Key Texts: 12th To 14th Century

Question 1

Thesaurus Spirituum

Answer 1

13th century

Roughly contemporaneous with Hygromanteia

Explicitly about demon conjuration, not angelic: circles, calls, timings

Likely one of the most popular necromantic texts of the late Middle Ages

Likely written in Europe, claims Alexandrian provenance, written by Greek philosopher: Lombardus/Longobardus

Part of Trithemius’s library

Found in shortened form as Practica Nigromantiae

Became associated with Roger Bacon in Sloane 3853. Attributed as author in some places/minds

16th century Tractatus di Nigromantia contains it and fairy summoning spells (among other English additions)

Underexamined influence on the great spirit list debates

Question 2

Sepher Raziel

Answer 2

13th/14th century

Provides instructions on how to procure a ‘spirit guide ‘ to understand the text and communicate with angels

Had some influence on the clavicula in the sixteenth century, was included with it and sometimes confused for it due to its alternative title: Liber Salomonis (also Liber Razielis)

Might present an example of what the complete hygromanteia could look like, as a major redaction happened at this time

Liber Clavis: book of the key of astronomy

Liber Ala: the virtues of some stones, herbs, beasts and words

Tractatus Thymiamatus: of suffumigations or incense

Treatise of times: of the day and night

Treatise of purity and abstinence

Samaim: names of the heavens and their angels

Book of Virtues and Miracles: for specific magical operations

Question 3

Almandal/Almadel

Answer 3

Circulated late 13th century; in the later Lesser Key as Ars Almadel

Probably Arabic and may well have been Sanskrit originally

Comes from Arabic for wax tablet, which it uses for angelic communication

Claims to be written by Solomon following an encounter with a Seraph of the Second Altitude, trans. St Jerome

Obvious influence on Dee

Not to be confused with later Grimoire of Armadel( or the Arbatel)