Hex and Muse

The History of Grimoires - The Forgotten Books of Magic

Hex & Muse Season 2 Episode 6

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0:00 | 40:04

What if a grimoire was never simply a book of magic?

Long before they were hidden behind glass in museums or wrapped in stories of spells and secret societies, grimoires were companions to everyday life. They gathered remedies, dreams, prayers, recipes, observations and the quiet moments their owners refused to let slip away.

Part history, part reflection, Ink, Memory & Living Magic traces the forgotten tradition of these remarkable books, from medieval manuscripts and herbals to the handwritten notebooks of ordinary people whose names have been lost to time. Along the way, it asks a gentler question: if a grimoire is simply a record of what we choose to notice, perhaps we have been writing them all along.

If you’d like to explore the history of grimoires, folklore and magical manuscripts a little further, these are some wonderful places to begin:

  • Davies, O. Grimoires: A History of Magic Books (2009).
  • Lecouteux, C. The Book of Grimoires (2013).
  • Hutton, R. The Witch (2017).
  • Wilby, E. Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits (2005).
  • Wellcome Collection – https://wellcomecollection.org
  • Museum of Witchcraft and Magic – https://museumofwitchcraftandmagic.co.uk

Hex & Muse is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I pay my deepest respects to their Elders past and present - and to all First Nations people, whose stories and spirits continue to shape this land.

Follow along for more folklore, magic, and mythic musings:
Instagram: @hexandmuse
Website: www.hexandmuse.com

Hex & Muse is a spellbound journal of folklore, magic, art, and the sacred feminine - told through cinematic storytelling and whispered histories.
From my altar to yours… thank you for listening.