Friday 11 September 2015

Faustian Cycle: The Black Raven. A manuscript

Upon researching the Faustian cycle of magical writings for a current project, I came to discover that there seem to be a plethora of manuscripts scanned and hosted online the likes of which I could not find a few years ago, in different locations. 


I will be taking upon myself the delicate task of finding them and bringing them to public attention.

Many of them find their published content in Scheible s Kloster, but we will dwell on that more when time permits. 

The following manuscripts are from the Darmstadt Digital Collections. The first one is called Der Schwarze Rabe, namely, the Black Raven, one of the most common names of the Faustian grimoires, albeit with a different content each time. 

Shelfmark: Hs-2543
Der schwarze Rabe / The Black Raven
Internal date: Passau, 1519- 30 July 
                                    15 April 1515
Pages: 34
Material: Paper, most likely. Black ink throughout. 
Binding: Quarter binding with blue paste-paper and brown marbled leather (?).

Digital Collectios Darmstadt - Manuscripts (Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Darmstadt)
Link: http://tudigit.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/show/Hs-2543 
URN: urn:nbn:de:tuda-tudigit-50299  
Metadaten: METS

The seals are coded as follows: F(aust)S(chwarze)R(rabe).(page)1.(figure)1.=FSR.1.1  

FSR.1
The Black Raven. I ve yet to determine if this black raven with a ring in it s beak has any connection to the coat of arms of the Korwin/Corvin nobiliary line, from Poland to Transylvania. 




FSR.6.1-59
Typical cryptogram for a conjuration, seen throughout such texts of the Faustian Cycle, to be studied at a later date.

FSR.10.1-32
Cryptogram

FSR.15.1-15
Cryptogram



FSR.15.16-61
Cryptogram

FSR.15.62
Complex Seal


FSR.19
Circular Seal

FSR.20.1-31
Cryptogram


FSR.21
Cryptogram

FSR.22
Cryptogram


FSR.23
Diagramgram


FSR.24.1
Circular seal.

FSR.24.2
Circular seal

FSR.25
Small seal. 


FSR.30
Circular seal

FSR.31
Cryptogram

This last set seems to be a key for the cryptogram used, at least in part, detailing the symbols used to name the seven Olympic spirits of the Arbatel, with seven angelic overseers, presumably.

FSR.31.1. Aratron - Derdiel
FSR.31.2. Bethor - Miseriel
FSR.31.3. Phaleg - Seraphiel
FSR.31.4.Och - Asfariel
FSR.31.5. Hagith - Salomiel
FSR.31.6. Ophiel - Saleriel (?)
FSR.31.7. Pfuel (?) - Iachiel



















1 comment:

  1. Each seal has been painstakingly treated, enlarged, enhanced, cleaned and catalogued, so it is my request that you do not repost them on your own page, pin them, share them or otherwise reproduce them without my consent. Thank you.

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