September 23, 2022 • 39 mins
In today’s episode, I am going to share what I have learned about the Codex Gigas. Over the last 800 years, this massive book has intrigued those who have had the chance to view it in person. Superstitious warnings and supernatural tales are linked to the Codex Gigas. It is even said that one of the books past owners had developed an unhealthy obsession with it.
According to legend, the monk who is credited for producing this massive text actually had help in its creation. It is said that when God wouldn’t answer the monks calls for help, he prayed for the assistance of another. And It was the Devil who stepped forward to answer his call.
Learn more about haunted field trips, group learning and my other work here: The Dark Side of Lightwork Podcast and Haunted Field Trips
Links to Consider:
Legends and anecdotes – Kungliga biblioteket – Sveriges nationalbibliotek – kb.se
Codex Gigas: Myths Surrounding the Medieval Manuscript (thecollector.com)
Devil's Bible. | Library of Congress (loc.gov) - This link will take you to where you can look at each and every page of the Codex Gigas
Videos I found most useful
Is the Devil's Bible (Codex Gigas) a Cursed Medieval Manuscript? | Truth or Lore - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdV2d6_iaSw
Music Credits:
All music in this episode was created and composed by Kevin McLeod
Myst on the Moor
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4104-myst-on-the-moor
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Ghost Story
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3805-ghost-story
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
March of the Mind
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4020-march-of-the-mind
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Cryptic Sorrow
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3568-cryptic-sorrow
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Sovereign
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4397-sovereign
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
In the 13th century. If you wanted to publish a book,
the process is much different than it is today.
The printing press was still 200years away from being invented
and forget about online books. This was a time when every page
was made a fine parchment crafted from animal skins called
vallum every word, an illustration produced by hand
(00:29):
multiple scribes in, illustrators would contribute to
the larger texts and, at times, it could take, Years for one
book to come to completion. This is why there is a higher
occurrence of religious books and texts considered sacred or
educational in nature available from this time period.
The process was long and could become expensive.
(00:52):
There is one book in particular from the 13th century.
That is so spectacular nature that it was once considered the
eighth wonder of the world. This manuscripts creation is
steeped in Legend and mystery. This book is an astounding size
and weight. Coming in a little over. 74
kilos or 165 pounds and measuresalmost half a meter wide.
(01:15):
And about 23 cm thick needless to say, this is the largest
surviving texts from the 1200s. It is believed this manuscript
was created in one night by a monk.
Who was sentenced to a mere man for allegedly committing
unforgivable. Abominations in life Legend says
that in A desperate attempt to save his life, he begged the
(01:37):
Abbot for Mercy before his sentence was completed.
The Abbot offered the imprison monkey challenge, one that have
completed would award him his freedom.
The monk was to create a book that included all the world's
knowledge that there was a catch, this book was to be
created in one night, smirking at his own Amusement, the Abbot
(01:58):
supplied, the monk with materials to begin this,
difficult Challenge and left himto work.
The night away as impossible as.It may seem the following
morning, the monk presented the Abbot, with an impressive
manuscript containing exactly what he asked for.
Leaving the Abbot no choice, butto spare his life.
In today's episode, I'm going toshare what I've learned about
(02:20):
the Codex gigas over the last 800 years.
This massive book has intrigued those who have had a chance to
view it in person superstitious warnings and Supernatural Tales
are linked to the Codex. Gigas is even said that one of
the books passed on owners had developed an unhealthy obsession
with it. According to the legend, the
monk Who is credited for producing this massive.
(02:42):
Text actually had helped in its creation.
It is said that, when God didn'tanswer, the monks calls for
help, he prayed for the assistance of another and it was
the devil who stepped forward toanswer his call.
Welcome to the dark side of light work.
I'm win Thornley in life. I'm a professionally practicing,
esoteric teacher and channel to the ethers, specializing in
(03:03):
demystifying, the dark arts. And the Paranormal, I'm also a
supernatural nerd into a lot of personal Research into Things
That Go Bump in the night. My fascination with the unknown
began, when I was a kid, you'd having my own misunderstood
psychic experiences. I believe my lifelong
fascination with the strange. And unusual has prepared me for
the work. I'm called to do now, taking me
to places other light workers will not go.
(03:26):
These experiences have taught mea lot about how many fallacies
we are told and actually believeabout the world of the unknown.
