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Accepted Paper:
Old Thiess as a healer: a court case from 17th century Livonia
Merili Metsvahi
(University of Tartu)
In 1691-92 a Livonian peasant Thiess stated in the court that he was a good werewolf who brought prosperity for his community. It was an act of resistance. In my paper I am going to explain it, including important details (Thiess being a folk healer) that have been neglected by precious research.
Paper long abstract:
In 2020 Carlo Ginzburg and Bruce Lincoln published the book „Old Thiess, a Livonian Werewolf. A Classic Case in Comparative Perspective“ that tells about the famous court case against the elderly peasant Thiess. In 1691 Thiess was accused of being a werewolf, and he didn’t deny it. He tried to persuade the judges that he was a good werewolf and his activities were beneficial for the community, because they brought prosperity. While interpreting the case Ginzburg and Lincoln fail to include an important aspect to their explanation – that Thiess was also a folk healer. Incorporating this aspect however would strengthen the statement proposed by Lincoln about Thiess’s defense as an act of religious, legal, cultural and political resistance against the upper classes of his society. In my presentation I am going to explain it in more detail.