1d18 Grimoires from the grandmasters of European magic, Vol. 3 - The Saturnines
Read the previous part here.
The Lead Age of Magic (After 1600)
The modern age, during which magic fully stopped working, the fairies retreated to wherever they come from as more and more common people had access to guns, and ideals from the Enlightenment made people believe magic was simply something the medievals made up.
Or that is the common narrative, anyway. Most scholars agree it is a lot more complex than that, especially when considering theoretical alchemy and the significant contributions it provided to science.
Some say the books of the Saturnines are the most uninteresting ones, as more and more historians took up theoretical magic and started applying the historiography of the day to it, making it much more scholarly and rigorous.
1. Regarding the kratt and how to control it, falsified version, unknown author (in Latin)
A very obvious fraudulent version of Master Balthasar's treatise on the customs of the peasantry of Danish Livonia in the late 13th century. The long descriptions of agricultural practices and sermons are shortened with bad grammar, and the spells for the animation of household implements to help with work are perverted into spells to animate implements for murder and war.
2. The Life of Boris of Thrace, Vol. 1, by Nicolae Petrino (in Greek)
Romanian antiquarian and theoretical magician Nicolae Petrino examines the life of Boris of Thrace, a fascinating figure from the First Bulgarian Empire who apparently knew the hidden paths in the Carpathians and would use them to help magically move soldiers around. He was never canonized despite his many feats.
3. Roman rituals against earthquakes, an examination, by Julie Aymay-Vernay (in French)
Julie Aymay-Vernay discusses a series of ancient tablets, supposedly found by her, with protective spells to protect objects from falling on the ground. The book is also an investigation of the role of women magicians and the role they might have exerted, considering the tablets were all written under the name "Letitia" and found in a garbage dump.
4. Letters to the heathen: The correspondence between the Norwegian and the Kurd, Vol. 1, by Johan Broman (in Swedish)
The letters of a Norwegian crusader who met Ibn Firruh, Gudolf Steel, compiled and translated by theoretical magician and historian Johan Broman.
The letters portray Ibn Firruh as "wise, for a heathen", and cordial. It also describes a spell for calming one's horse during the din of battle, taught to Gudolf by Ibn Firruh. These letters had disappeared for centuries until the 1700's, when a distant relative and antiquarian, Johan Broman, happened to "find" them and publish them in Swedish. Some of them have clearly been heavily editorialized, but no one is quite sure what Broman was trying to hide.
5. The Life of Boris of Thrace, Vol. 2, by Nicolae Petrino (in Greek)
The continuation to Nicolae Petrino's examination of the life of Boris of Thrace, focusing on his missionary work and how Boris of Thrace would make idols and religious objects disappear in front of the pagans. This would eventually result in his martyrdom at their hand.
Even after this, he was never officially canonized, though the church could not stop his beatification. Scholars speculate on the reasons, and it has been rumoured that scholars with close ties to the Vatican - and access to its archives - have been acting underhandedly to prevent that Boris be recognised. Others, including prominent Italian authors, claim this is an unfounded conspiracy that makes no sense, as Boris of Thrace is simply an uninteresting figure for the Roman Church, and that conspiracy theorists should instead turn their eyes towards the Orthodox church.
6. Calming the sea: Roman rituals from the Punic Wars, by Julie Aymay-Vernay (in French)
The Savoyard theoretical magician Julie Aymay-Vernay investigates the history of magic used during the Punic Wars, supposedly based on a series of ancient Roman manuscripts that she had found. Of particular interest is how the Romans would garner the support of wind spirits to make their ships speedier.
Aside from these investigations, it remains the sterling standard for Roman historiography. Despite this, it enjoyed mixed reviews at the time, with many critics citing how the "hysterical" (and scandalously unmarried) Ms. Aymay-Vernay always deemphasized the tactical applications of magic, focusing instead on logistics. Her work will eventually be cited as a precursor for the field of microhistory.
7. Letters to the heathen: The correspondence between the Norwegian and the Kurd, Vol. 2, by Johan Broman (in Swedish)
A continuation of the letters between Norwegian crusader Gudolf and Kurdish commander Ibn Firruh's friendship. The letters are mostly discussing horses, and a giddy Gudolf relates at length how he managed to get a troll to enchant a horse for it to run faster when bearing an oathkeeper or legal witness. It finishes on an enigmatic note that, with this, the two might meet again, as Gudolf's horse would be able to gallop all the way to the Holy Land - unedited by Johan Broman, his distant descendant. Gudolf never received an answer, Ibn Firruh had died of dysentery before the letter could arrive.
8. Loki's Legacy: Magic in the North Sea during the Viking Age, by Thomas FitzGerald (in English)
Thomas FitzGerald, an Anglo-Irish theoretical magician, examines a series of bronze plaques in Norse left by the vikings in Ireland and in other sites across the North Sea. He attempts to reconstruct how the Norse might have worked their magic. Of interest to Thomas is the almost absurd fear that they seemed to have of fire and of things catching fire.
