Compiling Magic in the Seventeenth Century: Frans Anthoni Büchler's Amulet Roll

Abstract

Abstract:This article is a case study on the compilation of magical manuscripts in early modern Germany, based on a roll dating from around 1675 (Princeton University Library, CO938, no. 838), which was compiled for a man named Frans Anthoni Büchler. Emphasis is on the process of compilation, using sigils and text copied or adapted from various sources, including printed editions of the Calendarium naturale magicum perpetuum and Enchiridion Leonis Papae. "Compiling Magic" has been written to complement my article "The Magic Serpent: German Amulet Rolls in Time of War and Pestilence," published in the previous issue of Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft (Spring 2021).