I know that deciding on a "fairy-tale setting" gives you a lot of latitude, but... as a historian, I'd say this isn't specific enough. There were practices current in the 11th century that weren't by the 15th. And there were a lot of things current in the 19th century that aren't clearly attested before the 17th, and we really can't just say "oh it probably pre-existed this date" because it doesn't work this way. I have a whole spiel about the Brothers Grimm! I presume that, even if your author is including "distortions," you want to know what the distortions are.
I'd recommend looking at Burchard of Worms' Corrector, the work of Thietmar of Merseburg, and the very weird Formicarius of Johannes Nider. Burchard has such great questions as "have you baked bread and put it under your roof tree to appease elves?" And his target audience was also coming to confession. Among other things, premodern Christianity was a lot more diverse and flexible than your question seems to account for.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2025-05-02 12:57 am (UTC)I'd recommend looking at Burchard of Worms' Corrector, the work of Thietmar of Merseburg, and the very weird Formicarius of Johannes Nider. Burchard has such great questions as "have you baked bread and put it under your roof tree to appease elves?" And his target audience was also coming to confession. Among other things, premodern Christianity was a lot more diverse and flexible than your question seems to account for.