Reclarifying from a previous post. I am doing some research on use of metals (gold, silver, etc) and water in religious/cultural rituals across the early to late middle ages. I have found a few examples so far (use of silver aspergillum for sprinkling of holy water, or use of silver jewelry in British isles pagan rituals for creation of 'moon water'), but without some historical literature to back it up or provide further examples my research will not have much to stand on. Anything at all that anyone can provide, from possible books, experts in the field, anything, would be much appreciated.
Edit: To provide some more context, I recently read 'The Chemistry of Alchemy' by Cathy Cobb, and came across a number of instances in which alchemists and other people would stumble upon things that occur because of what we now understand as science, but chalk it up the something entirely different. Basically, while the observations they were making were correct, their reasoning behind it was based on religion/culture/incorrect science, etc. In the past decade there has been a rising number of research showing the antibacterial properties of many metals, including silver, brass, etc. I am curious if there are instances of people engaging in rituals involving water/metals and the purpose of those rituals. For example; there is literature and historical accounts of people applying holy water to the sick and wounded. It would be interesting if the holy water had silver in it based on the way it was prepared/administered (as is the case with aspergillum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspergillum ) ,and that theapplied holy water caused an improvement in the persons health.
Thanks!
This is a huge question! Water and metal were common materials in everyday life during the middle ages, just as they are now, so they were part of almost every ritual you can think of. To mention just two examples, water was a focal point for baptism throughout the middle ages, and the metal chalice used for the Eucharist was important for the daily rituals of the church and became a very controversial piece of equipment during the Protestant Reformation.
Perhaps if you gave a few more details about what you're looking for, /r/AskHistorians could give you an answer better tailored to your needs. Are you trying to make a particular argument about how metals and water were used? Are you researching particular kinds of metal (silver, gold, iron) or water (running water, open water, drinking water)? Are you more interested in some times or places (late antiquity, Carolingian Europe, high medieval England) than others? Does Christian or non-Christian matter? Or are you looking for broader surveys or article collections that try to synthesize how these things were used in the middle ages?
Hello there. Unfortunately we have had to remove your question as it looks like it may be a homework question. A couple of things to keep in mind about this: Our rules DO permit people to ask for help with their homework, so long as they are seeking clarification or resources, rather than the answer itself. Also: Sometimes flairs can be reluctant to answer a question that looks like homework, because they don't want to be involved in plagiarism (and sadly, yes, there are those who plagiarize reddit comments).
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Don't forget mercury. ..you mentioned "alchemy" which means I get an email with a link to here. ...so you're on the right track. There are treatises (al-ghazali) that specify healing properties of gold (Ge Hung of china is another example) ..and therefor alchemy was a means to help the poor (those who cannot afford medicine with real gold). "Potable gold" is a thing. Like the elixir of life. Mentioned by alchemists throughout history (see http://historyofalchemy.com ). But cure-alls often contained mercury too. Which is obviously toxic, but many swore by it. All the way to the 19th century.
If you narrow your question down a bit, I can help more. But otherwise: yes, there is 1400 years of un-interrupted beliefs in the healing powers of gold, silver, and mercury. Alchemists were often also physicians, etc.