Grimorium Verum

The 'Grimorium Verum' (Latin for True Grimoire or The Grimoire of Truth), is an 18th-century grimoire, attributed to one "Alibeck the Egyptian" of Memphis, who purportedly wrote in 1517. Like many grimoires, it claims a tradition originating with King Solomon.

The grimoire is not a translation of an earlier work as purported, its original appearing in French or Italian in the mid 18th century, as noted already by Arthur Waite who discussed the work in his The Book of Ceremonial Magic (1911), stating:

"The date specified in the title of the Grimorium Verum is undeniably fraudulent; the work belongs to the middle of the eighteenth century, and Memphis is Rome."

One version of the Grimoire was included as "The Clavicles of King Solomon: Book 3" in one of the French manuscripts S. L. MacGregor Mathers incorporated in his version of The Key of Solomon, but it was omitted from the 'Key' with the following explanation:[1]

"At the end there are some short extracts from the Grimorium Verum with the Seals of evil spirits, which, as they do not belong to the Key of Solomon proper, I have not given. For the evident classification of the 'Key' is in two books and no more."

Idries Shah also published some of it in "The Secret Lore of Magic: Book of the Sorcerers" in 1957.

Editions

References

  1. ^ Joseph H Peterson, Grimorium Verum, ISBN 978-1434811165, Appendix 1, "Excerpts from Grimorium Verum from British Library manuscript Lansdoene 1202", pp. 79.

External links