The Golden One

Traditional Magic Spells by Claude Lecouteux

Posted on August 23, 2023

I have read Traditional Magic Spells for Protection and Healing by Claude Lecouteux. The book should not necessarily be read as a practical book about magic (i.e. with practical instructions for meditation techniques, etc.), but rather as a study of folklore and myth. The book contains a great number of spells from various European countries. As the title of the book suggests, most of them concern healing and protection.

Christian Magic – No Religion Without Magic

Perhaps the greatest insight from the book is the prevalence of Christian magic. Many of the spells and incantations revolve around characters from the Christian mythos. As we have discussed on numerous occasions, the Christianity that dominated Europe for most of its existence was a syncretic Paganism and Christianity – these spells support this notion. Related to this it becomes apparent that this type of Christianity certainly was not averse to magic. This is, of course, a complicated topic, especially taking into consideration the witch hunts but it is interesting to point out.

The author shares a quote from another author which I found illuminating. This is also, in my own humble opinion based on my esoteric journey of the last one and a half years, accurate.

‘There is no religion without magic any more than than there is any magic without at least a trace of religion.’

Claude Lèvy-Strauss – The Savage Mind

Pictured below: a picture I took in Enköping kyrka.

Norwegian Spell Involving Jesus and a Troll

One spell which I found particularly interesting is the following from Norway. In order to free animals of all ills, one can read the following over salt and malt and give them to one’s animals:

‘Jesus and the Virgin Mary were traveling along the shore when they saw the good valerian planted in the ground. Jesus began to dig up the root. The troll in the mountain began shouting about the uselessness of the root. Saint Peter arrived and answered the troll of the mountain this way: “It is good against many ills. It is good against exhaustion and anemia! It is good against the fang of the wolf and the claw of the bear and the tooth of Satan and the hand [the contact] of sorcerers and against all ill that flies between heaven and earth.” By the three Names and [speak] the Our Father three times before and three times after.’

Claude Lecouteux – Traditional Magic Spells. Page 263.

The source is the Svartbok frå Gudbrandsdalen. Svartbok (svart = black in Norwegian and Swedish, bok = book). Svartbok refers to a book of sorcery.

What is interesting about this is how Jesus is incorporated in myth (in this case, a spell). Since we have discussed how Christianity was formed to fit into the European psyche, I thought this example of a spell was a good way to illustrate this. Thus, one can say that much of the mythos (i.e. folklore) remains the same, but with the addition of some new Gods or characters (Jesus, Mary, Saint Peter).

Moreover, regarding valerian itself, it can be used to improve sleep quality and reduce depression (study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8077445/). Perhaps valerian would make a good addition to Jotunheim Nutrition?

Astrology and Body Parts

Many of the spells presented in the book concern healing. The author notes that Bernard de Gordon (a physician of the thirteenth to fourteenth century) established a connection between the zodiac and the human body: Aries ruled the head and neck; Taurus, the neck and shoulders; Cancer, the chest; Gemini, the lungs and arms; Leo, the heart and stomach; Virgo, the navel and its neighbouring parts; Libra, the hips and kidneys; Scorpio, the womb, penis, testicles, and peritoneum; Sagittarius, the muscles of the thigh; Capricorn, the knees; Aquarius, the legs; and Pisces, the feet.

The author also shares some wisdom from our old friend Paracelsus, who was, undoubtably, a genius:

‘For Paracelsus (1493-1541), when using plants for remedies, it is necessary to take into consideration their harmony on the one hand with the constellations, and on the other hand with the parts of the body and the diseases, each star attracting, by a kind of magic virtue, the plant with which it shares an affinity and which forms part of its activity in such a way that plants are, strictly speaking, so many sublunary stars. A bleeding should never be performed on just any day, as the astral conjunctions can have a helpful or harmful influence over this operation.’

Claude Lecouteux – Traditional Magic Spells. Page 20.

The author also notes that barbers had almanacs indicating which days are favourable (and which are less favourable) when it comes to bleedings. Astrology is always interesting!

European Union Regulations

The author notes that there is an EU regulation (no. 1924/2006) from 2012 that stipulates the following:

‘Healers, faith healers, naturopaths… and other professions of alternative medicine do not have the authority to claim that their natural products, or treatments, provide relief, benefit, powers, positive properties to health nor make any allusion to a potential cure.’

I present this without further comment at the moment, but I have thought about making a video on medicine and belief – so if I refer to this passage in that video and you recognise it from this book review, I salute you! Those who read my book reviews are my most esteemed supporters.

Conclusion

The author has done good work in compiling folklore from all over Europe into this volume of 293 pages. I would recommend the book to enthusiasts of folklore or history. For the enjoyer of magic and the more practical application of esoteric knowledge, I would rather recommend a book such as Icelandic Magic by Stephen E. Flowers (review).