Jochum Magnus Eggertsson was a strange character . During his life , the Icelandic writer and poet — who was brook in 1896 and called himself Skuggi ( or “ Shadow”)—often criticize authorities and the cultural and educational elite group and challenged established knowledge about Icelandic history and finish . He claimed to have 27 pages from a lost al-Qur’an , written on hide calledGullskinna(“Goldskin ” ) , which , concord to caption , would not burn up . So it makes sense that Eggertsson would spend 30 years researching Nordic spells , draw from 80 old manuscripts to make his book of white conjuration , Sorcerer ’s Screed , which he released in 1940 . After a successful reprinting in Icelandic in 2013 , the Icelandic publisherLesstofanhas made the bookavailable in Englishfor the first clock time .
Each spell consists of a symbol telephone astave , which is follow by runes that lay out the spell . Runes have a longsighted history in Europe and an even longer one in Iceland , which did n’t convert to Christianity — or the Latin alphabet — until more than 100 years after it was settled . And even then , runic letter would continue to be used for several centuries . “ Runes , the so - called fuþark alphabet , were ordinarily carved on rock-and-roll or Mrs. Henry Wood and they always have stop some power to them , ” Lesstofan ’s Þorsteinn Surmeli tellsmental_flossvia email . Post - Reformation , when the last Catholic priest in Iceland and his two sons were decapitate , “ the use of magical patch start to be more large — even though ( or because ) the Lutheran Christian church stringently prohibited the use of such symbolisation , ” Surmeli says . “ The period between 1654 and 1690 has been called the Magic Age because of the large number of case connected to the use of goods and services of sorcerous symbolisation . ”
nigh 200 mass were charged for use of magic , or for having a magic rule book ; more than 20 , the majority of them men , were sentenced to death and burn . “ Most of these typeface had to do with livid magic , the way of using magic for your own welfare but not inevitably to hurt others , ” Surmeli aver .
Though the last case of prosecution for trick in Iceland was in 1700 , Surmeli says that “ trick has been part of Icelandic culture ever since . And I would argue that Icelanders still use the spells in some means . perhaps not as we did before , but we keep the tradition alive . It ’s part of our identity and that ’s why we like referring to the magics , using them as decoration , tattoo , publish them in a book … It ’s part of the viking image that has been part of Icelanders since settlement . ”
Surmeli and Lesstofan had been familiar with Eggertsson ’s work for a longsighted time , and they lovedSorcerer ’s Screed — but the original edition was completely handwritten , and they were n’t trusted how to proceed . ab initio , they plan to photocopy each page — and then they heard about Arnar Fells Gunnarsson , a graphic design student at the Iceland Academy of the Arts . “ He is a big fan of Skuggi ’s work , and was , at that time , working in a group task involving Skuggi , ” Surmeli says . “ Later , Arnar did some more research and illustrated every single stave and rune which ended up being his final project at the Academy . ”
The publishing sign of the zodiac team up with the designer and published the Icelandic edition ofSorcerer ’s Screedin 2013 . It apace sold out . The English edition , ab initio released this summer , has been publish twice . “ The reactions have been unbelievable , ” Surmeli says . “ Tourism in Iceland has been increasing for the last few days , and the traveller seem to want books on traditional Icelandic culture . We even know of tourists that have bought the Quran and headed straight to the closest tattoo parlour . That ’s really what some of us at Lesstofan did , too . It ’s that cool ! ”
The spells inSorcerer ’s Screeddeal with everything from protect yourself from overwhelm and touch to how to make a woman diminish in love with you and calm sheep . ( Eggertsson had intended to print a book of black magic , too , but never got around to it : “ The world of symbols and thaumaturgy is big and maybe he felt theSorcerer ’s Screedwas enough , ” Surmeli says . “ Or perhaps he thought a account book of fateful magic would have been too dangerous for the populace . ” ) Below , we ’ve printed a few of the flighty staves fromSorcerer ’s Screed . Your can buy your own transcript of the bookhere .
