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SCANDINAVIAN MAGIC
and information about the REAL magical practices, materials and procedures commonly used.
Kajas Ann cast a spell to bind skogsraet- the guardian spirit of the forrest, Terjarv 1917.
This is usually done when a person or an animal is lost in the forrest and is commonly accompanied
by going out an paying the Rae to return, or let go of that person or animal.
Payment is done by
throwing an odd number of coins in the forrest, over the left shoulder, and saying the formula:
"Take this an leave N.N. alone!"
Foto Valter W. Forsblom. (SLS 285_14)
"Graneby Jaak" (Jakob Lytts), knowledgable healer and sorcerer (Trollkarl), reads the cards a sunday afternoon at the Terjarv Inn 1917. Photo Valter W. Forsblom. (SLS 258_16)
"Knarrin" (joint pains) are being ritually chopped away, Esse 1917. Photo Valter W. Forsblom (SLS 285_2).
An owl nailed over the stable door to protect the livestock from being ridden by the Night Mare at the farm of Marten Jofs, Vora 1916. Photo Valter W. Forsblom. (SLS 267_16)
Woman stealing butter using milk hares. A "Milkhare" is made by certain sticks that has been burnt in both ends and bound together with "Solv" - remains from the weawing process.
Other beings (entities, spirits, servitors) that "draw" and "carry" in Nordic Folk Magic are; "Bjaera" (also commonly called "Bese"), which is usually in the form of a Conjure bag made of cloth or skin.
or looking like a doll, The "Tomte", a kind of House Elf that is not created by the people he or she serve, like the Bese is.
: The "Spiritus" --a bug or beetle, usually kept in a small box along
with other things. The ancestors, whose stonehill graves (see "roese" below") near a farm draws luck and good fortune as well, if treated right and payed respect.
All of the above require some kind of food or payment for their services.
The food can vary from the oatmeal and beer given to the "Tomte" every Christmas Eve, to the spit or blood
from the makers of a "Bjaera" or "Spiritus".
Church painting 15th century, Sweden. Photo: Lennart Karlsson
St Michael guiding the souls in the afterlife. Church painting, Uppland Sweden 1480. The cult of St Michael goes back to the 9:th century.Photo: Lennart Karlsson
Wheel of Life. Uppland, Sweden 15th century. The concept of luck was, and in some places still are a very broad and widesspread subject.
Love luck, Hunting Luck, Gambling Luck, Court Luck, Money Luck and Health Luck are important and something that can be lost and manipulated
in various ways for good and bad intentions.
Notice the resemblance to the famous tarot card.
Photo: Lennart Karlsson
The famous Open air breakfast by the Swedish painter Carl Larsson.
The fiddler in the center of the picture is Jon Johnsson, or Lapp-John as he was more commonly called.
Lapp-Jon was a well known conjuror who in 1919 published a book called "Signerier och Besvarjelser - Svartkonst fran Lappland".
[Eng: "Signing and Conjurations - Black Arts from Lappland". note: "Black Arts" was a common name for all kinds of magic around Scandinavia and is not the same as the concept of Black Magic.].
St Olav, St John, St Barbara, St Cristopher and St Erik.
Swedish church paintings and carvings from mid 15:th century.
Before the protestant reformation the cult of Saints was large in Scandinavia.
Conjure practices from this period include candle setting, prayers and spoken formulas including different saints and other offertory actions.
Photos by: Lennart Karlsson.
A Danish and a Swedish Dream book - used to interpret dreams.
To the left the Cyprianus Dream book and to the right the Tycho Brahe Dreambook.
Both from the late 19:th century.
An Elf Mill, was anointed with fat and in the small pits gifts were placed, like small dolls and pins.
The a prayer is made to the elfs for the removal of diseases
: "Take this to play with and leave N.N. alone!".
These are very common all over Scandinavia. This one was photographed in Ostfold, Norway.
The printed books of magic that was widespread all over Scandinavia from the 17th century onwards were often claiming to have been
written by St. Cyprianus of Antioch or by Moses himself.
Here we see a Norwegian magic grimoire bearing
the title "Cyperianus book".
The folkloric legends that usually accompany the preword in these Nordic books of magic often claims
the book
was kept chained to the wall in a cellar in Wittenberg, Germany or in some old monastary in the narrators homeland.
To the right we see a modern Swedish version of The sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, or The Black Bible as it is ofthen called,
by far the most legendary, widespread, known and feared magical book in the whole world. It has been used and mentioned extensively
both in Swedish folk magic, Norwegian folk magic, Finnish folk magic, Danish folk magic and Icelandic folk magic.
Scandinavian magic talismans. An 18:th century magic talisman from Norway, used as a part of rituals to punish a thief.
An 19:th century Danish magic talisman to cure diseases and far right a 17:th century magical talisman from Iceland used for protection.
A Swedish Vard tree. There are two common kinds of Vard trees; one is planted at the birth of a person to provide protection and safety. The other kind often holds a grave under its roots and to such a tree offerings and prayers were made to the spirit residing there.
The second picture shows a "roese", an acient grave. These were often placed close to the farm in the saga-age and the ancestral spirit residing in it was given sacrifices in order to draw good fortune to the farm.
The most common ingredients in Scandinavian spells against disease, to remove curses, and protection from evil;
Garlic (Allium Sativum), Tibast (Daphne Mezerum), Asafoetida (Ferula Asafoetida), Master Wort (Imperatoria Osthrium L.), Valerian (Valeriana Off.), Sulphur and Beaver Castoreum.
Ants and anthills are used in spells of gaining natural power and to remove diseases. A very common way to heal a person it to boil an egg in their urine until all has vaporated
Then a small hole is poked in the the egg and it is placed in an anthill. Once the ants have eaten all of the egg the disease is gone.
The most important dates in Scandianvian magic are Christmas night and Midsummer day.
On Christmas night a variety of spells are cast and the sanctity of the day gives power to everything from the candles to the hay on the floor.
These are kept and used during the comming year.
On Midsummer day, also called St. Hans day, the flowers and herbs reach the peak of their powers and if they are collected on this day they will be stronger than herbs plucked any other day.
On either of these two days a divinatory ritual called "Arsgang" [Eng: Walking the year] is done to forsee what will happen the comming year.
Basically it is done by having a long walk outside, closely observing everything that happens along the way and interpret them as signs of what the comming year will bring.
The crossroads plays an important role in Scandinavian magic.
Here spells are cast to increase luck, to make pacts with spirits and one of the places in which diseases are thrown away in curing rituals.
The river also has a great role at a meeting place between man and spirit; here are spells for curing and cursing done.
The spirit-being "Naecken", showed on the picture teached fiddlers how to play and drowned the unwary swimmers.
Materials from the cemetary are another of the most common ingredients in Scandinavian magic.
Dirt from a grave appears in love spells, curing spells, curses, separation spells and many other kinds of work.
Mostly because of its link to death and the strong connection to removing and decomposing things, but also because the dirt is a strong link to the spirit of the person buried there.
Nasty spells calls for dirt from a murderer's grave, and spells regarding love calls for dirt from a person who loved you (or the designed target of the spell) while still in life.
Dirt is usually either payed for and kept or borrowed for a certain time. If borrowed, it is generally recommended to return it within the agreed time to avoid anger from the spirit.
The most common payment are coins and those are buried at the same spot where the dirt is taken.
Coins are also used for protection and many other spells. The picture here shows a two krona coin, no longer in use but considered very lucky and are often found
as an ingredient in a spell for money, luck or winning court cases.
Amulets made of coins used as protection can often be found in the traditional folkcostumes of both Sweden and Norway.
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