Ancient Magic and the Supernatural in the Modern Visual and Performing Arts

To what extent did mythological figures such as Circe and Medea influence the representation of the powerful 'oriental' enchantress in modern Western art? What role did the ancient gods and heroes play in the construction of the imaginary worlds of the modern fantasy genre? What is the role of undead creatures like zombies and vampires in mythological films?
Looking across the millennia, from the distrust of ancient magic and oriental cults, which threatened the new-born Christian religion, to the revival and adaptation of ancient myths and religion in the arts centuries later, this book offers an original analysis of the reception of ancient magic and the supernatural, across a wide variety of different media – from comics to film, from painting to opera. Working in a variety of fields across the globe, the authors of these essays deconstruct certain scholarly traditions by proposing original interdisciplinary approaches and collaborations, showing to what extent the visual and performing arts of different periods interlink and shape cultural and social identities.

Prof. Dr. Filippo Carlà is Junior Professor for the Cultural History of the Ancient World, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany.

Dr. Irene Berti is research fellow at the Ruprecht Karls Universität, Heidelberg, Germany, and a member of the Collaborative Research Centre 'Material Text Cultures, Materiality and Presence of writing in non typographic societies'.

Introduction
Section A: Magic in Antiquity, Magic from Antiquity
1. Gods and Demons in Text, Image and Symbol: the defixiones from the Sanctuary of Anna Perenna in Rome
2. Imaging Magic, Imaging Thinking: The Representation of Epistemologies and Their Reception
3. Celtic Magic and Rituals in "The War Lord" (F. Schaeffner, 1965)
4. Candida and Erichtho and their Post-Antique Life in Images
5. Phoenix and Centaur: Mythical Animals in Harry Potter
Section B: The Power of the Sorceress:
6. Witch, Sorceress, Enchantress: Magic and Women from the Ancient World to the Present Time
7. Circe diva. Circe's Reception in Baroque Opera
8. Medea in Modern Opera and Ballet: From Barber to Reimann
9. The Colours of Medea in 19th Century French and English Painting
10. Supernatural and Natural Powers of Strong Women: Antigone and Medea in Antiquity and in the Contemporary Performances of Lithuanian Theatres
11. Circe in Literature and Art of the Italian Renaissance
Section C: Humans, Gods, Heroes, Spirits of the Dead: Actions and Interactions:
12. Hercules between Magic and Reality
13. Theoi becoming Kami: Classical Mythology in the Anime World
14. Wonder Woman: Metamorphoses of a Superwoman
15. Athena and the Roller Coaster: Representations of Greek Mythology in Themeparks
16. Ancient Horrors: Cinematic Antiquity and the Undead
Section D: Religion and Power
17. The Depraved Devotion of Elagabalus: Images of the Priest-Emperor in the Visual and Performing Arts
18. God is Light and Music: The Representation of the Christian Supernatural in Film
19. Women and Religion in Epic Films: The '50s Advocate for Christian Conversion and Today's Pillar of Paganism
Bibliography