1. GHOST STAVE
" Carve this round on scrub oak tree or on Norway spruce , and you will see the ghost . "
2. STAVE TO RAISE THE DEAD, EXORCISE EVIL SPIRITS, OR LAY A GHOST
" encrypt on the scalp of a horse , using a potpourri of sealing wax blood , Charles James Fox profligate , and human origin . narrate this verse line over the lag when you wish to use it :
" Thick profligate , fighters grow weary . The country weather centuries of asperity , great destruction , men die , riches is lose , the destitute are shun . parlous ruin the masses dread , storm upon storm , plagued by miserableness , hard remorse , relentless warfare . An malevolent stir haunts the world . "
3. WITCH RIDE STAVE
" He who wishes to ride through the air like a hag shall enroll this stave on a bleached horse ’s skull with two type of blood : from the humankind himself as well as from a Equus caballus , combining it in thirds , two parts being the horse ’s blood , from beneath the frog of the hoof of the right foreleg , and the third part from beneath the grown toe of the human race ’s leftover foot . The stave is to be draw with a chicken plumage , and he who has a witch - ride bridle will then be able to tantalise through air and water , wherever he feels like live . A witch - ride check is created by digging up a freshly inter humans and geld a funnies of peel from the length of his spine . This will be used for reins . Next , the bushed human race must be scalped , and the scalp will be used for the bridle . The deadened man ’s linguistic bone is to be used for the bit and his hip bones for cheekpiece . A spell also needs to be recount over it , and then the bridle is polish off . All that call for to be done is place the witch - ride check over a horse ’s head teacher . It will then pilot into the air with whomever is riding it , and take flight quicker than lightning wherever its rider wishes , create a great whistle auditory sensation . "
4. GREATER SHIELD OF TERROR
" This round is to be draw on black report with raven bile , and then place in the nest of a brooding raven . It is to be leave there until the raven has hatch its ballock . Then take the paper , and it will be of great utilisation to you . Even if a hundred men were your enemies , and they attacked you and wanted to kill you , this rung would deliver you easy . If you concord it up before you when facing your foeman , it will appear to them as innumerable black dragons , and that you are preparing to set them unaffixed . "
5. SLEEP-THORN
" Carve on oak tree and colorise the grooves with your own blood , and then rate it in secret on the crown of a man ’s head . "
6. LOOKING GLASS
" Reveals rearward and forwards , for year and century , throughout the world .
" This stave is to be drawn on calf that has never been out under the spare sky , with the water from within a raven ’s oculus , and blood from the heart of a man and woman , who have love each other with all their hearts but never consummate their love ; and the round is to be puff with a water rail ’s feather . Then gum myrrh is to be strewn over the full lag . When the lag is ironic , go to a fountain whose temperature remains unvarying winter and summer , and over which no bird has flown that day , and strike the water with it , making sure to change by reversal the stave downward . Then let the stave Trygve Halvden Lie still in the water , while circulate the spring four meter counter - clockwise . Take the stave from the water supply and peek through it , and he who draw the rung will be able-bodied to see , if he wish , throughout the world , backwards and forwards through the four cardinal focussing . Then the staff is to be enclosed in an amnion , and never study out unless it is to be used . "
7. MOON
" Inscribe on a slyboots pelt and people of colour with blood line from your right ring - finger’s breadth and you will not be haunted by ghosts . "
8. DREAM STAVE
" This lag is to be carved on lignite with a dogfish spinal column when the moon is three nights honest-to-god , and place beneath your head . You will then dream whatever you wish . "
9. STAVE FOR WAKING THE DEAD
" This stave is to be chip at in oak , and the rut colored with descent . The blood is to be from the big toe of the right foot , and the pollex of the left-hand hand , and then place this stave on the grave accent and walk three times clockwise and three times counter - clockwise around the church . Watch cautiously to be certain that dirt spouts from the grave three times , and at the third spout it is imperative that you be inclined to receive the ghost , because it will then pop its head up . Immediately snap up it by the pharynx and squeeze tightly , and moderate it tight until it take you to let it go . Then put on the necessary and appropriate method , and severalise the touch what it is to do . If the ghost is to be animise greatly and sent a foresightful distance , more full-bodied methods will be necessary , and more than one sorcerer . "
Text courtesy of Lesstofan . All graphics and photos by Arnar Fells Gunnarsson .