Join me as I share with you. What I've learned about the
route. Has of the Paranormal Mystics of
the past and places that might make you feel uneasy.
I want to lift the veil a littlebit and take the Hollywood out
of the Supernatural and metaphysics.
And if you like what you hear, follow along by subscribing and
(03:48):
please tell your friends For all you regular listeners,
you might already be wondering what happened to my exploration
on Frank slide Alberta after working on that episode for a
(04:09):
couple weeks, I kept hitting roadblocks to moving forward
with it. I decided to sit in meditation
and explore where my block was sitting with getting this
episode out. What came in loud and clear is
the fact that this area of the Crowsnest, pass is still on my
active list, for haunted field trips.
The 2022 event was such a great success that my team.
And I have already set up dates for a new group of attendees.
(04:31):
Is for 2023 in order to keep theexperience fresh and unswayed
for the next group to visit thisarea with me, it was clear why?
I had my block, I dive deeply into my podcast topics and offer
a lot of information, and this can color one's perspective,
especially when on a haunted field trip.
So, to avoid preconceived ideas and expectations of experience,
(04:53):
I have decided to leave all active, haunted field trip
sites, off my podcast episode list until they are moved to
inactive. So I made a pivot and drove into
another topic. I've been meaning to explore
anyway in haunted field trip news.
I have a little bit to share theexploration of the Banff
Springs. Hotel and the old bat Cemetery
was incredible. There were eight attendees
(05:14):
presence, and all had unique messages passed along, while
tapping into the hotel. It always amazes me how
subjective the psychic senses are in everyone and the Banff
Springs Hotel, did not disappoint.
When offering a peek into its energy, it was fun to unpack the
haunted history of the hotel andthe Justify the facts from the
fiction. There are many stories told
(05:35):
about this paranormal. Hotspot, and some of the most
widely spread are actually tall tales and this hotel in
particular, made it clear to me why I chose to do haunted field
trips in the first place to follow this exploration.
We gathered at the old map Cemetery which was established
in 1890. We talked a lot about the dead
in cemeteries and I got to dive into a lot of questions on
(05:58):
energy work the Paranormal and strange experiences.
This has my heart chakra is full.
What? An amazing experience.
I'm so grateful to all those whoshowed up and connected for this
event in October. I will close down my haunted
field trip season in dry Island.Buffalo Jump, Provincial Park.
This is more of a connection andhealing event.
(06:18):
The attendees and I will dive deeply into the wisdom of the
land, calling our ancestors and Connect into the elements of our
world. I look forward to giving, thanks
in a unique way this year for the Thanksgiving weekend, we
will gather on 92022 and the group is finalized and formed.
One last event announcement thatI would like to share with.
(06:38):
You is a special group Workshop in celebration of my favorite
holiday Halloween. I have rented the cronquist
house which is one of the last homes in the City of Red Deer
that survived the turn of the 20th.
Century seemed appropriate to host a workshop, exploring one
of the most misunderstood divination devices in history.
The Ouija board in my workshop Ouija and Pendulum boards, I
(07:02):
will share the history of these divination devices the do's
don'ts and misconceptions as well as covering the basics of
pendulum. Use the group will also have the
opportunity to have Hands-On practice with the Ouija and
pendulum boards. That I'll Supply.
This Workshop takes place on Sunday, October 30th from 10
a.m. to 3 p.m. and you want to come out and play with us.
(07:23):
Check my show notes for a link to my website for all the
details and links to register. There are limited seats
available. I had to cap the number Purrs at
24 and to date for those seats are already gone.
So, I expect this event to sell out.
So get in while you still can. Okay?
That is all the news about my other offerings, I have for you
today, now, on to the show, Codex gigas literally means the
(07:56):
Giant Book and giant. It is like I mentioned before,
it weighs in at an impressive. 165 pounds and is just short of
a meter tall, half a meter wide and about 23 cm thick seeing
pictures of this manuscript is the best way to put it into
perspective. How large this book really is it
(08:16):
takes a couple of people to handle it properly.
Today, the Codex gigas calls home to the National Library of
Sweden in Stockholm. Incredibly beautiful.
The codex gigas has wooden frontand back covers that are
overlaid in white leather. Elaborate metal decorations
embellish all four corners on the front and back covers Each
of which displays to Griffin's from the decorative metal plates
(08:40):
protrude knobs on which the Codex rests.
