A Supernatural War : Magic, Divination and Faith during the First World War

Abstract

A comprehensive study of the major revival of supernatural beliefs, superstition, and spiritualism during the First World War and its aftermath. A look at what the beliefs, practices, and contemporary opinions on magic can tell us about broader issues in early twentieth-century society, the experience of war, and the psychology of belief. Relates how the prophecies of Nostradamus were used as propaganda by both sides, a diverse range of talismans and charms were carried by soldiers, and the myriad tales of battlefield ghosts came to be. Includes previously unpublished accounts from soldiers and fortune-tellers on their faith and practices, for a remarkable insight into the nature of popular belief.