Research Guides
HSTRY 388: The Supernatural and the Sacred in the Middle Ages: Background
Encyclopedias and Other Reference Works
Encyclopedias help you figure out the who, what & where of a topic. Knowing the who, what & where of a topic is the first step in researching a topic and discovering the "how" and "why". Encyclopedias and dictionaries can provide background information and can be used to identify key people, events and dates which can then be used as search terms for finding additional information. Many also provide a jumpstart on your research by listing related readings.
Two online encyclopedia collections: Gale Virtual Reference 
& Oxford Reference Online
Encyclopedias
- Brill's Medieval reference library
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- Encyclopedia of Religion
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- Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages
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- Encyclopedia of witchcraft : the Western tradition
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- Folklore : an encyclopedia of beliefs, customs, tales, music, and art
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- Handbook of medieval studies: terms, methods, trends
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- Medieval folklore : an encyclopedia of myths, legends, tales, beliefs, and customs
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- Oxford Companion to Chaucer
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- Oxford Companion to World Mythology
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- Oxford Dictionary of Saints
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- Oxford dictionary of the Middle Ages
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- Women and gender in medieval Europe an encyclopedia
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In Depth Background
For a concise discussion on a variety of medieval sources (chronicles, hagiographies, sermons, etc.) see the book, Understanding Medieval Primary Sources: Using History Sources to Discover Medieval Europe, available in print only.
- Cambridge companion to medieval women's writing
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- Cambridge History of Early Medieval English Literature
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- Cambridge History of Medieval English Literature
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- Companion to the medieval world
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- Handbook of Medieval Culture v. 1
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- Handbook of Medieval Culture v. 2
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- Handbook of Medieval Culture v. 3
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- Oxford Handbook of Medieval Christianity
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- Oxford Handbook of Medieval Literature in English
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- Oxford Handbook of Women and Gender in Medieval Europe
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