Course Notes Flashcards
Testament of Solomon
1st to 3rd century
Likely Alexandrian
Demon-controlling seal on a ring from Archangel Michael
Collection of demons, one for each decan and the stars of the Pleiades plus corresponding binding angel
Demons responsible for various ailments of human body
Earliest Solomonic text. Binding is its cornerstone
Sepher Ha-Razim
Also (maybe) Book of Secrets
4th century, Jewish
Angel magic split into 7 heavens
Given to Noah by Raziel and then handed down to Solomon
Has water vessels in some operations
13th century Sepher Raziel may be related
Kyranides
3rd/4th century, then translated into Latin in 1169 in Constantinople
Not Solomon, but wisdom written on old, ruined pillars in the eastern desert
A collection of stones, fish, plants, birds associated with each Greek letter for use in medicine and magic
Copies found among books of demonic invocation in Constantinople in the 14th century
Considered one of the most dangerous books in Europe for five centuries
Hygromanteia
Origins either in southern Italy in the 6th to 11th century, Venetian controlled Crete in the 13th or 14th century, or Byzantium in the 11th (Skinner)
Copies found bound with Testament of Solomon
Contains spirit overlaps with ToS and thus the decans. Many of the demons of the four quarters overlap with the ToS, meaning you start to see the build of stars/spirits/directionality into a workable system
Electional astrology overlap with PGM
Water jug motif
Skinner: probably once had more extensive herb/stone/animal correspondences that might have been spun off into pseudo-Albertus Magnus texts. It mentions it contains herbs and stones but doesn’t. Important for understanding the “true shape “ of a Solomonic grimoire
Precursor to the Clavicula: circle, timing, ritual implements, binding etc
Once owned by Catherine de Medici, Queen of France
Hygromanteia: Components
Opens with Solomon addressing his son
Then day/hour timing, with ruling spirits
Then planetary prayers
Description of plants and their magical/astrological correspondences
Then construction of tools: black handled goat horn knife, quill for pentacles, parchment, beeswax and clay, garments and ring
Construction of the Heavenly Seal/Ourania
Sequence of evocations, including the circle and four kings
Picatrix
Ghayat al Hakim: Aim of the Wise
11th century: either in or from Harran, otherwise Spain
Most copies made after 1500, at a time when other image magic texts dropped off in standalone popularity
Quite lengthy compared to other Arabic image magic texts, ie warrants its own volume, which may explain its widespread survival
The astrology in it (mansions etc) owes more to Indian astrology than Graeco-Egyptian
Drops view of decans as/ with ruling spirits that survives in the Solomonic current of Byzantium in favor of an Indian approach of having their ‘power ‘ reside solely in their images. Understandable in an Islamic climate
Classic text if you want to understand ‘image magic ‘ as separate from Solomonic
Source for Agrippa’s appalling misunderstanding of decans that has infected many subsequent grimoires
Solomonic magic’s interest in astrology was solely based on its use of timing improving the efficacy of spirit contact. It otherwise gave very few fucks
‘Natural’ magic perpetuated the same ruse as image magic, doubling down on the Neoplatonism
Ars Notoria
First appeared late 12th century probably in Italy, but contains much older prayers. Influenced by Sepher ha-Razim/Liber Razielis
Prayers revealed by an angel to Solomon to gain proficiency in liberal arts, philosophy, medicine etc
Prayers, fasting, lunar observations, gazing at notae. These notae are missing in many later versions
Angels, not spirits/demons (some later versions change this)
More theurgy than nigromancy. Was still condemned in the indices of Milan and Venice of 1554 as parallel to necromancy
Large number of copies survive, mainly 14th to 16th centuries: could be survivor bias as they were presumably less likely to be destroyed
John of Morigny, 14th century monk, poltergeisted himself using it.
Michael Northgate (14th century England)’s copy was bundled with pseudo-dionysius’s Celestial Hierarchy
Not bundled with necromancy before 1500, found more often with books/manuscripts of astrology as, mathematics, natural philosophy etc
This reflects a shift away from scholastic ‘naturalia’ yet a persistent interest in summoning/necromancy
Combined with the Lemegeton/lesser key of Solomon
Liber Juratus
Or Sworn Book of Honorius (of Thebes)
Probably originated in Spain in the late 13th/early 14th century , if not, southern France
Purports to be a compilation of all the magic and wisdom of the world into one book to save it from persecution by churchmen tricked by demons
Inspired in part by Liber Razielis and Dionysius the Areopagite’s Celestial Hierarchies
Very similar to Ars Notoria in terms of goals and approaches: user seeks god’s permission to begin working with the book toward an aim of a vision of god through fasting, prayer etc
This Visio Dei ritual takes up two thirds of the text, includes going to mass, having priests pray for you etc. 28 day ritual to receive the beatific vision
Notae/sigils, calendrical angels- although it contains ritual involving spirits in fuller versions
Age and number of texts almost makes it two separate lineages based on promise of Visio Dei and comparative mangling of Shem ha-Memforash
Has everyone’s favorite seal in it: the seal of the true and ever living god
Dee had a copy
Both Ars Notoria and Liber Juratus are ‘templates ‘ for how texts were used and transmitted: scribes would rewrite, extract or add to them
LJs had some AN added, for instance
These variations and Jurassic Park style frog DNAing support the thesis that scribes/magicians were actively involved as coauthors with angels/spirits/saints etc
“The approving evaluation of necromancy in the LJ suggest considerable fluidity between necromancy and theurgic magic…we may distinguish these texts from more conventional mystical devotion by their overwhelming fascination with both the holy and unholy, a fascination that drew upon the effects not only of wonder but also of fear.” Klaassen
