High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

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Course Code

EUH

Course Number

3122

Faculty/Instructor

Dr. Philip Handyside

Faculty/Instructor Email

philip.handyside@ucf.edu

About the Author

Gabriella Gomes and Lexi Schwartzberg would like to thank Dr. Philip Handyside.

Dr. Philip Handyside is a professor like no other. Whilst educating and inspiring his students, he has confidently changed the way many non-historians and historians alike view medieval society. His education style is not only entertaining but engaging, allowing students to converse and debate amongst themselves in a lecture setting. Throughout their research, he has supported and encouraged students to reach out to him for resources and has delivered on the promise to share his wealth of knowledge and connections within his teachings. This project would not have come to fruition without his input and guidance.

Abstract, Summary, or Creative Statement

The Middle Ages was a time when mysticism often overtook reality. Creatures such as witches, dragons, and sciapods were thought to be real, and people took precautions against them. While tales of these creatures entertain us today, their presence in the minds of the medieval society in which they developed had dangerous consequences. The myth of witches allowed for the persecution of people who defied the social order and committed innocent acts that were rebranded as heresy. The myth of dragons was used to alienate supposed enemies of the Christian religion. These myths were so influential that their images have come to pervade modern day popular culture, where they have been depicted as both good and evil figures and have inspired many well-known characters. This study considers the way in which these myths developed, particularly during the Middle Ages, and how they have come to influence the world of today, while taking care to understand the power such tales can have.

Keywords

Myths, Mysticism, Witch, Witches, Sciapods, Dragons, Tolkien, Witchcraft, Witch-hunting, Crusades, Persecution, Medieval, Magic, Religion

Mysticism and Medieval Society: Stories and Their Impact


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