Dictionary of Witchcraft

On Friday, May 1, 1705, at five o’clock in the afternoon, Danis Milanges, the son of a lawyer, fell victim, at the age of eighteen to such singular afflictions ... that the doctors were baffled. He reported that he had seen a shepherd whom he did not know, and that the shepherd had said to him: “Sir, turn back; your horse will not advance.” The young man laughed at the shepherd’s words, but he was unable to make his horse go forward and was obliged to lead him back home, where he fell sick because the shepherd had put a curse on him... . Father Lebrun, who reports this extraordinary happening at length, is convinced that witchcraft was the cause, but the poor boy’s delusions were actually produced by epilepsy.

Poetic because it has to do with things immortal, mysterious because of its silence, death was supposed to have countless ways of announcing its arrival. Sometimes the first hint of approaching death was the ringing of a bell of its own accord; sometimes the man who was about to die heard three thuds on the floor of his room... . The Chinese believe that the dead return to their home once every year on the last night of the year. Throughout the night, they leave the door open in order that their deceased relatives may come in as soon as they arrive... . The Japanese are very sad when sickness comes upon one of their relatives, but they evidence the greatest joy at the moment of their death. They imagine that sicknesses are invisible demons... . The Turks, when they bury the dead, leave their legs free in order that they may kneel when the angels come to examine them, for they believe that the soul returns to the body as soon as it is placed in the grave... . Others say that those who are dying see demons, and that the Virgin asked to be exempt from their visitation. In Brazil the dead are guarded for several nights to prevent demons from carrying them to hell... . The Armenians rub their dead with oil, for they think that they must struggle physically with evil spirits.

A demoniac is one possessed by an evil spirit. The people whom the devil has chosen to use as his abode suffer varying degrees of torment, depending on the phase of the moon. The historian Joseph says that it is not a demon but the soul of a wicked person that penetrates the body of the one possessed and torments him. The Jews used roots and incantations to expel the devil... . There were several ways of determining that a person was a demoniac. . . including facial swelling, grimaces, insensitivity and leprosy, immobility, twitchings of the stomach, staring, French answers to Latin questions, and the absence of bleeding from cuts.

Valet to the duke of Lorraine, Charles IV. He was accused, in 1628, of hastening the death of Princess Christine, the mother of the duke, and of having caused several maladies which the doctors attributed to his evil spells... . On one occasion he took it upon himself to resuscitate four men who had been hanged (for he always did everything by threes). Frightened by his unnatural acts, Charles IV tried to procure evidence against him. He was given his day in court, sentenced to be burned, and executed.

Madame Deshoulières decided to spend a few months on an estate four leagues from Paris and was invited to choose the most beautiful room in the castle, with the exception of one room that was visited nightly by a ghost. For a long time Madame Deshoulières had wanted to see a ghost, and in spite of all the objections raised, she moved into the very room that was haunted. When night came she went to bed, took a book, as was her custom, read and then, having finished, turned out the light and fell asleep. She was soon awakened by a noise at the door, which was hard to close. Someone opened it, came in, and walked heavily... . Stretching forth her hands, she seized two hairy ears, which she had the patience to hold until the next morning ... when it was discovered that the presumed ghost was a big dog which found her room more comfortable for sleeping than the poultry-yard.

Deumus or Deumo

Divinity of the inhabitants of Calicut in Malabar. He is really only a devil worshiped under the name of Deumus. He has a crown, four horns on his head, and four crooked teeth in his mouth, which is enormous. He has a sharp, crooked nose, feet like those of a rooster, and holds in his claws a soul that he seems to be about to devour.

Name given to demons in general. It comes from a Greek word that designates Satan, “one fallen from heaven.” In all countries the devil is popularly represented as a black monster; Negroes depict him as being white. In Japan the Shintoists are convinced that the devil is none other than the fox. They exorcise this animal as an evil spirit. In Africa the devil is generally respected. The Negroes along the Gold Coast never forget, before taking a meal, to throw a piece of bread on the ground for the evil spirit... . The inhabitants of the Philippines boast of conversing with the devil. They relate that some of them tried to speak alone with him and were killed by the wicked spirit; that is why they gather in great crowds when they wish to converse with the devil.

Popular tale. A farmer in Champagne, named Jean Mullin, lived happily and in peace from the produce of his farm, which he cultivated with his wife and children. But ... thunder and lightning came, caused a fire, and reduced to ashes all the grain in his barn. One evening when he was walking along a road near a crossing ... he saw a man coming toward him. The man inquired about his troubled expression, and the farmer related his hardships. The stranger told him that everything would be made right if the farmer would have faith in him. “I have supernatural powers,” he said, “and your barn will be rebuilt before the cock crows if you consent to hand over to me the child now carried in her womb by your wife.” The devil ... finally persuaded him, and the unhappy father signed a pact with his blood, promising to hand over his child, as soon as it came to birth, to the bearer of the note. Catherine’s pregnancy was about to come to an end. She suffered frightful pain and died in giving birth to a little girl ... whom they named Antoinette. When she reached the age of fifteen, she was well developed and was becoming more and more beautiful. Her father decided to marry her off early in order to free himself from his dread over what the devil might do. One night ... a specter sat down on her bed, took her hand, looked at her with his fiery eyes, and said: “You are mine forever! ...” Afterwards, he disappeared. Later ... Antoinette suffered frightful convulsions and the priest said that she was possessed, pronounced many conjurations ... and forced the devil to come out, howling with rage.

