At all times, the world of the unknown has been the subject of curiosity and research. You can penetrate it only with the help of special attributes and rituals. Grimoire is a book of witchcraft recipes. It contains descriptions of magical procedures for invoking good spirits and demons. Such a powerful attribute was not accessible to everyone, but only to selected people, initiated into magic. Today grimoires are historical manuscripts that have become the basis for the development of the science of demonology.
Story
According to linguists, the word grimoire (grimoire-grimoria) comes from the French grammaire, which means "grammar". In its interpretation, grammar is a complex book - a book of rules. This concept was later transformed into a "spell book."
When the first grimoire was created, it is not known to experts for certain. However, the oldest text that has survived to the present day, refers to the beginning of the era (approximately I-II centuries.). All ancient magical manuscripts are divided into several types. Some describe ritual ceremonies for summoning or exorcising demons, others describe prayers and information about good and evil spirits, and others contain recipes for fortune telling.
Each original of such a book is a very valuable historical artifact and museum exhibit.
Famous grimoires
More than a dozen grimoires have reached the present day. The most famous and ancient are the Testament of Solomon and the Key of Solomon. They are written in Greek and tell about many events that happened with the legendary Jewish king (for example, about getting him a magic ring from the Archangel Michael to rule over demons).
There is disagreement among historians about the time of manuscript creation. Some attribute texts to the XV-XVII centuries, others, relying on vocabulary (the use of archaisms), date them to the 1st century. In relation to the "Testament of Solomon" there is a version of its creation in the IV century. The similarity of the grimoire to the Greek theological paths of that time and the use of colloquial vocabulary “koyne”, then widespread, speaks in favor of this.
The "Key of Solomon" (grimoire of spell) contains a description of 72 demons, tools for calling them and prayer-appeal to God.
Heptameron
This instance is unique in content. Its name is associated with a description of the spells for each day of the week. Magical texts help summon certain angels and spirits to aid in finding or resolving difficult situations. For such penetration into the world of the unknown, special circles are used that have great power. In addition, they serve as original fortresses for sorcerers from evil spirits. This ceremonial technique recalls the famous plot of Gogol's “Wii”. Perhaps the latter was adopted in some way.
This book of magic was first found in Lyon (France) at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. The issue of authorship is still open. However, the documentary sources mention the name of the French scientist Petru de Abano. But the dates of his life and the creation of the grimoire diverge.
Books of moses
The well-known “Pentateuch of Moses” in the middle of the 19th century was supplemented by two grimoires, officially named the Sixth and Seventh Book of the Bible Prophet. The first folio contains the Great Secrets associated with White and Black magic. The date of its creation is not known. But there is a legend according to which the manuscripts were hidden from the father of Solomon David because of the valuable knowledge contained in them.
There is also an unofficial version that since 330 the book of magic has been in the hands of the first Christian emperor Constantine the Great, Pope Sylvester (for translation), the emperor Charlemagne.
The seventh book is a guide to working with otherworldly forces (the spirits of the elements and planets). It also contains the formula for witchcraft Kabbalah with an explicit reference to the “Key of Solomon”. A small place in the ancient manuscript is devoted to the description of tablets that Moses, according to historians, used to perform magical rites.
Arbatel Magic
The most mysterious today is the Arbatel Magic (grimoire). This is a kind of magician's code, supplemented by information about planetary magic. Scientists have not been able to precisely establish either the author, the exact volume, or the date of the creation of the manuscript.
The first edition was made in the Swiss city of Basel in 1575. The book was published in Latin and contained many references to the historical events of the Italian Middle Ages. This gave rise to scientists to suggest that the author of the grimoire is Italian.
The name of the manuscript probably comes from the name of one of the angels or spirits. Since the ending "-el" (or "-el" Aramaic.) Is usually used in the names of higher powers. In the introductory chapter, an unknown author briefly lists the contents of nine volumes with a detailed description of the magic art of all peoples. However, only one book has survived to date.
According to the author, Arbatel is a black grimoire, designed to reveal secret knowledge about communication with otherworldly forces. However, according to experts, there are no dangerous constructions in it, and the manuscript is classified as transcendental magic.
True grimoire
In 1880, the Italian edition of True Grimoire was published. This is a collection of recipes and prayers for teaching magic art. It is known for sure that the manuscript was first discovered and translated from Hebrew by a Dominican monk back in the 15th century. Later, the grimoire fell into the hands of Alibek the Egyptian and was published by him in Memphis (1517). Only two and a half centuries later, the book of magic reached Italy, and then was reprinted in France.
Legends
Around the grimoires there have always been many legends. One of the most common and false is the rumor that only the owner can read magic books. For outsiders, the pages turned crimson and burned their eyes.
It was also believed that the grimoire is a living book that needs to be fed with blood. In order to call the demon, you just need to open the book on the desired page and sprinkle it. Probably, all these speculations were the result of human rumor and the reaction of the church to the word "magic." Grimoires, according to experts, are ordinary books with spells or prayers, which are often associated with religion. And their authors are prophets or clergy.
Interesting Facts
- Russian science fiction writer Nick Perumov in his works in a different interpretation uses the word "grimoire". This, according to the author, is not a magic book, but a cruel ritual or torture by necromancers.
- Grimoires mistakenly named a number of books describing occult traditions. Experts call them falsification, since the characters offered by them, for the most part, are of a contradictory nature.
- With the advent of Tarot cards, a concept such as the “grimoire of divination” appeared. It is a training guide on the rules of the layout and the interpretation of card combinations.