Tools of Magic – Ritual Handling and Human-Thing Entanglement in 19th-Century Finland

Abstract

Abstract The meaning of objects is often observed through how they are useful to humans or what kind of symbolism people attach to them. Thus, human subjects dominate material objects. However, the matter can be approached differently. This article has two aims: First, it discusses evidence of the interaction between humans and objects in Finnish folk magic rituals. Second, it tests if Ian Hodder’s human-thing entanglement theory can be applied when discussing these interactions. The discussion focuses on the ethnological folk magic collections of the National Museum of Finland and the Hämeen museo collection at Museum Centre Vapriikki in Tampere. These collections have formed as a result of the late 19th–early 20th-century effort to preserve Finland’s cultural heritage. This article focuses on descriptions of how the objects were used or handled and visible use-wear. In his discussion of human-thing entanglement theory, Ian Hodder shows how humans depend on things, things depend on other things, and things depend on humans. It therefore attempts to avoid the extremes of materialism/idealism and objectivism/subjectivism, incorporating agency while at the same time it de-centers the human. Thus, this article shows how humans depend on magical objects, magical objects depend on other objects, and magical objects depend on humans.