The Anatomy of Melancholy

For the gods of the pagans were devils—as Trismegistus admits in his Asclepius—and he himself could summon them into their images with magic spells. “And now,” says Pictorius, “they are just as highly honoured by our papists under the name of saints.”

These are the beings that Cardan believes so greatly desire sexual intercourse with witches—the incubi and succubi—that transform bodies, feel so very cold to the touch, and serve magicians. His father had one of them, a devil of the air, bound to him for twenty-eight years, as Cardan is not ashamed to relate.

Just as Agrippa’s dog had a devil tied to its collar, some believe that Paracelsus had one shut inside the pommel of his sword—unless Erastus is slandering him. Others wear them in rings, and so on.

Long ago Jannes and Jambres accomplished much with their help; so did Simon Magus, Cinops, Apollonius of Tyana and Iamblichus. More recently, Trithemius showed Emperor Maximilian his wife after her death, “even the wart on her neck,” says Godelmann. Delrio, book 2, gives various examples of their feats, as do Cicogna, book 3, chapter 3; Weyer in On the Deceptions of Demons; and Boissard in On Magicians and Poisoners.

Water devils are those Naiads or water nymphs that in former times frequented waters and rivers. Water, Paracelsus thinks, is their Chaos—the realm in which they live. Some call them fairies and say that Habundia is their queen.

They cause floods and often shipwrecks, and deceive men in various ways, as succubi or otherwise, appearing chiefly in women’s shapes, says Trithemius. Paracelsus has several stories of them living with mortal men as their wives for a number of years, then abandoning them after some displeasure.

Such beings were Egeria, with whom Numa was so intimate, Diana, Ceres, and others. Olaus Magnus gives a long account of a certain Hotherus, a king of Sweden, who lost his companions while hunting one day, met these water nymphs or fairies, and was entertained at a feast by them.

And Hector Boece tells of Macbeth and Banquo, two Scottish lords, who had their fortunes told by three strange women as they wandered in the woods. People formerly used to sacrifice to these beings in the practice of hydromancy, or divination by water.

Earthly devils are the Lares, genii, fauns, satyrs, wood nymphs, foliots, fairies, Robin Goodfellows, trulli, and so on. As they associate most closely with human beings, so they do them the most harm.

Some think that these alone held the heathen peoples in awe in ancient times, and had so many idols and temples erected in their honour. To this class belonged Dagon among the Philistines, Bel among the Babylonians, Astarte among the Sidonians, Baal among the Samaritans, and Isis and Osiris among the Egyptians, and others.

Some put our fairies in this class. In former times people worshipped them with great superstition, sweeping their houses and setting out a pail of clean water, good food, and the like. Then, they believed, they would escape being pinched, find money in their shoes, and enjoy good fortune in their undertakings.