At all times the world of the unknown has been an object of curiosity and research. It can only be penetrated with the help of special attributes and rituals. A grimoire is a book of witchcraft recipes. It contains descriptions of magical procedures for summoning good spirits and demons. Such a powerful attribute was not available 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.
History
According to linguists, the word grimoire (grimoire-grimoria) comes from the French grammaire, which means "grammar". In interpretation, grammar is a complex book - a book of rules. This concept was later transformed into a "book of spells".
When the first grimoire was created, experts do not know for sure. However, the oldest text that has come down to the presentdays, 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 divination.
Each original of such a book is a very valuable historical artifact and museum piece.
Famous grimoires
More than a dozen grimoires have survived to this 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 to the legendary Jewish king (for example, about receiving a magic ring from the Archangel Michael for power over demons).
There is disagreement among historians about the time of the creation of the manuscripts. Some refer the texts to the 15th-17th centuries, others, relying on vocabulary (the use of archaisms), date them to the 1st century. With regard to the "Testament of Solomon" there is a version of its creation in the 4th century. This is supported by the similarity of the grimoire with the Greek theological treatises of that time and the use of the Koine colloquial vocabulary, which was common then.
"Solomon's Key" (spell grimoire) contains a description of 72 demons, tools for calling them and praying to God.
Heptameron
This copy is unique in its content. Its name is associated with the description of spells for each day of the week. Magical texts help to evoke certainangels and spirits to help find or resolve difficult situations. For such penetration into the world of the unknown, special circles are used, which have great power. In addition, they serve as a kind of fortress for sorcerers from evil spirits. This ceremonial technique is reminiscent of the well-known plot of Gogol's Viy. Perhaps the latter was adopted in some way.
For the first time this book of magic was found in Lyon (France) at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. The question of its authorship is still open. However, documentary sources mention the name of the French scientist Petru de Abano. But the dates of his life and the creation of the grimoire differ.
Books of Moses
The well-known "Pentateuch of Moses" in the middle of the 19th century was supplemented by two grimoires, officially called the Sixth and Seventh Books of the Biblical Prophet. The first tome 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 Solomon's father 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), Emperor Charlemagne.
The seventh book is a guide to working with otherworldly forces (spirits of the elements and planets). It also contains the formula of witchcraft Kabbalah with a clear reference to the "Key of Solomon". A small place in the ancient manuscript is devoted to the description of the tablets that Moses, according to historians, used whenperforming magical rites.
Magic of Arbatel
The most mysterious for today is the Magic of Arbatel (grimoire). This is a kind of magician's code, supplemented with information about planetary magic. Neither the author, nor the exact volume, nor the date of creation of the manuscript, scientists could not accurately establish.
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 scientists reason to assume that the author of the grimoire is Italian.
The title 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, the unknown author briefly lists the contents of the nine volumes, detailing the magical arts of all peoples. However, only one book has survived to this day.
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 The True Grimoire was published. This is a collection of recipes and prayers for learning the magical arts. 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 andwas published by him at Memphis (1517). Only two and a half centuries later, the book of magic reached Italy, and then was reprinted in France.
Legends
There have always been a lot of legends around grimoires. One of the most common and false is the rumor that only the owner can read magical books. For outsiders, the pages turned crimson and burned the eyes.
It was also believed that the grimoire is a living book that needs to be fed with blood. In order to summon a 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. Yes, and their authors are prophets or clergymen.
Interesting facts
- Russian science fiction writer Nick Perumov uses the word "grimoire" in a different interpretation in his works. This, according to the author, is not a magic book, but a cruel ritual or torture carried out by necromancers.
- A number of books describing occult traditions are erroneously named as Grimoires. Experts call them falsifications, since the symbols they offer are mostly of a contradictory nature.
- With the advent of Tarot cards, such a thing as "grimoire of divination" appeared. It is a tutorial on spreading rules and interpretation of card combinations.