When opened, there is also a Starlight decorative, metal
plate attached to the center of the front cover and three That
are attached to the back cover. Each of these also having knobs
that support the book when opened, and when at rest on the
back, there are holes, that are thought to have been for a chain
that connected, the book to a table or desk at one time, the
(09:03):
pages are also bound with woodenboards.
And it is speculated that they might not be original to the
Codex gigas, which is normal. Considering the age of the book,
the Codex gigas is on display ina protective case with the book
opened to its most famous spreadpages. 576 and 577, but what
makes these pages so special. To be honest, most folks are
(09:26):
actually drawn to, and most curious about page 577.
This page contains a full illumination of the rumored
author of the Codex gigas, the devil, this one page of Vellum
out of over 600 lens to what theCodex gigas is also known as
which is the Devil's Bible, but I will unpack more about this a
(09:46):
little bit later in the episode.It's only natural.
Natural to go back to the beginning and explore what we
know about this books. Inception and the author
credited for writing this incredible work of art.
Though the original date of creation has been lost to
history, we can trace the Codex gigas back to the year 1222.
(10:09):
To the Benedict Monastery of thepodlasie say in the Czech
Republic since this Monastery was destroyed during the who
cite Revolution, it was difficult to nail down.
When exactly this Monastery, came into possession of this
manuscript. Even though the Codex gigas was
moved on from this Monastery. Well, before the who site
Revolution, I did some research about it.
Anyways, for this episode, I didn't know much about this.
(10:32):
Evolution and I wanted to get a clear historical picture of the
area from which the Codex gigas originated.
The hussite Revolution began in 1402 and was mostly centralized
in the lands of the Bohemian Crown.
Today's Czech Republic, a priestand Scholar named Ian, who's
promoted the reformist ideals ofJohn Wycliffe.
(10:52):
After he began to judge what he considered Corruption of the
church and the papacy similar tothe Reformation of the
Protestants. This questioning of Ian host LED
A separation movement of the host sites from the Holy Roman
Empire. In the end.
One group of the who sites were granted permission to perform
rites in their own vision and the other group were persecuted.
(11:14):
This is a complex topic. So I invite you to dive in
deeper, if you are more Curious.And now I degress when it comes
to the codex, gigas has history of creation.
There is not much documentation available as stated, but there
is a rich Legend. Let's dive in, shall we?
For the sake of dating. Let's say the years 1222 though,
(11:36):
it is not known for certain who the Scribe of the Codex gigas
was there are clues that a monk calling himself hermanus
inclusive. This is the person in question
there is a page of the Codex gigas thought to be dedicated to
him. This page includes what is
believed to be a self-portrait and a signature, as the legend
goes hermanus inclusives. Got himself into a pickle.
(11:59):
It was found out that he had broken his sacred vows.
Monastry. I will explore the vows, he
broke a little bit later, just know.
For now that they were said to be quote, unforgivable,
Abominations, unquote hermanus was sentenced to a mere moment
which is where the convicted areenclosed in a small space
without an exit alive entombment.
(12:22):
If you will, this is usually considered a death sentence
begging for his life. While being walled up, the Abbot
took pity on the Monk and decided to offer the prisoner a
deal. If he could create a manuscript
that contain the whole world's knowledge, he would be freed of
his death sentence. The Abbot even made sure to
gather Vellum ink and quills. To get the monks started left to
(12:44):
create this manuscript, the monkset to work, right away hours
into this project. It became blatantly clear.
This task was to lofty for the monk to complete on his own.
He began praying to God in hopesof divine intervention and
support he prayed and prayed declare.
Then he would change his ways ifhe received the help he called
(13:05):
out for. But his prayers were left.
Unanswered, as midnight came andpassed.
The monks start to fall into deeper states of desperation.
He didn't want to die and feeling shunned by God.
He began to seek the help of another as the legend goes,
hermanus began to pray to the devil for assistance and it
(13:27):
didn't take long for the devil to show up.
It was out of this despondency the monk traded his soul for a
finished manuscript and it is said the devil agreed to these
terms by morning, a book of event size and weight was ready
for the Abbott's assessment. And with his assessment hermanus
inclusives was released to live out the remainder of his life as
(13:51):
a free man. Pretty wild story.