9. The Skeleton Songs, by Arabella Dusk (in Early Modern English)
Musical sheets with lyrics of greedy delight composed by the possibly pseudonymous Arabella Dusk, the famous heiress-turned-madam-turned-poetess. It was said that, when the music was played, any magic currently taking place would immediately cease.
This last note has been puzzling theoretical magicians for decades as, by all accounts, there should not have been any magic by the time Arabella Dusk lived.
10. A Shape in Smoke, by Hans Ulric Doppel (in Danish)
A manual gnomically regarding tobacco smoking and the divinations one might take from it. It is a work of theoretical magic and poses some spells that would work with the addition of tobacco, most of them relating to prophecy. An incredibly famous book among the gentlemen clubs of Europe, which most have never read on account of being unable to understand Danish. Doesn't stop them from having opinions on it.
11. The Account of Father Pierre Nicolas d'Incarville on fireworks, annotated by theoretical magician Francesca del Fantasia, by Francesca del Fantasia (in Sicilian)
Ostensibly an 18th century fireworks manual, but with some exotic ingredient choices and a substantial section on 'teframancy', divination from ashes. A surprisingly casual final section mentions that iotic essence, 'the root of the Great and Exultant Ink Orpimental', can be refined with enough effort from a variety of liquids. To this day, no one is quite sure what the author meant by this, and it is rumoured to be an elaborate joke.
12. A True and Complete Accounting of the Asclepian Mysteries, unknown author (in Greek)
Supposedly an ancient text discussing a Mystery Cult for Asclepius. This is clearly a fraud written by some modern dandy in terrible Greek. It is rife with Britishisms, and some say it was penned by Lord Byron during his military service. Those who knew him say he surely knew Greek better than that.
13. A treatise on underplaces, vol. 1, by Edward Fuller (in Early Modern English)
The annotated dream-journals of 17th century mystic and antiquarian Edward Fuller, sometimes called ""the only readable occultist"", describing the 'Bounds' or 'Underplaces' on the borders of the world of dreams through a picaresque account of his own journey. The narrative is interspersed with rites and partial rites on how to achieve such a thing - perhaps the only form of magic that may still be done. He warns that they shift over time. Many of his directions are incredibly unhelpful and poetic, barely qualifying as theoretical magic. This has made him extremely popular in the saloons of Europe.
Where Eels swim doom calls. Is the arm an Eel? The leg? Never more shall we know than once we did, yet here our fate stands, benighted.
This first volume discusses the methods of his repeated visits to the world of dreams, describing it as ""trying to think oneself into being in love."
14. A treatise on underplaces, vol. 2, by Edward Fuller (in Early Modern English)
This second volume compares his own journeys to the medieval Lancastrians on the Sunset Road, as well as offering criticisms of the dogmatic Sir Philip Bale. It is, therefore, the least popular volume, though perhaps the most interesting from a theoretical magic standpoint, as Mr. Fuller seems quite well-read on the subject.
15. A treatise on underplaces, vol. 3, by Edward Fuller (in Early Modern English)
In this third volume, Fuller's disquisitions on fire and its role on dreams are interrupted by passages of distractingly erotic poetry addressed to 'Baldomera'. It eventually breaks down fully into erotica of admittedly very high quality, which makes it very popular - though not very prestigious - in the boudoirs and other womanly gatherings of Europe.
16. Homo Ferus, by Carl Linnaeus1 (in Latin)
Linnaeus' personal journals, mostly containing botanical and personal musings that make little sense outside of context. One interesting anecdote is his description of a strange wedding he was invited to, said to have invisible guests called trolls. Apparently they have their own cultures and society, are invisible to most people, and hate all things related to Christianity. Linnaeus never spoke of this in his later life and some theorize it is merely him writing down a story for his children; though theoretical magicians say there is surprising consistency between his writings and the magical record regarding trolls.
17. The Life of William Chamber, by Thomas Fairfax (in Early Modern English)
A long and interesting biography of William Chamber, but also a reader and complementary text, including extended discussions on labyrinths and unknown passages which William Chamber might have used. He was one of the very last people to have ever entered Fairy willingly, and also is said to have learned all of his magic from the ghost of the Lady Alice of Chester.
18. Fragen – Antworten, by Max Brugger (in German)
A philosophical text banned by the Protestant Church in 1792 due to its association with the occult. The questions raised in the book are said to shatter the reader’s view of herself and the world. The text is written in red ink on black paper. The cover features a lindworm devouring its own tail.
In actuality, it is some theoretical magician lesser to Kant trying his best to act like he isn't and write 'cutting edge' philosophy. It does have accurate information on wyrms, however, discussing how the wyrm can be killed by tricking it to slither through three different fires; the third one reducing it to ash. Not that one would require that, as there are God-fearing wyrms who can grant people magical knowledge.
Yes, that Carl Linnaeus.↩