A little thought experiment here.

Which mentalism effects could be adapted well into a medieval theme?

The first one that comes into mind would be a Magic Square presentation, as Magic Squares were often used as various talismans to ward off calamity.

Which other ideas come to mind?

I would have thought that most of them could be. The presentational aspect to an effect is seperate to the effect itself. Adapt the presentation to a medieval theme and away you go. Anything with witchcraft as an angle, spirit effects, runestones, etc.. Card effects but use cards with heraldic designs.

Is this something that you are doing that needs to fit in with medieval props or just to have a medieval theme?

Crystal gazing effects perhaps a haffed crystal as in corindas and where a spectator reveals a scryed card?

Nail writing effects work good on stage.

Any slights with tarot, see also THE Hyped effects where you can predetermine what card a spectator will cut to.

Suddenly start to levitate in front of the crowd while uttering dark words in ancient languages and while letting escape some white, thick ectoplasm out from the corner of your mouth...

Kurotsuke would look and feel correct if done with a leather bag and some stones.

Greg

And can be performed while you levitate and utter dark words... You simply point your index finger to one person in the crowd and then you state "You have the black crystal and that means you are cursed!"... Suddenly you faint, still in mid-air, and then you fall down on the floor... When people will re-animate you (if they dare to come that close to you!) you will slowly regain your posture, stand-up and deny that you ever did what they are telling you... A typical case of post-possession amnesia!

Knight's Tour?

Mental Epic with poetry a la Nostrodamus... a quatrain contains the prediction about what some member of the audience (with clues to her name in the quatrain) will do during your show. These would be written on parchment and rolled up like little scrolls to be held in goblets until the denouement. Very French, n'est pas?

Have a look at Nelms's presentation of the centre tear, and also the "Peculiar Pellet" and variations, in "Magic and Showmanship".

Barry

- Dark Cloak by Docc Hilford
- Spirit Slates
- Russian Roulette with knives

A nice Center Tear with talismanic paper.

Rainbow Matrix

Anything using a bag, make it leather or burlap or velvet

Any Q&A system, gaffed or legit, using a Crystal Ball

Bob Tripp's "Q&A My Way" would also be perfect for 10 minutes of giving real readings

Because Tom is too "shy" to mention it himself, a very good system to implement in your Q&A is his ARANDAL CODEX.

Pure genius, Tom, pure genius!

How about a bank night effect with a medieval theme?

I bet there's a routine somewhere in this story:

There is a tale told by historian Lambert von Ardre about the wedding of Count Arnold of Odenkirche around 1200 AD. A miracle worker made a wager with the count that he could identify the origin of any of the ales stored in the count's basement. The count wanted to see this feat, and promised the man his horse if he would succeed (a rich reward in the day.) The miracle worker proceeded to drink vast quantities of the count's finest ales, but he was true to his word - he identified the brewers of each keg. The problem was that he was dead drunk at the end, and lost all sense of decorum, loudly demanding his reward from the nobleman. Count Arnold had his carpenters build a wooden gallows in the shape of a horse and hung the miracle worker as the final entertainment of the night.

TERASABOS with goblets

Metal bending, spoons, forks, and even spikes, ala Osterlind....