Two Northern Grimoires: The Trondenes and Vesterålen Black Books

Abstract The so-called Black Books (grimoires) contain collections of conjurations and charms which provide instructions on how to make magical objects such as protective amulets and talismans. Two such Black Book manuscripts were recently rediscovered in the archives. They were part of the source material used by Bishop Anton Chr. Bang, who published excerpts from them in his book on magic formulas from Norwegian folk tradition. The two manuscripts are from ca. 1760 and 1800, and derive from the parishes of Trondenes and Bø in Vesterålen, respectively. This article will examine the two manuscripts with regard to their content and how they differ from each other. The use of grimoires is then discussed in order to clarify how we might interpret such books in their historical and social context in which Christian norms were taken for granted as the foundation of society.