Magic Exhibit grand opening now through Oct. 31
Come and visit a new exhibit, “Magic in Medieval Europe,” at the UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History (1680 E 15th Ave.). The Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday 10 am- 5 pm, and until 8 pm on Thursdays.
Curated by Martha Bayless, professor of English and director of the Folklore and Public Culture Program at the UO, the exhibit offers an enchanted journey through the Middle Ages, a time when Europeans commonly turned to magical stones, dried toads and names written in blood to help explain or control the world around them.
The exhibit includes a medieval house complete with magical elements, a unicorn horn, a mandrake root (very magical! keep your distance!), witches, the magical aspects of Halloween and Christmas, a Viking spearhead, a fairy loaf, and many other objects and fascinating details. And, of course, many chances to reflect on what magic meant then, what it continues to mean in the modern world, and what a powerful force it has been through history.
Here’s more on the exhibit: https://mnch.uoregon.edu/exhibits/magic-medieval-europe