The Witches’ Alphabet
«Since magic, astrology, and alchemy went hand in hand during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, we find some of the same people using and writing about magical alphabets. Although use of the witches’ alphabet has waxed and waned over the centuries, it is one that Pagans and Wiccans recognize and use today.
»«The witches’ alphabet has also been known as the Theban alphabet, the Honorian script, and the runes of Honorius. The last name is misleading because there is no link between the Theban alphabet and the runes. While the alphabet’s origin remains a mystery, trying to trace its roots takes us on a round-robin trail that seems to intentionally obscure its creator.
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«The alphabet first came to light in the work of Johannes Trithemius, the astrologer and magic-practicing abbot mentioned in PART ONE of this book. Born as Johann Heidenberg, he took the name Trithemius from his birthplace of Trittenheim, Germany. He became known as a scholar throughout Europe and initially denounced the practices of witches and magicians. His attitude seems to have changed when he began to study ancient texts and developed an interest in magical practices.
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«According to legend, Trithemius gained notoriety in a Faustian manner in the presence of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519) by raising the spirit of the emperor’s dead wife. In addition to dabbling in necromancy, Trithemius formulated magical theories and searched for a way to unite magic and Christian theology. Two of his favorite pursuits were steganography— hiding a secret message within a regular form of communication—and deciphering codes.
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«Although Trithemius wrote numerous manuscripts, he often held them back from publication. Written in 1508, his work entitled Polygraphia, which is a set of six books, was published posthumously in 1518 Regarded as the first book on cryptology, the Latin title relates to encipherment and comes from the Greek polygraphos, meaning “much writing.” Contained in the final book of Polygraphia is the earliest known publication of the witches’ alphabet. Trithemius noted it as an alphabet from the Theban Honorius that was discovered by Petries de Apono (Pietro d’Abano).
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«Calling it the Theban alphabet, Trithemius’s student Agrippa included it in his work. Referring to d’Abano as Apponus, Agrippa noted that the script originally came from Honorius of Thebes. Agrippa seemed to believe that the Theban script dated to a very early time because d’Abano was known to have translated ancient manuscripts, including the work of Greek physician Galen. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, works of ancient origin had an appealing mystical quality. Agrippa also noted that magical alphabets were “delivered by Cabalists.”
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Sandra Kynes. «Magical Symbols and Alphabets». Apple Books.