Devil’s Carriage

For many nights at the beginning of the seventeenth century, a black carriage drawn by black horses driven by a black coachman passed through a Parisian suburb ... without making a sound. It seemed to depart every evening from the house of a man who had died a short time previously. The people were convinced that it must be the devil’s carriage, with the man’s body inside. Later the whole episode was discovered to be the work of a scoundrel intent upon gaining possession of the man’s house. He had tied cushions to the wheels of the carriage and around the horses’ hoofs to make his nightly escapade appear to be something supernatural.

Devil’s Castle

Popular tale. Not far from the town of Utrecht people point with terror to the devil’s castle. It is a strange, hideous structure built of stone and containing horrible paintings of demons with long tails, with bas-reliefs representing the damned, flames, and all the horrors of hell that can be imagined. For many years no one would live in this forbidding manor. The devil was said to have taken it as his residence. He was supposed to go there on the thirteenth of each month to celebrate the sabbat and to perform his orgies ... and twenty persons were said to have had their necks broken as they sought to enter such a dangerous place with impunity.

Devil’s Chain

The old women in Switzerland preserve the legend that St. Bernard keeps the devil chained inside one of the mountains that surround the abbey in Clairvaux. On this legend is based the custom of the Swiss marshals: every Monday before taking up their duties, they strike the anvil three times with a hammer, as if to tighten the devil’s chain and prevent his escape.

A famous wall that once separated England and Scotland. Several parts, unchanged by the ravages of time, still remain. The strength of the cement and the hardness of the stones have convinced the residents of the region that it was built by the devil’s hand. The most superstitious people take great pains to gather up even the tiniest fragments, which they put into the foundations of their houses in order to confer upon them the solidity of the wall. It was built by Hadrian.

A forked branch from a tree — hazel, alder, beech, or apple — used to discover metals, hidden streams, treasures, crimes and thieves. For a long time skilled men have used rods to perform marvels; and since Moses’ rod, every magician has had his wand or rod. Their possession is attributed to fairies and to powerful sorcerers. Medea, Circe, Mercury, Bacchus, Zoroaster, Pythagoras, Pharo’s sorcerers all had their rods, and Romulus used a divining rod when he uttered his prophecies... . The talent for making the divining rod turn is given to only a few privileged beings. One can easily determine whether one has received it naturally ... by cutting a forked branch from a hazel-tree and holding one of the two tips in each hand. When his foot is placed on top of the object that is being sought, or on clues that may indicate the location of the object, the rod will turn independently in the searcher’s hands and will be an infallible guide. Aymar was skilled in its use . . . and the bishop of Morienne was able to identify both true and spurious relics of saints... . No less astounding is the fact that the rod turns only when the holder intends for it to turn. Thus when a stream of water is to be identified, the rod will not turn when the diviner passes over hidden treasure or clues to a murder.

Dogs were ordinarily faithful companions of magicians. Actually it was the devil who took the form of a dog in order that he might follow magicians without arousing suspicion. He was always recognized, however, in spite of his disguise... . Black always betrays the presence of the devil under the dog’s skin. The ancient magicians also believed that demons revealed themselves as dogs, and Plutarch in his life of Cimon relates that a demon, disguised as a black dog, came to Cimon to announce his approaching death. The same ridiculous belief caused Christians to drive dogs away from their churches. Among the ancients the furies were called the dogs of hell, and black dogs were sacrificed to the infernal deities. But some people had other ideas, and the dog has even been singled out for special honors... . In Ethiopia a dog was king, and his barking and nuzzling were interpreted as signs of his anger or of his pleasure.

Dragons have stirred up much interest, but they are no longer seen. They were, it is said, winged serpents. Philostratus says that to become sorcerers and soothsayers the Arabs ate the heart or the liver of a flying dragon... . The devil often bears the name ancient dragon and has at times taken the shape of this legendary animal... . St. Pol, bishop of Leon, had tamed a dragon, which was sixty feet long, and taught him to follow him like a little dog. It is said that the dragon mentioned by Posidonius covered an acre of land and swallowed a fully armed knight as if he were a pill. But that was only a tiny dragon in comparison with the one discovered in India. According to Maximus of Tyre, it covered five acres of land.

Since man is the noblest of all creatures, his excrement has a peculiar, extraordinary property with respect to the treatment of several diseases. Dioscorides and Galen stress the point and insist that it cures diseases of the throat and quinsies... . When applied to the sting of a bee or a hornet, it immediately soothes the pain. Here is a secret ... beauty preparation: Take the dung of small lizards, tartar of white wine, scrapings from a hartshorn, white coral and rice flour in equal proportions; crush and mix in a mortar; wet the fine mixture in distilled water and add an equal amount of almonds, slugs, and white mullein petals; then blend in an equal quantity of white honey and stir the whole concoction. It should be stored in a silver or glass container, and should be applied to the face, hands and throat.