A the thing is there are weird traits about the Codex gigas
that kind of validate the story.Let's explore what I found out
about some documented facts of this manuscript.
(14:12):
Some historians doubt that the Benedict Monastery of Paula's,
you say would have been capable of financing.
The Codex, gigas this Monastery was very poor and the cost of
the velum needed to create the Codex.
Gigas would have been astronomical at the time.
The size of one of the Vellum Pages used in the Codex would
have taken the skin of one donkey or one-and-a-half.
(14:35):
Calves. This book is estimated to
contain the skins of over. 160 donkeys.
That alone is a staggering number and this is not even
counting the cost of the Inc included.
The code is gigas used a range of colors for the inscriptions
and illuminations including black red, blue, yellow, green
(14:56):
and gold. Let me expand on what
illuminated manuscripts are for a moment here, for a book to be
regarded, as an illuminated book.
This means that there are illustrations included
throughout the pages. Sometimes Oceans would be simple
borders. Others would be intricate half
to full-page Renditions. This was a real art often.
(15:17):
There will be scribes who specialized in just
illuminations and scribes who focused on lettering.
In the case of a codex gigas, itappears, there was one author
who completed all the lettering and illuminations, that is the
first unusual feature of the Codex gigas, it has been proven
by Specialists who study historical manuscripts, that the
Codex gigas was indeed created by.
(15:39):
One author and in a short periodof time, the lettering is very
precise and consistent in nature.
Same with the illumination work,many experts agree.
This is incredibly rare and difficult to wrap your mind
around. It is estimated that it would
take close to five years for someone to create a book of this
(15:59):
size and complexity. And only if they worked day and
night without brakes, 20 to 30 years is the more realistic
timeline. Over that many decades.
One would expect to see a shift in the quality of the
handwriting and illustrations age illness conditions, like
arthritis or failing. Eyesight would be the cause of
(16:20):
the degrading quality. The incredible quality and
consistency lends to the legend that this book was created in
one night. And it is one characteristic of
the experts just cannot explain I want to break down the author
name offered for you hermanus includes this hermanus
translates to Herman and inclusive.
(16:41):
This translates from Latin to English to punishment or
voluntary isolation. Almost all the sources I came
across agree. It was Herman who is giving
credit to creating this book? Could it be that this book was
created by a monk who did live his life and isolation whether
voluntary or due to punishment is tough to validate especially
with the destruction of the original mom?
(17:02):
Story of the Codex gigas was traced back to there.
Always seems to be a touch of truth to all legends though,
isn't there? So it calls to the imagination.
As to why there was such a rich tail connected to the Codex.
Gigas was this a story of myth created to add value and mystery
to the book. Allowing the poor Monastery to
flow greater riches into their possession with the sale of the
(17:24):
book. Maybe was this a life work of a
monk who voluntary isolated himself in guilt of not being
able to live up to his commitment to his family?
Faith and Monastery again, we don't really know.
One thing that is known, is thatit was most likely written by a
Bohemian. Monk from the early 13th
century. This being indicated from one of
the many books contained within the Codex gigas, let's explore.
(17:48):
What you'll actually find withinthe pages of the so-called
Devil's Bible. The Codex gigas is an Eclectic
collection of hymns and prayers,medical knowledge, magical
formulas and incantations as well as local historical
records. There is a section that outlines
(18:10):
a calendar with obituaries of people who died in chronological
order from a specific timeline and around.
The Bohemian region. You will also find a list of the
monks who served at the podlasie, say Monastery in the
13th century where the Codex gigas was said to originally
reside for some time these sections plus a section
dedicated To the local history centering around, the Bohemian
(18:31):
region validates, the belief that the Codex gigas was created
by a monk living in, or around. The puddle has, he's a
monastery. This book is referred to as the
Devil's Bible and it actually does include rights of exorcism
and other incantations involvingAngelic.
And demonic forces yet, there are many holy books included in
(18:52):
this manuscript. I want to take a little bit of
time here and break down all theseparate books included in the
Codex gigas for you. You all of which are beautifully
and carefully hand written in Latin in the style of
carolingian calligraphy. If I pronounce that right,
forgive me. If I didn't, and forgive me, if
I don't pronounce a lot of things, right?
(19:13):
In this podcast episode, it was a lot of checking online about
pronunciation with a lot of the names that are about to come up.
