While the Knights Templar practised a high-minded, quasi-corporate form of magic, a different, more dangerous kind of sorcery was being practised in the shadows of medieval London. This was the world of the grimoire, the forbidden textbook of ceremonial magic, which offered its readers the ultimate prize: the power to summon and command spirits, angels, and demons.
These were not books for the faint of heart. They were complex, dangerous, and often heretical, promising immense power but at the risk of eternal damnation. In the clandestine libraries and secret scriptoriums of London, these texts were copied, studied, and put into practice by a hidden network of magicians, scholars, and ambitious clerics.
A Science of the Supernatural
The Grimoire Tradition: A Science of the Supernatural
The grimoire tradition was not a collection of superstitious folk remedies; it was a highly systematised and quasi-scientific approach to magic. These texts, with names like the Key of Solomon, the Ars Notoria, and the Sworn Book of Honorius, laid out a precise methodology for interacting with the spirit world.
The Core Components of a Grimoire:
The Magical Circle: The most crucial element of any summoning ritual. The circle was not just a line on the floor; it was a carefully constructed magical fortress, inscribed with the names of God, angels, and other divine powers, designed to protect the magician from the very forces he sought to command.
The Tools of the Art: The magician required a specific set of consecrated tools: a wand (to direct will), a sword (to command and banish), a cup (to represent receptivity), and a pentacle (to represent the earth and manifestation). Each tool had to be created according to precise astrological and ritualistic guidelines.
The Spirits' Hierarchy: The grimoires provided detailed catalogues of the spirit world, listing the names, ranks, and functions of countless angels, demons, and elemental spirits. The Lesser Key of Solomon, for example, famously lists the 72 demons of the Ars Goetia, along with their sigils (magical seals) and the specific powers they command.
The Ritual of Summoning: The act of summoning was a long and arduous process, often involving days of fasting, prayer, and purification. The magician would then, at the astrologically auspicious moment, perform a complex series of incantations, calling the spirit by its name, binding it by the power of God, and commanding it to appear and do his bidding.
London: A Hub of Forbidden Knowledge
London, as a major centre of commerce, religion, and learning, was a natural hub for the circulation of these forbidden texts. The city's numerous monasteries and its proximity to the great universities of Oxford and Cambridge created a fertile environment for the study and practice of ceremonial magic.
We know from court records and clerical condemnations that the practice of magic was a persistent problem for the authorities. Men like Richard of Wallingford, a 14th-century abbot and brilliant astronomer, were accused of using their knowledge for magical purposes. The line between science and sorcery was thin, and many of the period's greatest minds walked it.
The Goal of the Magician: Power and Knowledge
What did these medieval magicians seek? Their goals were as varied as the spirits they summoned.
Knowledge: Some sought divine wisdom, the secrets of the universe, the ability to speak all languages, or mastery of the liberal arts. The Ars Notoria was a famous grimoire that promised its practitioners instant knowledge through the contemplation of magical diagrams.
Necromancy: The most feared of all magical arts, the summoning of the dead, was practised by those who sought forbidden knowledge or who wished to use the spirits of the departed for their own dark purposes.
This hidden world of grimoire magic represents a crucial, if often overlooked, aspect of London's occult history. It was a tradition that empowered the individual, offering a direct, if dangerous, path to power, bypassing the established hierarchies of the Church and the state. It was a democratic magic, available to anyone with the intellect, the courage, and the will to practice it.
This tradition of ceremonial magic, of summoning and binding spirits, would not die out with the medieval period. It would go underground, resurfacing in the Renaissance in the work of figures like Dr John Dee, and it remains a potent, if hidden, stream in the magical life of London to this day.
In our next post, we will explore the role of the alchemist in medieval London, the tireless seeker of the Philosopher's Stone, who sought to unlock the secrets of immortality and transformation in the fiery heart of the furnace.
Knowledge is power, but some power comes at a terrible price. Follow the Secret City series.
Join us as we continue to uncover the secrets of the Secret City.
Solomon Jones (Author/Researcher)
Medieval Grimoires and Spirit Summoning (Sources)
•The Key of Solomon (Clavicula Salomonis), 14th-15th centuries
•Liber Juratus Honorii (The Sworn Book of Honorius), 13th century
•Munich Manual of Demonic Magic, 15th century
•Kieckhefer, Richard. Magic in the Middle Ages. Cambridge University Press, 2000
•Page, Sophie. Magic in Medieval Manuscripts. British Library, 2004
•Burnett, Charles. Magic and Divination in the Middle Ages. Ashgate, 1996
•British Library MS Sloane collection - Medieval grimoires
•Bodleian Library - Medieval magical manuscripts
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