The Encyclopedia Of Demons And Demonology

Black Mass 29
tioned the repetition of torture. He maintained that the
DEVIL could not appear in the form of an innocent person,
but he did not believe in the DEVIL’S MARK and the
shape-shifting ability of witches. He allowed the trials of
children under certain conditions.
In the Treves trials, even leading citizens were not
immune. The chief judge, Dietrich Flade, was himself accused
and burned at the stake, as were two burgomasters
and several councilors and associate judges. Numerous
clerics were ruined, and the children of the condemned
were stripped of all their belongings and sent into exile.
Binsfeld’s treatise included a classification of DEMONs
and their sins; he was the first person to pair demons
with the SEVEN DEADLY SINS: LUCIFER (pride), MAMMON
(avarice), ASMODEUS (lechery), SATAN (anger), BEELZEBUB
(gluttony), LEVIATHAN (envy), and BELPHEGOR (sloth).
Binsfeld died in Treves of the bubonic plague around
1603.
black book A magical handbook that provides instructions
for trafficking with spirits, including DEMONs and
ANGELs; divination; and acquisition and use of supernatural
powers. In some cases, possession of the black book
itself bestows supernatural powers, wealth, or luck upon
its owner. However, use of a black book usually backfires
with serious consequences. Some black books are said to
be written in BLOOD as a PACT with the DEVIL.
According to a German tale, a black book of unknown
origin was passed down through inheritance and came
into the possession of some peasants. Its magical powers
were released by reading it forward and backward.
If anyone failed to read the book backward, the Devil
was able to take control of him or her. Once activated,
the book enabled people to acquire great wealth and do
terrible things to others without punishment. However,
there were consequences to using the black book that
caused its owners grief. They tried to get rid of the book
but could not do so. They sought help from a minister,
who successfully nailed the book into a drawer. Such a
tale serves to demonstrate the power of Christianity over
both occult powers and pagan folk magic.
Black books are more than mysteriously empowered
items of folklore, however. In practice, many people and
families kept black books as guides for living. They included
magical cures and healing recipes, prayers, CHARMs,
incantations, blessings, rituals for burial, seasonal and
agricultural rites, techniques for divination, and ways to
ward off evil and bad luck and attract good luck. The material
is a mixture of old folkways and lore and Christian elements.
Some black books credit their origins to Cyprianus
of Antioch (St. Cyprian), who lived in the fourth century
C.E. in Turkey. According to lore, Cyprian was a sorcerer
who escaped the domination of DEMONs and the Devil by
making the sign of the cross. He converted to Christianity
and became a bishop. He ended his life as a martyr.
See GRIMOIRES.
FURTHER READING:
Butler, E. M. Ritual Magic. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 1949.
Rustad, Mary S., ed. and trans. The Black Books of Elverum.
Lakeville, Minn.: Galde Press, 1999.
black dogs Spectral animals associated with demonic
powers, death, and disaster. Phantom black dogs are
widespread in folklore. They are said to be DEMONs or
the DEVIL in shape-shifted form or a demonic animal
companion of demons.
Spectral black dogs are often unusually large and have
glowing red or yellow eyes. They give out an unearthly,
bone-chilling howl. They like to roam remote areas of the
countryside. The sight of one is a harbinger of death or
disaster.
Sometimes spectral black dogs appear in the middle
of lonely roads. If they are struck by a car, they disappear
and the vehicle is not damaged.
One famous black dog in English folklore is Black
Shuck. Shuck derives from an old Anglo-Saxon term,
scucca or sceocca, meaning “demon” or “Satan.”
During the European witch hunts, witches were often
said to have FAMILIARs in the form of black dogs, or to be
visited by their master, the Devil, in the shape of a black
dog.
In Arabian lore, black dogs are a favorite form taken
by the DJINN. If a djinn becomes attached to a human, it
may assume the shape of a black dog in order to get close
to that person.
See ABEL DE LARUE; CERBERUS.
Black Mass An obscene parody of the Catholic Holy
Mass at which the DEVIL is worshipped. During the
Inquisition, witch hunters and demonologists claimed
that witches—or any heretics—frequently performed
Black Masses as part of their infernal SABBATs with
DEMONs and the Devil. Black Masses have been performed
for centuries and occur in contemporary times,
but it is doubtful that they have been as prevalent—or as
outrageous—as often claimed.
Characteristics
There is no single definitive Black Mass ritual. The
purpose is to parody the Catholic Holy Mass by performing
it or parts of it backward, inverting the cross,
stepping or spitting on the cross, stabbing the host, and
performing other sacrilegious acts. Urine is sometimes
substituted for the holy water used to sprinkle the attendees,
urine or water is substituted for the wine, and
rotted turnip slices, pieces of black leather, or black triangles
are substituted for the host. Black candles are
substituted for white ones. The service is performed by
a defrocked or renegade priest, who wears vestments
that are black or the color of dried blood and embroidered
with an inverted cross, a goat’s head, or magical
symbols.