AsterThere is a Dominican friar named Albertus Magnus who claimed that if you let sage rot a specific way and then throw it into a spring a storm will immediately break out.
Astera lot of this stuff is medieval christians getting high on Aristotle.
AsterHe seems to be arguing that demons need witches to actually do anything material.
Which, like, did we read the same books? Because in the bible they definitely do quite a lot of stuff without the use of a witch. Like what is this dude on about?
Aster“And without any drinking of poison they destroy souls merely through the violence of their chant.”
this sounds so fucken metal.
AsterI'm reminded of "the funniest joke in the world" skit from monty python
AsterThis skit
https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=Qklvh5Cp_Bs
AsterHence Lucan, too, says ‘Contaminated with no contagion from poison that has been drunk, the mind, being enchanted, dies.’
Asterreading this line before unleashing a sick metal riff
Asterthat the first inventor of the arts of magic and astrology was Zoroastertalked about this one before.
Asterhe goes on to claim that Zoroaster is the biblical character Ham
which, also no.
AsterAccording to Augustine (City of God [16.3, 10; 21.14]), he [Zoroaster] is the only man to have laughed when he was born, which was nothing but the work of the Devil.
Asterthis baby is laughing, must be satan.
AsterSatan is playing peek-a-boo again
Asterhis argument for why demons were able to do stuff without a witch is because witches weren't invented yet. But now that they exist I guess they have to use them or something.
Asterapparently witches have to have demons to do things with one exception. Old women are apparently able to give the evil eye to people through their own power.
(also apparently a pure mirror "gains impurity" when it sees a menstruating woman. which ok dude (I guess he gets that one from Aristotle))
AsterIn this way, then, when a soul is strongly impelled in the direction of evil, as happens to old women in particular, the sight of her is rendered poisonous and harmful in this mannerThis is very gender
Asterapparently non-harmful magic (he uses magic for acquiring "health or friendship" as an example) is not witchcraft but what he calls "observance of vanities". and is still heresy but he says he ain't gonna talk abt it because he is concerned with witches.
I guess this non-harmful magic too can be done without the explicit use of demons. (but he says it uses them implicitly)
AsterHence, sorcerers through no natural power and merely with the assistance of demons on the one hand, and demons by themselves with the help of some object like thorns, bones, strands of hair, pieces of wood or the like on the other, bring about the effects of sorcery when they insert or deposit some device, as will be explained in the following discussion.Ok so demons can also do stuff through an object. But I suspect at any rate they'd need a witch to make sure the object is planted in the right place.
Asterreading the book that was an influence in the witch hunts again, just so yall are ready for that lol
AsterLet it also be noted that among other actions they [witches] must follow four practices that serve to increase that breach of the Faith: they renounce the Catholic Faith in whole or part with a sacrilegious speech, solemnly devote themselves in body and soul, offer babies not yet reborn [baptised] to the Evil One, and persistently engage in the Devil’s filthy deeds through carnal acts with incubus and succubus demons.
Asterthe whole "sex with demons" thing seems to be really important to this guy (he brings it up a lot). I'm thinking he is thinking of the Nephilim I'm guessing the author must also be very familiar with the apocryphal Book of Enoch.
AsterHe argues here that demons just go around collecting sperm
Also, Strabus’ gloss on Exodus 7[:11] (“Pharaoh summoned the wise men . . . ”) says that demons scatter throughout the world and gather various seeds and from the use of them different sorts of creatures are able to burst into existence
Asteryep he brought up the Nephilim (fwiw I always thought that interpretation of Gen 6 was kinda iffy)
He also implies that people are beautiful because of demons so go thank a demon for that one when you get a chance
AsterThey [demons] change senses, pollute affections, disturb those who are awake, disquiet those who are asleep with dreams, inflict diseases, stir up storms, turn themselves into angels of light, always carry Hell around with them, and in their relations with sorcerers usurp God’s worship for themselves.#Goals
Aster... unreasoning rage, insane lust and perverse fantasy are inherent to them (understand this in terms of their spiritual sins: arrogance, envy and anger). For this reason, they are enemies of the human race and are rational in mind (though intelligent without running around), subtle in wrong-doing, desirous of causing harm, and ever novel in deceit. They change senses, pollute affections, disturb those who are awake, disquiet those who are asleep with dreams, inflict diseases, stir up storms, turn themselves into angels of light, always carry Hell around with them, and in their relations with sorcerers usurp God’s worship for themselves. The magical arts are carried out through them. They desire to gain lordship over the good and harass them more to the best of their abilities, are given to the Elect for their training, and always lie in ambush to attack man’s goal. Though they have a thousand methods and arts for causing harm, in that since the start of their own fall they have been trying to tear down the unity of the Church, to wound love, to infect the sweetness of holy works with the bile of envy, and in every way to overturn the human race and throw it into confusion, his power abides in the loins and navel (next to last chapter of Job), since it is through the debauchery of the flesh that they gain great lordship over men.
Asterhe cites a passage in Isaiah talking about how wild animals will dwell in Israel after its sacked by the Babylonians. But he interprets the goats to be demons.
Which is only funny to me because reading this way means that Israel will be inhabited with Ostriches and demons
Aster“It will be a bedchamber of snakes, and pastures for ostriches and demons will appear”) an interlinear gloss says, “That is, demonic monstrosities intermingled.”list of demonic monstrosities: demons, snakes, ostriches