Instructions for conjuring spirits: university library deciphers magic manuscript

The mysterious text extends over almost 90 pages. Instead of letters, it contains ciphered characters, interspersed with planetary symbols and drawings of spirits. When Dr. Konrad Wiedemann, head of the manuscript department, acquired the manuscript in Witzenhausen from a private citizen, he and his colleagues in Kassel were quickly able to say that the book dates from the late 18th century. But what it says remained a mystery for a long time, so they named the manuscript "Magic Manuscript."

Dr. Brigitte Pfeil, deputy head of the Manuscripts Department, and Sabina Lüdemann, head of the Hessian Department of the State Library and Murhard Library, searched for clues to classify the text. One lead pointed to the Freemasons, who were active in Kassel in the late 18th century. "One assumption was that the manuscript may have served as a missive to deliver messages," Pfeil explains. "But the text contains other characters, not the Masonic alphabet."

In a quiet hour, the Arabist Lüdemann then had a brainwave: she discovered a relatively simple encryption system. Behind each character is a single letter. Some of the characters even graphically resemble the basic letter they replace. The A, for example, is missing only the crossbar, the s is realized like a 6, the d is a square with a dash above it. "With a little practice, the text can be read quite easily," says Pfeil, a medievalist, who has already transcribed the entire book together with Lüdemann.

And now it is finally becoming clearer what lies hidden behind the signs: "The book is a manual for summoning spirits. It gives practical instructions, contains spells and incantations. The spirits are supposed to help find earthly treasures such as silver and gold," Pfeil explains.

The text is densely packed with religious references. Names of God appear in various languages such as German, Greek, Latin and Hebrew. Archangels, angelic choirs and Jesus Christ make appearances. "There's also a lot of hocus-pocus. But predominantly we find religious Christian vocabulary. That suggests that the author comes from the Christian cultural sphere," Lüdemann explains. What exactly is meant by the treasure hunt - whether it is a 'real' treasure or a treasure in the figurative sense - is still open to interpretation.

"In the meantime, however, we are still not sure whether it is a manuscript from the environment of the Freemasons or the Rosicrucians, a secret society in the cabbalistic-mystical tradition," the two scientists explain. "However, the manuscript fits well into the context of the increased interest in mysteries, alchemy, magic and treasure hunting at the end of the 18th century."
 

Whether the cipher used corresponds to a common Rosicrucian code or another encryption technique was used is currently being investigated by Pfeil and Lüdemann.
 

The original "Magic Manuscript" can be viewed in the Manuscript Department of the University Library.

The complete manuscript is available on the Internet and images can be downloaded at: http://orka.bibliothek.uni-kassel.de/viewer/image/1374150101659/3/
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Info

Dr. Brigitte Pfeil
Kassel University Library - State Library and
Murhard Library of the City of Kassel
Tel.: 0561/804-7344
E-mail: pfeil[at]bibliothek.uni-kassel[dot]de

Sabina Lüdemann
Kassel University Library - State Library and
Murhardsche Bibliothek der Stadt Kassel
Tel.: 0561/804-7338
E-Mail: luedemann[at]bibliothek.uni-kassel[dot]de