Magic Books
legends from Northern Europeselected and translated by
D. L. Ashliman
© 2003-2022
It was against the law to sell or buy these but it was done. A £1 was left on a certain place and while one watched a hand appeared took the money and shortly afterwards put the required book in its place.
At the beginning of each book these words were written:
Read me through
But pursue me not,
For if you do
Hell and damnation will be your lot.
Mrs. M. A. McAdoo (56)
Liseveny,
Parish of Ematris,
Barony of Dartrey.
Dempster informs us , that he remembers to have heard in his youth , that the magic books of Michael Scott were still in existence, but could not be opened without danger, on account of the fiends who were thereby invoked. Dempsteri Historia Ecclesiastica, 1627, lib. xii. p. 495.
Lesly characterises Michael Scott as "singulari philosophiæ, astronomiæ, ac medicinæ laude prestans; dicebatur penitissimos magiæ recussus indagasse."
A personage, thus spoken of by biographers and historians, loses little of his mystical fame in vulgar tradition. Accordingly, the memory of Sir Michael Scott survives in many a legend; and in the south of Scotland, any work of great labour and antiquity is ascribed, either to the agency of Auld Michael, of Sir William Wallace, or of the devil.
Tradition varies concerning the place of his burial: some contend for Holme Coltrame, in Cumberland; others for Melrose Abbey. But all agree, that his books of magic were interred in his grave, or preserved in the convent where he died.
Children were told to walk around the old man three time if they wanted to speak to him. Otherwise he could harm them, put a spell on them, or something similar.
A journeyman miller owned such a magic book. Once when he had gone to church the master came by and read in the book, which he had left lying on the table. The master very much liked the stories he was reading, but while he was reading, numerous lords came in through the door, sat down at the table, and demanded work.
This terrified the master, and he sent someone to the church to fetch the journeyman. The journeyman read everything backwards that the master had read forwards, and with that the spirits disappeared. Nevertheless, the journeyman was very angry at the master's audacity, scolded him, and told him never again to touch his books.
There is no longer any magic or witchcraft. That is because the sixth and the seventh books of Moses can no longer be used. Witchcraft, magic, and incantations were all exactly described and recorded there. These two books are now secured at Wittenberg. They can still be seen as curiosities, but can no longer be used.
Many years ago there lived in Trent an old master tailor whose wife had inherited an unusual book from her mother. They say she had the sixth and the seventh books of Moses. Whenever the woman read in the book, deer, wolves, hares, and other animals would come to her, lie down at her feet, and play with her children. All these animals would disappear as soon as the book was closed.
One day while the woman was reading the book, she was surprised by her husband. He grabbed the book and threw it into the stove. But behold! The fire went out, and the book remained undamaged. The tailor did not want to have this book in his house any longer, so, acting on the advice of some old people, he had a boy who was born on a Sunday during the sermon throw the book into the stove. That worked, for the book was immediately consumed by the flames.
In Sabitz near Bergen there formerly lived a number of peasants who, it was said, possessed a black book. With its help they were able to acquire substantial wealth, and if they did anything bad to a neighbor, they always went unpunished. Whoever wanted to use the black book had to read the text forwards and backwards. The devil gained control of anyone who failed to read it backwards. It was no longer known where the book came from. The oldest people knew only that they had come into its possession through an inheritance. Sometimes the book caused its owners much grief, so finally they tried to dispose of it. For a long time these attempts were to no avail, until they sought the advise of a pastor. He freed them from the book by nailing shut the drawer in which it was being stored.
According to legend, there is a book, named Dr. Faust's Hell-Master, which teaches the art of controling spirits, even of making the devil subservient to oneself. It is said to be buried beneath a thorn bush behind the Chemnitz Castle, on the road to the Küch Forest. Many advocates of the black art have unsuccessfully attempted to find this book.
The book begins by explaining what sorcery is, and with a warning against it. It is divided into three heads, viz. Cyprianus, Dr. Faustus, and Jacob Ramel. The last two parts are written in characters which are said to be Persian or Arabic, and also in ordinary characters. In this book are taught exorcising, laying and raising of spirits, and all that of which mention is made in the 5th book of Moses (XVIII: 10-12).
Whether this book has been printed is uncertain, but manuscript copies of it are concealed here and there among the common people, who regard it as something sacred. Those who possess the book of Cyprianus need never want money; they can read the devil to them and from them, and no one can harm them, not even the devil himself.
But whoever possesses the book cannot get rid of it; for whether he sells, burns or buries it, it will come back; and if a person cannot dispose of it before his death, it will go badly with him. The only method is, to write his name in it in his own blood, and lay it in a secret place in the church, together with four shillings clerk's fee.
