Oathbreakers - Excerpt in Smithsonian Magazine
Our new book out today. Read an excerpt about a demon named Wiggo.
Modern Medieval
by David M. Perry and Matthew Gabriele
This is from David: One day Matt sent me a draft for a chapter that began, “The demon’s name was Wiggo.”
It’s my favorite sentence in the book (followed by “But like all empires, this one rested on a foundation of lies), in part because the name is awesome. But also because it leads us into a fascinating text that 1) has demonic possession but 2) reveals the work with complicated sources that medievalists have to do to dig beneath official histories and reveal a bigger picture.
Smithsonian Magazine kindly published an excerpt today:
He was Satan’s doorkeeper, Wiggo declared. He had been roaming the land of the Franks with 11 friends for the last several years. “Following our instructions,” the demon continued, “we destroyed the grain, grapes and all the earth’s produce that is useful to mankind. We slaughtered the stock with disease and even directed plague and pestilence against human beings.” The priest asked what had given Wiggo such power. The demon replied, “By reason of the perverseness of this people, and of the manifold sins of those who are set up to rule over them.”
We go on to say:
Medieval stories about the sacred or supernatural—demons, angels, saints, relics and visions—were set in a society where the borders between natural and supernatural were thought to have been thin or nonexistent. They reflected broad beliefs across social classes, and for modern historians, they offer an opportunity to see beyond tightly controlled, elite circles. Accounts of miracles, religious sermons and other such cultural artifacts allowed medieval authors to cloak their critiques of power and reveal what was really going on in the world.
Oathbreakers is out today in North America, available at online and physical retailers everywhere.
Thanks to everyone who has bought it, is considering buying it, and to everyone who signed up for this newsletter over the past 18 months. We launched it in the wake of Twitter’s descent and before Bluesky’s rise, unsure how to keep building online community to talk about history. We’re glad you’re here with us.
Tomorrow we are doing an AMA at r/askhistorians over on Reddit. Direct link to come, so grab the book and get your questions ready. Happy reading!
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