of the percipient.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dreaming: a conceptual framework for philosophy of mind and empirical research | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Metaphor and hyperassociativity: the imagination mechanisms behind emotion assimilation in sleep and dreaming | 2015 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Varieties of Lucid Dreaming Experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Experimental Research on Dreaming: State of the Art and Neuropsychoanalytic Perspectives | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Neurobiology of Consciousness: Lucid Dreaming Wakes Up | 2009 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Monster of the Night: Identifying Pakistani Gender-Based, Religious, and Cultural Influences on Sleep Paralysis Among University Students. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry September 1, 2025
- "Ayenst trauelynge fendys by nyghte": Simple Medicines, Practical Innovation, and the Premodern Conceptualization of the Nightmare Preternature Critical and Historical Studies on the Preternatural August 24, 2022
- Sleep Paralysis, a Medical Condition with a Diverse Cultural Interpretation International Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research July 1, 2018