And just another side note here I'm not sure if the list of
these books that I'm going to offer you is in order to the
actual codex I believe most are sandwiched in between the
Vulgate Bible. The Vulgate Bible being known as
(19:33):
the 4th Century Latin translation of both the Old and
New Testament. The next two books.
I want to explore our by flaviusJosephus.
They are called Antiquities of the Jews and the war of the Jews
flavius Josephus was a first-century, Roman Jewish
historian, who was also a military leader.
(19:53):
He is best known for his book called The War of the Jews, but
is also responsible for curatingthe book Antiquities of the
Jews. Antiquities of the Jews is a 20
volume account. Of the history of the Jewish
people Yosef is has been TL patreons.
The first ten volumes Yosef is follows the events of the Hebrew
Bible beginning with the creation of Adam and Eve, the
(20:16):
second ten volumes continues, the history of the Jewish people
beyond the biblical text and up to the first jewish-roman war
that began in the year. 66 273 Cee, the war of the Jews is also
an impressive collection and is divided into seven books.
The first two books open with a summary of the Jewish history
from the capture of Jerusalem byAntiochus, the fourth Tiffany's
(20:39):
in the year 168 BC, to the firststages of the first jewish-roman
war, the next five books detailed the unfolding of the
war under Roman generals, Vespasian and Titus to the death
of the last sakaki, it is described by Steve Mason a
Canadian historian. Whose focus is the Judea in the
Greek Roman period as quote, perhaps the most influential non
(21:03):
biblical texts of Western history unquote.
The next book of interest, is Isidore of Seville has
encyclopedia titled etymology. Isidore of Seville was a
visigothic scholar and cleric, he is widely regarded in the
words of the 19th century historian want to limbert as
quote, the last scholar of the ancient world unquote.
(21:27):
His end of life work. And to Malaysia the etymologies
is an encyclopedia that summarizes a wealth of Knowledge
from hundreds of classical sources.
It basically contain whatever Isadora thought was worth
keeping record of topics. Include our natural world
grammar mathematics, geometry music and astronomy law, War
(21:48):
medicine. And so many areas of religious
and philosophy, just to name a few three books alone were
derived from the massive works of Pliny.
The Elder's called Natural History, who Miss adore, did
give Greta to the next book to cover, is the chronicle of
bohemia by cosmas of Prague, cause Miss of Prague was a
(22:08):
priest writer and historian spending most of his life in
Bohemia. He compiled a three-volume
manuscript which includes information about the historical
events and check land from ancient times to the first
quarter of the 12th century. Though, the chronicle is not
limited to check National History.
It also reveals the relationshipbetween various European States
(22:30):
during the 10th to 12th centuries.
Next is a compilation of medicaltexts called ours medicine area
or the art of medicine. When I look this up it was tough
to nail down, one specific volume, curated text or
manuscript. It truly seems to be a
collection of medical writings from as early as the 2nd
(22:51):
Century, there are two more books on medicine included in
the Codex gigas these by Constantine the African
Constantine. The African was a physician who
lived in the 11th century. The first as part of his life
was spent in today's Tunisia region and the remainder in
Italy. He first arrived in Italy in the
coastal town of seller know hometo the school of medicine seller
(23:14):
neat Anna. This is where his work initially
attracted attention from the local Lombard and Norman rulers,
the completion of his vast openness was mostly composed of
translations to Latin from Arabic sources.
These translations were used as textbooks from the Middle Ages
to the 17th century. You can find these translations
(23:34):
today in libraries across Europe, including Italy,
Germany, France, Belgium, and England, the last big section of
touch upon is the inclusion of the Hebrew Greek and Slavic
alphabets. So this manuscript is a massive
curation of some impressive books and many readers do not
consider this a book of evil, quite the opposite.
(23:57):
Actually one thing I failed to mention so far is that they are
10 pages that are missing. And I'll get to that in just a
minute here. Among all these books prayers,
hymns and medical information, there is the famous spread of
pages, 576 and 577 many are focused on page 577 because it
(24:18):
includes that full-page rendition of the devil.
I will share this image with my patreon community, but you can
also find a link in my show notes to a website.
