The High Magic of Talismans and Amulets by Claude Lecouteux

Author:Claude Lecouteux
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Occult/Magic
Publisher: Inner Traditions / Bear & Company
Published: 2014-04-16T04:00:00+00:00

COMPOUND AMULETS

Compound amulets are made from two elements of the same nature, such as two stones, or two things of a different nature, for example an animal hide and a stone. The magician’s purpose is to obtain maximum effectiveness by combining the virtues of several ingredients or materials, which is generally done by working with a virtue common to both stones, or working with a stone and its sympathetic metal. We can find this information in the vast orphic corpus, that is, in the texts deriving from the Lithika by the Pseudo-Orpheus17 (the Nautical Lapidary, the lapidary of Socrates and Dionysius, the lapidary of Evax,18 and so on) and in the Kyranides, as well as in the latter’s adaptation in Old French, the Livre des secrez de nature.19 Finally, Camillo Leonardi’s compilation printed in 1502 contains a very rich selection drawn from myriad sources.20

Here is an illustrative example:

If one places the hide of a seal in a house or a ship, or if one wears it, no misfortune shall befall its bearer because it turns aside thunder, dangers, curses, ferocious beasts, demons, brigands, and nighttime encounters. It helps to have the sea stone known as coral with it. (Kyranides, 201)

By themselves, coral and seal skin are good arresters of lightning; by combining them, one obtains a very nice lightning rod! Here are some more examples of minerals or animal parts combined together:

The carbuncle and chalcedony worn since infancy prevent one from drowning if shipwrecked. (Nautical Lapidary, 1)

The beak and tongue of a vulture carried on one’s person are good for traveling at night because they keep demons, wild beasts, snakes, and misfortune at bay. (Kyranides, 154)

An eagle’s heart wrapped in fine silk and worn on one’s person protects one from all illness. (Secrez, 298)

Placed over iron filings, the chrysolite is a phylactery against night terrors. (Evax, 47)

References to “night terrors” crop up very frequently in the texts. This term designates demons, and most specifically, nightmares. “In Greece, the pagan and Christian orphic hymns dreaded spirits and devils by whatever name they were called . . . as shown by this pandemonium of amulets and papyruses,” Louis Robert notes,21 and his study shows that these nocturnal terrors went hand in hand with the “ill-omened meeting,” an encounter with a wicked spirit who only appears at night. An echo of this can be found in Psalm 90 of the Septuagint, whose fifth and sixth verses provide protective formulas:

Thou shall not be afraid of terror at night; nor of the arrow flying by day; nor of the evil thing that walks in darkness, nor of calamity, and the demon of noon.

I should not forget to point out one of the most marvelous amulets with powers that each of us would love to have at our disposal:

If one carries on their person the heart and head of the plover, one will be protected throughout their entire life from diseases and all suffering [illaesum et inocuum ab omni infirmitate]. (Kyranides, 175)

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.