Part 12

[34] The days bear yet, in many languages, the names of the planets which were assigned to them in gray antiquity by Astrology.

Sunday, dies Solis, is the day of the Sun. Monday, dies Lunæ, is the day of the Moon. Tuesday, dies Martis, is the day of Mars, _i. e._, Tiw. Wednesday, dies Mercurii, is the day of Mercury. Thursday, dies Jovis, is the day of Jupiter, _i. e._, Thor. Friday, dies Veneris, is the day of Venus, _i. e._, Freja. Saturday, dies Saturni, is the day of Saturn.

The original names seem to have been introduced by the Romans during the later period of the republic. That the idea is derived from Egypt is shown by a passage in Dion Cassius [l. XLIII., c. 26; compare E. Roth, "Geschichte userer abendländischer Philosophie," I., pag. 211]. The question when and how they were introduced by our forefathers will perhaps remain forever a matter only of conjecture. It has caused astonishment that the order in which the days were named after the planets, though the same with all nations, is not the order in which they were supposed to be placed in the universe (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury and the Moon). This riddle is solved by the passage in Dion Cassius referred to, in a manner such that the astrological origin of this nomenclature must be undoubted. He relates, namely, that the Egyptians devoted every one of the twenty-four hours to a certain planet. The first hour of the first week-day (Saturday) was given to the uppermost planet, Saturn, the second to Jupiter, the third to Mars and so on, according to the order of the planets. The 24th hour of Saturday consequently fell also to Mars, and the first hour of the succeeding day to the Sun, by which that day was therefore named Sunday. The 24th hour of Sunday falls according to the same calculation to Mercury, and the first hour of Monday to the Moon; and so on. The astrological distribution of the hours between the planets according to their successive order in the heavens thus explains the apparent disorder which occurs in the week. In the magical works by Cornelius Agrippa, Peter de Albano and others, of which the author has availed himself, tables concerning the distribution of the hours are found. These writers have collected from all quarters, and not least from Ptolemy and the Alexandrians, materials for their magical apparatus.

[35] The prescriptions for these perfumes are found in Cornelius Agrippa's "Occulta Philosophia," l. I., c. 44.

[36] They are found in Agrippa's "Occulta Philosophia," l. III. cc. 25, 26, 27, 28.

[37] Many pages could be filled with subtle speculations over the word _Bereshit_, the first word in the Old Testament. That the sensual world is only a secondary world, a reflex of the ideal world, the Cabalists proved by showing that Holy Writ commences not with the first but with the second letter of the Alphabet, namely [Hebrew] (b), which in its form is half a square [found in the number of the world], and therefore signifies an accomplished separation between spirit and matter, between good and evil. By a transposition of the letters in _Bereshit_, in accordance with the method of the Cabala, two other words are obtained which mean "in the first Tishri," showing that the world had been created in the month of Tishri (September). The sum of the numerical value of the letters in the word _Bereshit_ equals the sum of the numerical value of the letters in two words which mean "He created by the law,"--a proof that the law is the instrumental cause of the world. Further, _Bereshit_ can be divided so as to form two words meaning "He created six" (six days, six millenniums, the six extensions of universal space, etc.); or, "He created a ram," which was, according to the Hebrew Cabalists, the same ram that was sacrificed instead of Isaac, and the Christians add, the same "Lamb of God" which gave itself a sacrifice for man.

[38] The table from which the author has amused himself in extracting, according to the rules, this name, is found in "Occulta Philosophia," 1. III. c. 26.

[39] Agrippa's book gives the subtle rules for finding the "signs" or the signatures of the demons.--The reader must remember the part played by the "signs" of microcosmos and the earth-spirit in Goethe's Faust.

[40] Since they (the newly converted Anglo-Saxons) are accustomed to slaughter many oxen and horses in their feasts to the honor of the devils (their ancient gods) it is necessary to allow this custom to remain, but based upon another principle. Thus there must likewise be celebrated on the feast days of the Church and of the Holy Martyrs whose relics are kept in the churches built in heathen sacrificial groves, a perfectly similar festival, by enclosing a place with green trees and preparing a religious banquet. Still the animals must not be sacrificed to Satan's honor, but slaughtered to the praise of God and for the sake of food, for which the Giver of all good gifts must be thanked.

[41] "_Creberrima fama est multique se expertos vel ab eis qui experti essent, de quorum fide dubitandum non est, audisse confirmant, silvanos et faunos, quos incubos vocant, improbos sæpe exstitisse mulieribus et earum appetisse ac peregisse concubitum, et quosdam dæmones, quos Dusios Galli nuncupant, hanc assidue immunditiam et tentare et efficere plures talesque asseverant, ut hoc negare impudentiæ videatur._" (De civitate Dei. lib. 15, cap. 23).

[42] "Recognitiones divi Clementis ad Jacob," lib. II.

[43] This view is expressed already in Henoch's book and in the writings of the Rabbi. Like them even the fathers interpreted the "Sons of God" mentioned in Genesis who "were fascinated by the daughters of men" as fallen angels. Thus Cyrillus, Anthenagoras, Irenæus, Lactantius, Turtullianus, and others. We have just instanced above a quotation from Augustine. The Greek mythology with its amours between gods and men was destined to give support to this superstition.--Luther, who could not free himself from the superstition of his time, tells us often in his "Tischreden" that the devil can beget children by connection with human beings. "Es ist wahrlich ein graülich, schrecklich Exempel," he says in one place, "dass der Teufel kann die Leute plagen, dass er auch kinder zeuget."