That offers a look at the whole codex gigas page by Page this
type of rendition. The devil was almost unheard of
in the 13th century. Entry many often wonder why the
monk chose to include this in the Codex, many others Ponder,
(24:42):
if this is a self-portrait of the real author, I mean, Legend
does state that hermanus called upon the Devil to get the
manuscript done by morning and many more ads Superstition into
the mix. I should mention that at the
very center of the portrait of the devil, you will find a
darkened. Discoloration, this
discoloration seems isolated to this page.
(25:04):
It's been determined to not be mold.
It does not bleed through to theother side.
Is this some kind of essence of the devil soaked into this page
or something else? Altogether, I will unpack this a
little bit later in the episode.Let's take a moment to consider
the opposite page of this famousspread.
It is a full-page rendition of what is thought to be the city
(25:26):
of Heaven, both images of the city of Heaven and the devil are
framed by Massive pillars, the devil stands alone, and the
Halls. The city of the heavens are
empty. Some historians believe the
spread is to allow the reader tocontemplate.
Good and evil. Will their choices in life lead
to one or the other in the pages, leading up to the city of
(25:50):
Heaven, the monk leaves. What are thought to be his?
Confessions, the sins. He was convicted of in life,
these so-called confessions are written in double, the size of
the rest of the manuscript. And includes all the sinful
hits, he apparently admits to Pride.
Envy lust, gluttony bestiality and fornication.
(26:12):
But are these the sins of the monk himself or that of
humanity? This is Up For Debate to close
the list of sins. The monk include prayers of
forgiveness and mercy. The Codex gigas is creation
comes with so many questions. Did this monk really complete
this massive book alone and overnight indeed, this book had
(26:34):
all the world's knowledge of theThe time compiled into one
volume, but why make it so massive that it takes at least
two people to handle it. It doesn't make it very
convenient to read through, you know what I mean?
And what happened to those missing pages and did this book
really cause its owners to go mad or have Supernatural events?
Follow them. I will explore some historical
(26:55):
facts to help answer these questions.
Let's begin with the Journey of the Codex gigas.
It did quite a tour around the Czech Republic.
We do know, it is recorded as being sold from the pot, has a
monastery in Bohemia to the cistercian, monks of the Sedlak
(27:19):
Monastery in around the year 1222.
Where it remained for 70 years, the Benedict Monastery of
preventive, reclaim the Codex gigas around the end of the 13th
century. It is then recorded as being
kept in the library of a monastery and broom off from
1477 to 1593. This was until he was taken to
(27:40):
Prague in 1594 to form a part ofthe collections of the emperor
Rudolph the second and this is where things.
Get interesting Emperor, Rudolph.
The S Legacy has traditionally been viewed in three ways he was
an ineffectual, ruler, whose mistakes led directly to the
Thirty Years War. He was a great an influential
patron of the Either mannerist art and he was an intellectual
(28:05):
devotee of a called arts and learning which helped seed what
would be called the Scientific Revolution.
It was this last few that pulls Emperor, Rudolf the second into
the Codex gigas timeline Rudolphwas supposed to borrow this
manuscript but the sources I came across said he pretty much
stole the manuscript for one by not returning it to the
(28:27):
monastery of broom Olive and 42,he didn't offer in exchange for
it either. What I found in researching this
portion of the episode is that Rudolph became obsessed with the
Codex gigas. This obsession is often
attributed to the emperor's eventual.
Poor choices that led into the 30-year War.
I covered a little bit about the30-year war in.
(28:48):
My exploration of the Bamberg Witch Trials.
Here's some cool notes. This was a time of reformation
where the Protestants were breaking away from the Holy
Roman Empire. Causing much Bloodshed in Europe
including amping up the witch hunts of the time Rudolph was
aligned with the Holy Roman Empire.
This proved not to be in Rudolph's favor by the end of
the Thirty Years War by the end much of his power was taken over
(29:10):
by his brother and other family members in the year. 1648, the
arrival of the Swedish army. Put an end to the war when the
Army invaded Rudolph's Castle. They confiscated his entire book
collection as War booty, including the Codex, gigas some
Say by Rudolf having possession and Obsession of this book is
what led to his downfall from this point.
(29:32):
In time. The manuscript was kept at the
Swedish Royal Library in Stockholm located in the Tre
kronor royal castle. This is where the next case of
bad luck would be documented. That involve the Codex gigas on
Friday, 7th of May in 1697 when a fire broke out at the Tre
kronor royal castle which destroyed much of the Royal
(29:53):
Library in order to save some ofthe most sacred and highly
regarded books. Those on-site began tossing
books, from a second story window, this included the Codex
gigas, it is believed. This was the event that led to
the 10 missing pages though. No one knows for sure.
