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

by Owen Davies

It was a commonly expressed view during the First World War that the conflict had seen a major revival of "superstitious" beliefs and practices.

Churches expressed concerns about the wearing of talismans and amulets, the international press paid considerable interest to the pronouncements of astrologers and prophets, and the authorities in several countries periodically clamped down on fortune tellers and mediums due to concerns over their effect on public morale. Out on the battlefields, soldiers of all nations sought to protect themselves through magical and religious rituals, and, on the home front, people sought out psychics and occult practitioners for news of the fate of their distant loved ones or communication with their spirits. Even away from concerns about the war, suspected witches continued to be abused and people continued to resort to magic and magical practitioners for personal protection, love, and success.

Uncovering and examining beliefs, practices, and contemporary opinions regarding the role of the supernatural in the war years, Owen Davies explores the broader issues regarding early twentieth-century society in the West, the psychology of the supernatural during wartime, and the extent to which the war cast a spotlight on the widespread continuation of popular belief in magic. A Supernatural War reveals the surprising stories of extraordinary people in a world caught up with the promise of occult powers.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Religion, World War I, Occult, Magic, Spirituality

304 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2019

About the author

This is the disambiguation profile for authors publishing as Owen Davies.

For the historian see Owen Davies

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

A solid academic overview of supersition, myth and magic during the First World War. Mostly focused on Christian Europe, though with attention paid to Jewish practices and noting that soldiers tended to take a fairly ecumenical approach. Also it's nice to know that Sikh soldiers of the BEF saw visions of Guru Govind Singh over the battlefield. Lots on the commercialisation of charms, mascots, spiritualism, etc. I am fascinated by the German thing of hammering nails into a twelve foot wooden statue of Hindenburg. Hard to see how that would be supposed to help but here we are. I am also convinced that the revoltingly named Fumsup is the model for MoonFace in Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree series, and I'm pretty sure this is a sentence that nobody has ever typed before. Anyway a useful overview.

[Lukerik · Rating 3 out of 5]

A huge amount of research must have gone into this book. It apparently details briefly every notable example of magical belief and practice during the First World War. Really interesting stuff.

It’s not exactly the book I had wanted to read. I got interested in the subject because I noticed that under the pressure of the pandemic some people have started to perform little acts of attempted magic. I was looking for a book that would classify these behaviours by type and give me some sort of technical terminology. This is very much a book about the ‘what’ rather than the ‘why’. This is of course not the author’s fault. Neither is it the publisher’s. My copy is lacking the dust cover so I had to judge by the contents page. I think what I’m looking for is a book on the psychology of religion.

That said, I’m glad I read it. It really is just very interesting generally and the sections on battlefield luck and the little gods and amulets the soldiers carried is relevant to our current situation.

[Ryan Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

“‘Logic!’ said the Professor, half to himself. ‘Why don’t they teach logic at these schools? There are only three possibilities. Either your sister is telling lies, or she is mad, or she is telling the truth. You know she doesn’t tell lies and it is obvious that she is not mad. For the moment then, and unless any further evidence turns up, we must assume that she is telling the truth.’”
(Professor Kirke, “The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe”)

By treating all reports of the supernatural as either lies or as mere psychological coping mechanisms to trauma, the author does a great disservice to his subjects and sources by refusing to even entertain the possibility that their accounts are accurate.

[Rabspur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Intriguing book about the first world war, describing the superstitions from all sides during the great war, spiritualism. fortune telling, spirits, wearing protective talismans, even the occult was practiced, people were desperate to find out their fortune both on the front and at home. A good read and would recommend this book the first one written of its type.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 'A Supernatural War,' Davies explores the roles of religion, spiritualism, the Occult, and superstition in the First World War. This is an interesting and largely undiscussed niche in a topic (WWI) that has been the subject of thousands of other books; for that reason alone, I find this book valuable. Davies focuses primarily on the Western Front and gives only brief mention to the beliefs and practices of Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and unconverted African soldiers, so this won't be a very helpful book for people interested in the expression of those or other non-Christian religions and/or non-Western spiritual traditions. Where I think this book excels is in exposing the role that the war played in mainstreaming the Occult in European and American culture often at the expense of fundamental Christianity as well as the commercialization of spirituality through the creation and sale of art, amulets, charms, etc. as well as the expansion of the psychic/medium/fortune-telling profession.

[Alenka of Bohemia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating in focus and yet very tight and even sparing in style, this is a very interesting book that serves well to provide yet another piece to the puzzle of the social history of the First World War. My only major critique would be this: certain parts felt like encyclopedic entries which left one "hanging" - wanting more information but either there isn´t any or the author has decided not to include it. The author himself, too, acknowledges that white Christians were far from being the only ones entangled in the fighting and does mention beliefs and superstitions of other nationalities and faiths, but half a chapter does not do them justice. In other words, this study could have - and should have - been longer, because it calls to us through the ages with everything that is human, naive, fragile and hopeful.

[Samuel Goldberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked a lot of this book and would wager it’s one of the best on the subject, with sections about the supernatural, lucky objects, and superstitions being highlights. Unfortunately a lot of it is also just a bunch of charlatans saying nonsense and it’s really hard to give a shit in those sections, as the book is somewhat inconsistent with its attempts at disproving of things (though it does feel fun when psychics not only don’t realise their customers are cops, but give them fortunes for people who don’t exist).

It has come to my attention that I just really like ghosts and don’t have much interest in anything else supernatural, though.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will be honest, I went into this book without knowing much about it, the subject, or the author but ridiculously still very much hoping to learn something wild like the British army deployed regiments of practicing magicians to the front lines to cast spells. (nope?)

Instead, this is a serious look at superstition, Spiritualism, professional fortune tellers, and the supernatural beliefs (Canon and noncanonical) of various religions during the First World War. I really enjoyed it.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book to read if you want a good overview of spiritual practices and supernatural beliefs during World War 1. I previously read Leo Ruickbee's Angels In The Trenches and I wish I had read Mr. Davies' book first. Much more historical context. It was also nice to have photos of some of the objects he discussed. An interesting, engaging read.

[Arvilla]

A thorough, academic look at supernatural aid and beliefs during the First World War. I thought it was interesting and tidbits I learned will probably influence portions of my future writings. If this is a subject that interests you, I would recommend it.

[Bernadette Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting to hear about the circle that helped stop Hitler invading Britain in WWII. It didn't but I learnt so much more.
If superstitions and charms interest you, across religions, this is a great read.

[Cain Doerper · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Kristen Zuchowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a very well researched book acknowledging a side to WW1 that nobody really talks about, and that’s exactly why it’s so important.

[Eleanor Carter · Rating 2 out of 5]

From a bit of online poking it seems that Davies is especially known for his commitment to fully realized, detail-oriented research; I do admire that, and am impressed by the amount of work it takes to write a book such as this. But that research does little for a reader if it is not treated with a bit of care and humanity. This book is cold and detached from its personal topic, its thesis barely articulated except at the end of each chapter in a short paragraph. Would only recommend to those who are committed to its topic.