Egyptian Secrets of Albertus Magnus

Egyptian Secrets is a German compilation of household charms, folk remedies and protective formulas that circulated widely in cheap printed editions from the eighteenth century onward and became a staple of popular magic in German-speaking Europe and among the Pennsylvania Germans. Despite its title, it has nothing to do with the thirteenth-century Dominican scholar Albertus Magnus, whose name had long been attached to books of secrets, nor with Egypt; ‘Egyptian’ was a conventional label for magic, connected with the mistaken belief that the Romani people came from Egypt. The work claims an earlier printing in Brabant and a second, expanded edition at Cologne in 1725; folklorists such as Will-Erich Peuckert have pointed to a south-west German (Swabian-Alemannic) origin on linguistic grounds. Its four books, each originally with its own title page, consist of hundreds of short recipes and prayers: cures for fevers, wounds, toothache, bleeding and the diseases of livestock; charms against witches, thieves, fire and weapons; blessings for houses and stables; and miscellaneous domestic tips. Many formulas are Christian in language, invoking the Trinity, saints and biblical events. An English translation of the first three books was issued by a Chicago publisher around 1900. Like the Long Lost Friend and the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, it formed part of the working library of German-American braucherei or powwow healers and is an important source for the study of vernacular magic.

What it contains

• Remedies for human illnesses, wounds and pains
• Cures and protections for horses, cattle and other livestock
• Charms against witchcraft, thieves, fire and weapons
• Blessings and protections for house and stable
• Household recipes, including improving wine
• Christian prayers and blessings used as charms