[44] Reginonis libri duo de synodalibus causis et disciplinis ecclesiasticis. The work was republished in Leipzig in the year 1840.

[45] "Gott in der Geschichte," III.

[46] It is found complete in its original form in Horst's "Demonomagie," II.

[47] Many etymologies as profound occur in the "Witch-hammer." The word _diabolus_ (devil) is derived from _duo_, "two," and _bolus_, "morsel," which is thus explained, that the devil fishes at the same time after two morsels, the soul and the body.

[48] This deduction, replete with indecencies which can not be handled, occupies thirty-three pages of the "Witch-hammer." It pretends to be very convincing. It has also sent women by hundreds of thousands to death.

[49] To give the reader a clearer idea of the really diabolical blindness and brutality which characterizes the terrible book we are giving an account of, we quote the following statement from the "Witch-hammer," p. 223: "We (the inquisitors Sprenger and his colleagues) find that of all women that we have condemned to the flames very few have voluntarily done harm by sorcery. They have generally been forced by the devil to do it. After having confessed every thing (on the rack) they generally attempt suicide before being taken to the stake. It is the devil who tempts them thus, for he is afraid that by repentance and confession they will receive the pardon of God. If this wily trick is not successful, and if they are prevented from destroying themselves, he knows how to rob them of the chance of grace by other means, namely, by smiting them with fury, madness or sudden death!"--Behold a sample of how theological arguments founded on superior natural influences can be used!

[50] Horst: "Demonomagie," I.

[51] Colquhoun.

[52] [Greek: Mêla Mandragorou] (in Hebrew _dudaim_) is in the Septuagint a name for the love-apples with which Leah regaled her husband (Gen. xxx. 14). Pliny speaks of the mandragora as a poisonous herb, dangerous to dig; now already Columella knows the mandragora as a half-human being--"_semihomo mandragoras_."

[53] Man sagt: wenn ein Erbdieb, dem, wie den Ziguenern das Stehlen angeboren ist, oder dessen Mutter, als sie mit ihm schwanger ging, gestohlen, oder doch gross Gelüsten dazu gehabt--nach Einigen; auch ein Unschuldiger, welcher in der Tortur sich für einen Dieb bekennt--und der ein reiner Junggeselle ist, gehänkt wird, und das Wasser lässt, oder sein Same auf die Erde fällt, so wächst an solchem Ort der Alraun.--"Nork: Sitten und Gebräuche der Deutschen und ihrer Nachbarvölker."

[54] So Propertius and Plinius. Virgil (eclog. VIII.) makes a shepherd sing:

Has herbas, atque hæc Ponto mihi lecta venena, Ipse dedit Moeris: nascuntur plurima Ponto. _His ego sæpe lupum fieri, et se condere selvis Moerim_ ... vidi.

[55] Melancthon, who firmly believed in the were-wolf, reasoned in the same way.

[56] As late as 1804 a vagabond named Maréchal was accused by the peasants in Longueville as a sorcerer and were-wolf. At his trial the mysterious were-wolf excursions were resolved into thieving rambles, and Maréchal was condemned for burglary to the galleys.

[57] During the restauration in 1815, when all the dead rose in their sepulchres, the famous _von Görres_ sought to revive the belief in vampirism. He has written about it a work of mighty learning, wherein he discourses profusely of the "vegetative" sources of the body, which he asserts continue their activity after death, and thus enable the soul of the deceased to reoccupy and for a while reoperate its old machinery.

[58] Some of the popular forms of conjuration are in Latin, though corrupted so as to be almost beyond recognition. A couple of restored examples may be given. This is the formula against bloody-flux:

Sanguis mane in venis Sicut Christus in poenis, Sanguis mane fixus Sicut Christus fuit crucifixus.

Against fever:

Deus vos solvet sambuco, panem et sal ego vobis adduco, febrem tertianam et quotidianam accipite vos, qui nolo eam.

Against epilepsy:

Melchior, Balthaser, portans hæc nomina Caspar, Solvitur e morbo Domini pietate caduco. Perpetret et ternas defunctis psallere missas. Barachun. Barachagim. Destrue. Subalgat.

[59] Compare Virgil, Ecl. VIII:

Terna tibi hæc primum triplici diversa colore Licia circumdo.... Necte tribus nodis ternos, Amarylli, colores: Necte, Amarylli, modo: et Veneris, dic, vincula necto.

[60] Compare same eclogue:

Limus ut hic durescit, et hæc ut cera liquescit Uno eodemque igni: sic nostro Daphnis amore.

[61] The Faust-legend, formed during the time of the Reformation, sought at first to employ one of the heroes of the learned magic, Henricus Cornelius Agrippa, as its chief character; but a biography of him, published by his pupil, Wierus, having dispelled the fantastical halo enveloping his personality, the creative desire sought a more obscure object which it could transform according to its bizarre imaginations.

Transcriber's Notes:

Passages in italics are indicated by _italics_.

Passages in fraktur font are indicated by =fraktur=.

The original text includes Greek characters. For this text version these letters have been replaced with transliterations.

The original text includes Hebrew characters. For this text version these letters have been replaced with [Hebrew].

End of Project Gutenberg's The Magic of the Middle Ages, by Viktor Rydberg