From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordA spirit associated with sleepwalking.
- In the bookSyphita prava has a different disease-name gloss, while Somnia concerns stellar operations during sleep.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 44; facsimile PDF page 372.
Historical definition
Syphita stricta is a fantastic spirit of those who walk in their sleep.
Meaning
The definition gives a kind of spirit and associates it with sleepers who walk. Fantastic belongs to the historical explanation of appearances and imagination; it is not a clinical classification.
Use in the book
Syphita prava has a different disease-name gloss, while Somnia concerns stellar operations during sleep. These comparisons preserve the dictionary’s several ways of explaining nocturnal and bodily phenomena.
Places to read
- Syphita strictaRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- SomniaDreams explained through stellar operations in the sleeper.
- SuccubusA night spirit associated with a deceptive sexual encounter.
- Syphita pravaA historical disease name equated with St Vitus’s dance.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 44; facsimile PDF page 372 — Facsimile