The Encyclopedia Of Demons And Demonology

164 Maillat Possession
foot constantly moved up and down upon the ground
throughout the attack, which frequently lasted four or
five hours.
TRAUGOTT KONSTANTIN OESTERREICH stated of these
occurrences:
He (the possessing spirit) speaks of her, he knows quite
well that she is alive, but he pretends that she is not there,
but it is he who is there, and he pours out abuse and calumnies
against the girl herself, whom he never calls anything
except “the sow.”. . . During these fits the spirit of
darkness now utters through her words worthy of a mad
demon, things which have no place in this true-hearted
maid, curses upon the Holy Scriptures, the Redeemer,
and all the saints.
Her transformation of personality was so marked, said
Oesterreich, that it was “exactly as if a stronger man drove
the owner from his house and looked out of the window
at his ease, making himself at home.”
Magdalene’s head would move from side to side while
the Black Spirit was in her and then flop to the right when
it left. If a Bible was placed nearby, the Black Spirit hissed
like a SERPENT and tried to spit on it.
Magdalene remembered nothing from the attacks, except
a faint memory of having attended church, presumably
the way she perceived the protection of the White
Spirit. Her left foot always went cold during the attacks,
while her right foot stayed warm. But upon awakening,
she could walk normally and felt nothing wrong with either
foot.
Magdalene was taken to doctors, who said she had
a natural illness and prescribed pills or medications,
but none helped her. Finally Grombach took her to see
Kerner. He tried magnetic passes two or three times, but
the Black Spirit immediately neutralized them with countermovements
of the girl’s hands. Kerner recommended
prayer and a sparse diet. Magdalene did not respond to
those, either, but Kerner was confident the matter would
resolve itself according to the White Spirit’s promise of a
cure by March 5.
Word spread about the girl’s afflictions, and crowds
would gather to watch her when she was possessed.
On March 4, the day before the White Spirit’s deadline,
the White Spirit appeared to the maid at six in the
morning. She confessed her sins: She had been seduced
by the monk who was now the Black Spirit and had lived
with him. When she tried to reveal his wickedness, he
had murdered her. While the spirit spoke, a phantom
black dog appeared and spit fire. The White Spirit reached
her hand toward the maid, who touched it with a handkerchief.
The cloth sparkled and then exhibited holes that
matched a palm print.
The White Spirit said she was now freed from earthly
concerns and said farewell. The maid was taken to a
neighbor’s house, where the Black Spirit took possession,
during which the girl ate no food. A huge crowd gathered
to witness this and to question the demon, which gave
accurate answers.
DELIVERANCE occurred when the Black Spirit prayed
during the night of March 4 and for the first time could
say the words JESUS, Bible, church, and heaven. He confessed
all of his crimes, including murders. He said there
is a reckoning after death, and he must appear at the judgment
seat a second time after he departed the maid.
The last wall of the Gromlach cottage was destroyed
at 11:30 on the morning of March 5. The Black Spirit left
Magdalene in an astounding transformation back to radiant
health. She was never troubled again.
Old bones were found in the debris of the house, including
those of children, who people assumed were the
victims of the monk.
FURTHER READING:
Oesterreich, Traugott K. Possession and Exorcism. Secaucus,
N.J: University Books, 1966.
Stead, W. T. Borderland: A Casebook of True Supernatural Stories.
Hyde Park, N.Y.: University Books, 1970.
Maillat Possession (1598) Case of Loyse Maillat, a
young French DEMONIAC whose story of POSSESSION led to
a mass witch hunt in the Burgundy region of France,
presided over by one of the most ruthless judges and
witch hunters, Henri Boguet.
Eight-year-old Loyse Maillat was the daughter of
Claude and Humberte Maillat, who lived in the village of
Coyrières, Perche. On June 5, 1598, Loyse suddenly lost
the use of her arms and legs and had to move about on
all fours with her mouth twisted in a strange way. When
the condition did not clear up, her parents assumed her
to be possessed and took her on June 19 to the Church of
Our Savior for EXORCISM. Five DEMONs called Wolf, Cat,
Dog, Jolly, and Griffon identified themselves. Asked by
the priest who caused her problem, Maillat pointed to a
woman, Françoise Secretain, who was among those in attendance.
The demons did not depart.
Back home, Loyse asked her parents to pray for her, to
deliver her from the demons. They complied, and after a
period of praying, Loyse said that two of the demons were
dead, and the others would follow if they kept praying.
The parents prayed all night.
In the morning, Loyse’s condition was worse. She
foamed at the mouth and had seizures. She fell to the
ground, and the devils emerged from her mouth in the
form of fist-size balls. Four of them were red as fire, and
Cat was black. Three issued forth with great violence,
and the two that Loyse had said were dead emerged with
less force. The demons danced three or four times around
the fire and departed, and, from then on, Loyse’s health
improved.
Loyse and her parents told judges, including Boguet,
how and why Loyse came to be possessed. For her young
age, Loyse was quite convincing in her testimony. Her
parents backed up her account. Secretain, a poor woman