Splendor Solis (‘Splendour of the Sun’) was considered one of the most beautiful alchemical treatises ever produced. This very popular book was attributed to a somewhat mysterious figure named Salomin Trismosin (supposedly the teacher of Paracelsus), which first appeared some time in the 1530’s. It included artwork by Albrecht Dürer, Hans Holbein, and Lucas Cranach. …
Though some magical traditions originated within the medieval period and inside of Europe, most of the learned magic in particular came from the distant past and many from the Middle East or more distant regions. The literary tradition of magic in Latinized Europe was closely linked to the Classical Tradition more generally, and its acceptance …
A Fencer’s Primer on Medieval Magic Literary Sources Read More »
An important Arab grimoire dated to the late 14th or early 15th Century in Baghdad. It is very unusual among medieval Arab manuscripts in that it contains several interesting color illustrations depicting everything from the Lighthouse of Alexandria to Demons and Jinn. The Kitab al Bulhan includes techniques of geomancy and magical astrological techniques. The …
A very popular early 13th Century treatise on astronomy and astrology, by Johannes de Sacrobosco. Very popular in medieval Universities where it was used for teaching the fundamentals of astronomy. Based largely on Ptolemy’s Almagast, it incorporated more detailed astronomical and astrological ideas derived from Al Kindi, AL Jabir, Avicenna and other Muslim auctores. The …
