The Secrets of King Salomon and Pope Leo III: Two French Grimoires and their Approaches to Magic

Welcome to the world of magical secrets of ancient wizards, kings, and popes! Come, delve into the mysteries of love, invisibility, poison, and the spirits of ethereal realms!

This exhibit explores two French spellbooks, or grimoires (grammars of magic), with a particular focus on their illustrations. It examines their similarities, their differences, and questions about what these texts can tell us about what was important to the people who wrote and used them.

Magical spells have a written history dating back to around the 5th century BCE and have been found across the world. There is some evidence of early Christian sects using grimoires, but as Christianity rose in the Roman Empire, magic became increasingly associated with paganism and was frowned upon. Since then, grimoires, particularly those that deal with "demonic" magic that appeals to magical spirits other than God, have been largely condemned by the Christian churches. Despite this, there has never been a clear distinction between the practice of religious devotion and magic in grimoires, and many of the most frequent magical practitioners have been those closely aligned with the Church. Both of the grimoires examined in this exhibit are deeply intertwined with Christian mythology. In the early modern period in France, with the spread of printed books and an ever-growing literate audience, grimoires became increasingly available to women and people lower down the social scale. Though printed grimoires were more easily spread during this period, handwritten grimoires were still held in special regard as possessing inherent magical properties and continued to be created. By the late 18th and early 19th century, despite continued opposition on the part of the Church and the French government, grimoires were widespread in France, and we can expect that the grimoires examined here could be used on a daily basis by a varied literate audience.

Les vrais Clavicules du Roy Salomon par Armadel (The True Keys of King Salomon, Armadel version) is a manuscript dating from about 1775 CE, which claims to contain the magical knowledge of the biblical Salomon. Included on the Roman Catholic Index of Prohibited Books, early examples were systematically destroyed. Tisch Special Collections' copy, MS 44, was copied in multiple hands on sheets of paper pasted to the pages of a bound printed book, a copy of the Almanac Royal, potentially for reasons of secrecy. It features detailed descriptions on how and in what context to perform magical spells, with guides on astrology, prayer and conjuration, pentacle drawing, rings with which to catch spirits, and more. 

Enchiridion Leonis Papae serenissimo imperatori Carolo Magno in munus pretiosum datum : nuperrime mendis omnibus purgatum is a smaller, printed book, published in about 1810 CE, which claims to date from 1660 and to contain the prayers and magical secrets conveyed from Pope Leo III to Charlemagne the Great. The spells address uses like preventing harm from one's enemies, saving a marriage, stopping a fire, and curing eye diseases. The text also contains seven biblical psalms, various letters claimed to be from historical figures, and 10 full page pentacles, figures, and illustrations for magical use dotted throughout the text.