The following is the German tradition of Cyprianus: In ancient times there lived in one of the Danish isles a man named Cyprianus, who was worse than the devil; consequently, after he was dead and gone to hell, he was again cast forth by the devil and replaced on his isle. There he wrote nine books, in the old Danish tongue, on witchcraft and magical spells. Whosoever has read all these nine books through becomes the property of the devil.
From the original work three (or nine) copies are said to have been made by a monk, and mutilated copies of these to have been dispersed all over the world. A count, who resided in the castle of Plön, is said to have possessed a perfect copy, which he caused to be fastened with chains and buried under the castle; because in reading through eight books he was so troubled and terrified that he resolved on concealing it from the sight of the world.
One of these books still exists in Flensburg.
Some spells from the nine books are still known among aged people.
Whoever wishes to be initiated therein must first renounce his Christianity.
Two miles from Horsens there dwelt a miller, who was a master in the black art and possessed the book of Cyprianus. A peasant having once stolen an axe from him, was obliged to bring it back at midnight, and was, moreover, borne so high in the air that his feet rattled among the tops of the trees in Bierre forest.
This miller in fact performed so many wonderful things that all his neighbors were astonished at his feats. Impelled by curiosity, a journeyman miller once slipped into his master's private room, where having found an old quaint-looking volume, he began to read in it, when the horrible Satan appeared before him and asked his commands.
The man, who was not aware that it was necessary to give the fiend some stiff job to execute, fell down in terror deprived of speech, and it would, no doubt, have been all over with him, had not his master entered at the moment and seen how matters stood. Snatching up the book, the miller instantly began to read in another place, in order, if possible, to drive the fiend away; but things had already gone too far, and nothing remained to be done but to give him something to do, so taking a sieve, he commanded him to bale water with it from the millpond; but being unable to do so, he was obliged to take his departure through the air, and left behind him a most loathsome stench.
Cyprian's book is also known in Normandy, where a similar story is told under the title of Le Grimoire du Curé. Calderon has made Cyprian the hero of one of his dramas, in which he appears as a native of Antioch.
From that time on she could conjure, but she wasn't right in her head. The priest from Karleby heard something about this, and he went to her. He immediately recognized what the problem was, and took the Cyprianus from her. She recovered immediately; but since that time the priest was much wiser than before.
Then then the tutor came back. He understood how to read the Cyprianus, and he read all the chickens out again.
Another time, old Frits' master mason happened to get hold of a Cyprianus, and he too began to read in it, for he did not know that it was a Cyprianus When he had read a little, an old gray-bearded man appeared. He was so cold over his whole body that he could not keep a limb still.
He asked Frits what he wanted.
Frits did not answer.
The court tutor, who owned a Cyprianus, perceived that something was wrong. He then got up and read the old gray-bearded man out again. When he left, he slammed the door behind him so hard that it shook all of Tøjstrup.
The following morning, the man searched the drawers and found a small book with red letters. He had never seen this book before, but he probably understood that it was a Cyprianus.
He thought that his wife could not be saved because she had had this book, so he went to the priest with it. The priest comforted him, but also said that it had been a great mistake on the part of the wife that she had not gotten rid of the book while she was still alive. Now she would not be able to rest until the book was rendered harmless. The priest then took the book, threw it into running water, and read a blessing over it. It helped, and the wife got peace.
In his old age he repented of his sins, and then wrote another book, in which he taught how all the old things he had written about in the first book could be prevented. Some have the first book and do evil with it. Others -- and these are the good "sorcerers" -- have the second book and thus prevent evil. Only a few have them both.
If a man dies who owned the book, it must be put into his coffin. If his children keep it after his death, they will not be able to get rid of it. Some even think that they then will belong to the evil one.
I have the testimony of trustworthy people that several times in West Jutland this book is placed in a dead person's coffin. Thus copies of the Cyprianus are not as rare as is usually assumed.
"The cunning boy," as he was called, once came to a farm in Strellev Parish and asked for a night's shelter.
Yes, he could get that.
Then he sat down on the bench by the table and talked with the people about the evening. However, the daughter of the house teased him all evening and would not let him be the center of attention. The boy was angry at this, and in the morning before left he, he promised her that she would come to regret her behavior.
From that day onward the girl was never at peace. Wherever she was, upstairs or downstairs, she was followed by such fearful sounds that she was about to run away from everything and everyone. Her father then sent for a "cunning" priest, who came and heard how things were. He then ordered that all the straw in her bed be taken out and burned. Not a single straw was to be left. This was done. That same day "the cunning boy" fainted and died, and the girl recovered.
