A Chymical Dictionary

Lemures

Spirits celestial influences and signs · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. Aerial spirits with a reported identification as the human dead.

In the book. Nenufareni also dwell in air.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 29; facsimile PDF page 357.

Historical Definition

Lemures are spirits of the element of air, which pagans think to be the ghosts of departed human beings.

Meaning

Two voices are preserved in the definition. The compiler identifies elemental spirits, then reports an interpretation attributed to pagans: that these are ghosts of people who have died. The second statement is not simply repeated as the compiler’s own unqualified account of their origin.

Use in the Book

Nenufareni also dwell in air. Nymphæ are associated with water, and Penates with fire. These comparisons reveal elemental classification while the report about departed humans supplies an additional, explicitly attributed interpretation.

Places to Read

Nenufareni. Spirits identified by their aerial dwelling.

Nymphæ. Embodied spirits or spiritual persons associated with water.

Penates. Fire-element spirits described as familiars.

In This Edition

Heathen is modernised as pagans in this historical attribution. The distinction between what the entry states and what it says others believe remains intact.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 29; facsimile PDF page 357 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 357, Lemures

See also. Nenufareni; Nymphæ; Penates