Part 17

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, Irenaeus, 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 grauelich, schrecklich Exempel," he says in one place, "dass der Teufel kann die Leute plagen, dass er auch kinder zeuget."

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

"Gott in der Geschichte," III.

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

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.

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.

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!

Horst: "Demonomagie," I.

Colquhoun.

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 Geluesten dazu gehabt--nach Einigen; auch ein Unschuldiger, welcher in der Tortur sich fuer einen Dieb bekennt--und der ein reiner Junggeselle ist, gehaenkt wird, und das Wasser laesst, oder sein Same auf die Erde faellt, so waechst an solchem Ort der Alraun.--"Nork: Sitten und Gebraeuche der Deutschen und ihrer Nachbarvoelker."

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

Has herbas, atque haec Ponto mihi lecta venena, Ipse dedit Moeris: nascuntur plurima Ponto. His ego saepe lupum fieri, et se condere selvis Moerim ... vidi.

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

As late as 1804 a vagabond named Marechal 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 Marechal was condemned for burglary to the galleys.

During the restauration in 1815, when all the dead rose in their sepulchres, the famous von Goerres 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.

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

Compare Virgil, Ecl. VIII:

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

Compare same eclogue:

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

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.