Oberon
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ScribdTranslationsThe Book of Oberon: A reference book of Elizabethan magic, an English compendium from the late
16th century of necromantic magic in Latin and English. The first modern magical texts are
print them, and edit them so skillfully, as this is particularly satisfying.
general treaty on the functioning of necromancy (entitled Theurgy), and contains
experiments for the same purposes (winning at dice, seeing spirits, gaining favor from the
rulers, identifying thieves, returning stolen items, etc.), as well as conjuring
some of the same spirits such as Mosacus and Sibylia (identified here as a fairy). The
The Book of Oberon was composed between 1577 and 1583 and essentially embodies the same variety.
of 'clerical necromancy' based on corrupt rituals of the medieval church.
The editors of The Book of Oberon have done an excellent job of transcription and
translation of the rather weak Latin by the author, which appears with a column translation
parallel in all cases. The editors deemed it appropriate to clarify when they were
expanding the abbreviations in the text in Latin; this is important because not doing so can
let transcription errors go unnoticed (it's not that I found
no typographical error in this document). edition).
Unfortunately, the editors modernized the spelling of the vernacular sections without placing
the original spelling next to it, but this is a minor issue with a text dating back to the years
1570 and 80 when the grammar and vocabulary of English were closer to modern English.
that in the 1530s. The decision to print all the text in black and red was excellent,
the illustrations of the text. Instead of choosing to reproduce the original illustrations, the editors
they decided to reconceptualize them as original drawings, which is very effective, and the designs are
well executed, evocative and consistent with the tenor of the text itself. None of these things
it is easily achieved.
The editors accurately describe the book as "a magical miscellany" (page 6) and
they point out that the author may have added the images of spirits to the text "to impress
to the viewers", many of them were copied from wood engravings in a work on
monsters published in 1569. The Introduction also examines the magical implements
mentioned in the text and the spirits and people mentioned. In general, The Book of
Oberon is a considerable feat of scholarship and it is deeply regrettable that, as has
Appeared with an editor of 'hidden' books, it is unlikely that it will receive the attention it deserves.
of the scholars of early modern magic or who finds their forms in the libraries
academics. I may be wrong, of course, but my experience is that libraries
Academics unfortunately lack the academic products of occultism.
contemporary. However, true scholarship, as represented here, is based on its
own merits. This book is essential for anyone interested in development
of ritual magic in modern England.
