Lacnunga
Encyclopedia
The Lacnunga is a collection of miscellaneous Anglo-Saxon medical texts and prayers, written mainly in Old English
and Latin. It is found, following other medical texts, in London, British Library Manuscript Harley 585, a codex probably compiled in England in the late tenth or early eleventh century. Many of its herbal remedies are also found, in variant form, in Bald's Leechbook
, another Anglo-Saxon medical compendium.
The Lacnunga contains many unique texts, including numerous charms, some of which provide rare glimpses into Anglo-Saxon
popular religion and healing practices. Among the charms are several incantations in Old English alliterative verse, the most famous being those known as the Nine Herbs Charm
and Wið færstice
('Against a sudden, stabbing pain'). There are also several charms in corrupt Old Irish.
Among the Latin prayers, the longest is a redaction of the Lorica of Laidcenn (formerly often known as the Lorica of Gildas). This seventh-century Irish poem, also preserved in other manuscripts, is a member of the 'lorica' genre of protective prayers (see lorica (incantation)
). This instance takes the form of an extended litany of body parts for which the speaker seeks the protection of Christ and a multitude of angels from the assaults of demons. It is accompanied in this manuscript by an interlinear gloss in Old English, which probably derives from an exemplar in the Mercian dialect.
The title Lacnunga, an Old English word meaning 'remedies', is not in the manuscript. It was given to the collection by its first editor, Oswald Cockayne, in the nineteenth century, and has since stuck.
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
and Latin. It is found, following other medical texts, in London, British Library Manuscript Harley 585, a codex probably compiled in England in the late tenth or early eleventh century. Many of its herbal remedies are also found, in variant form, in Bald's Leechbook
Bald's Leechbook
The Leechbook of Bald is an Old English medical text probably compiled in the ninth-century, possibly under the influence of Alfred the Great's educational reforms....
, another Anglo-Saxon medical compendium.
The Lacnunga contains many unique texts, including numerous charms, some of which provide rare glimpses into Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
popular religion and healing practices. Among the charms are several incantations in Old English alliterative verse, the most famous being those known as the Nine Herbs Charm
Nine Herbs Charm
The Nine Herbs Charm is an Old English charm recorded in the 10th century Lacnunga manuscript. The charm is intended for treatment of poison and infection through the preparation of nine herbs. The numbers nine and three are mentioned frequently within the charm and are significant numbers in...
and Wið færstice
Wið færstice
Wið færstice is an Old English medical text composed in, surviving in the collection known now as Lacnunga. Wið færstice means 'against a sudden/violent stabbing pain'; scholars have often sought to identify this as rheumatism, but other possibilities should not be excluded. The remedy describes...
('Against a sudden, stabbing pain'). There are also several charms in corrupt Old Irish.
Among the Latin prayers, the longest is a redaction of the Lorica of Laidcenn (formerly often known as the Lorica of Gildas). This seventh-century Irish poem, also preserved in other manuscripts, is a member of the 'lorica' genre of protective prayers (see lorica (incantation)
Lorica (incantation)
In the Christian monastic tradition, a lorica is a prayer recited for protection. The Latin word lorica originally meant "armor" or "breastplate." Both meanings come together in the practice of placing verbal inscriptions on the shields or armorial trappings of knights, who might recite them before...
). This instance takes the form of an extended litany of body parts for which the speaker seeks the protection of Christ and a multitude of angels from the assaults of demons. It is accompanied in this manuscript by an interlinear gloss in Old English, which probably derives from an exemplar in the Mercian dialect.
The title Lacnunga, an Old English word meaning 'remedies', is not in the manuscript. It was given to the collection by its first editor, Oswald Cockayne, in the nineteenth century, and has since stuck.