"For since then I have lived only in poverty all my time and brought up many children. But when I had this book we never lacked bread in the house. Now we have only rubbish!"
In West Funen it is stated that the Cyprianus consists of twelve books, each one stronger than the next. If you read the last one, you can bind the devil, but most people do not have the power and "cunning" to read and use more than the first books.
No matter how many times the devil is thus cheated out of his catch, there will always be someone who cannot sell the book for less than he himself paid for it, and this person will be lost.
In the area around Skjælskør I have recorded the same folk belief in a darker form. Here it seems to have been a popular belief that what Moses wrote in the Book of Moses was the secret wisdom he had learned in Egypt and which, according to the Lord's promise to him, had remained in power.
In the church the priest had sensed that something was wrong, and to the astonishment of the congregation he had rushed out of the church and home.
Something was wrong indeed, because his children, who were home alone, had got hold of the bad book and started reading it. So many little devils came swarming about that the whole room was full of them when he got home. They threatened that misfortune would befall him and the children if they soon didn't get something to do.
In his distress, the man grabbed a bushel of peas and vetch that stood in the living room, poured them out on the floor and ordered the devils to pick them apart and say how many there were of each kind. Meanwhile, the man had time to read them out one by one.
The worst thing about him was that more people entered his farm than ever left it.
Once this cunning man was in Slagelse when one of his servant girls got hold of his Cyprianus and read in it, not knowing what kind of a book it was. After she had read a little, a few big red roosters came into the living room, and they turned into the angriest trolls. There were so many of them that she couldn't even turn around, and even more of them were coming. The man in Slagelse then sensed that something was wrong and rushed back home. He tore the book from the girl and boxed her ears, so that she fainted.
She never learned how he gained power over the trolls, because when she came to herself again, they had all disappeared.
Immediately the devil stood before her and asked: "What shall I do, what shall I do?"
The girl realized how serious this was. There was a sieve nearby, and she gave it to the devil, telling him to fill it with water. This kept the devil busy until the man came home and was able to conjure him away.
He had read about half of the names when he raised his head, and looking around him, saw that the room was full of diabolical looking beings. The soldier was struck with terror, and not knowing what to do, began again to read the book. After reading for some little time, he again looked round him; the number of spirts had increased. Again he read, and having finished the book, looked again around him. By this time the number of demons had so much increased that there was barely space for them in the room. They sat upon each other's shoulders, and pressed continually forward round the reader.
The soldier saw that the situation was serious; he shut the book, closed his eyes, and anxiously awaited his comrade.
The spirits pressed closer and closer upon him, crying, "Give us work to do -- quick!"
The soldier reflected awhile, and then said, "Fill up the cisterns of all the baths in the town with water brought thither in a sieve."
The demons flew away. In two minutes they returned and said, "It is done! Give us some more work to do -- quick!"
"Pull the Voivode's [Governor's] house down, brick by brick; but take care you do not touch or disturb the inmates; then build it up again as it was before."
The goblins disappeared, but in two minutes returned. "It is done!" they cried. "Give us more work -- quick!"
"Go," said the soldier, "and count the grains of sand that lie at the bottom of the Volga, the number of drops of water that are in the river, and of the fish that swim in it, from its source to its mouth."
The spirits flew away; but in another minute they returned, having executed their task. Thus, before the soldier could think of some new labor to be done, the old one was completed, and the demons were again at his side demanding more work. When he began to think what he should give them, they pressed round him, and threatened him with instant death if he did not give them something to do.
The soldier was becoming exhausted, and there was yet no sign of his comrade's return. What course should he take? How deliver himself from the evil spirits?
The soldier thought to himself, "While I was reading the book, not one of the demons came near me. Let me try to read it again; perhaps that will keep them off."
Again he began to read the book of magic, but he soon observed that as he read the number of phantoms increased, so that soon such a host of the spirit-world surrounded him that the very lamp was scarcely visible.
When the soldier hesitated at a word, or paused to rest himself, the goblins became more restless and violent, demanding, "Give us work to do! Give us work!"
The soldier was almost worn out, and unhappily knew not how to help himself. Suddenly a thought occurred to him, "The spirits appeared when I read the book from the beginning; let me now read it from the end, perhaps this well send them way."
He turned the book round and began to read it from the end. After reading for some time he observed that the number of spirits decreased; the lamp began again to burn brightly, and there was an empty space around him. The soldier was delighted, and continued his reading. He read and read until he had read them all away. And thus he saved himself from the demons.
His comrade came in soon afterwards. The soldier told him what had happened.
"It is fortunate for you," said his comrade, "that you began to read the book backwards in time. Had you not thus read them away by midnight they would have devoured you."
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Revised August 21, 2022.