Sure there's much speculation asto what could be included in the
(30:15):
10 missing pages of the Codex gigas.
Did they include Glued more exploration into the dark arts.
Could it be the answers to the greatest mysteries of life and
death again? No, one really knows for sure
though, there are theories that these Pages might have contained
the rules of the Benedict Monastery in Bohemia.
There are some Scholars that saythat these Pages didn't just
(30:37):
fall out of the book. They say that there is evidence
that these 10 missing pages wereripped out deliberately Along
with the missing pages the fire up the Tre kronor royal castle.
Also offers another story of Misfortune associated with the
Codex gigas this time, one leading to Major injury
according to the vicar Johan Eriksson when the code is geekus
(31:00):
was thrown out of the window to save it from the fire it landed
on and injured a bystander. Can you imagine 165 pounds of
Vellum and would landing on you?Whether this story is based on
fact or fiction And has been debated.
After all Johan, Eriksson wrote about this mishap 50 years after
(31:22):
the fire. So it was pretty challenging to
validate anything from this story.
The last myth, I will share withyou about the Codex.
Gigas involves a story share to a publication translated from
Swedish to English named hilarious antidotes.
This article being published in the year, 1858, it tells the
story of a caretaker of the Swedish national library and his
(31:45):
terrifying experience involving the Codex gigas, as The Story
Goes, one night is caretaker found himself locked in the
Library main hall. After falling asleep on the job.
We King, he shares, how he thought he saw books climbing
down from their shelves. The books began to float around
the room, in what appeared to bea whirling dance.
(32:07):
They all began to surround the Devil's Bible from all
directions. And this is when the Giant Book
lifted and joined in, on the dance itself, the next morning,
Library staff, found the frightened, caretaker, trembling
under a table. As The Story Goes, the caretaker
was forever affected by this event.
He was set to fall into a feeble-minded state from That
day on and had to be admitted toa sanatorium for the remainder
(32:30):
of his life. This story was repeated on only
a few of the sources. I came across, it was
challenging to validate any truth behind it, but it sure
does give out of curiosity to the myth and Tails connected to
the Devil's. Bible back in 1858.
This could have been clever marketing for the Swedish
national library, but it is muchmore fun to think of it, as a
(32:53):
legit tale of Supernatural, isn't it?
Close down this episode. I'm going to cover where the
codecs can be found today and mythoughts on this impressive,
medieval manuscript in September2007.
(33:13):
After 359 years, the Codex gigasreturn to Prague on loan to the
Czech National Library from Sweden.
This was until January 2008 fromthere.
It was returned to the National Library of Sweden where it is on
public display today. The Codex gigas is left, open on
the most famous red. The with a city of Heaven and
the portrait of the devil. There has been an incredible
(33:36):
amount of discoloration on both of these Pages.
This being due to the exposure to light and air experts.
Believe this is the reason for the mysterious dark and spot in
the middle of the devil's, Portrait, Simple and
explainable. However, many still believe that
the discoloration of these two pages are due to the essence of
(33:56):
the Prince of Darkness being soaked, into the pages.
But scientifically Vellum and ink from an 800 year old book
are quite sensitive to lighting today and exposure to air.
Medieval text, experts agree that the book being left open to
this red has definitely caused it to age much faster than the
(34:16):
rest of the over 600 pages to commemorate the accepted site of
its creation. The town Museum of Crest, where
the policy say Monastery was located is marked by a scale
model of the Codex gigas. So what do my spider senses?
Tell me all about this medieval Masterpiece.
Do I think the devil stepped in bought a soul and created the
(34:39):
largest manuscript? Come out of the 13th century and
overnight no less. I don't think so though.
It is strange, that all the experts agree that this book was
created by one person and over ashort period of time.
Remember, it is estimated it would take five years working
day and night to have completed a book.
(35:00):
Look of this size with this muchknowledge and illuminations the
Codex gigas contains more realistically, it would have
taken between 25 and 30 years. It is hard to explain why the
lettering and illuminations maintained Immaculate
consistency. So, I've been thinking and
thinking about it as a hobby artist myself, my mind goes into
(35:22):
the realm of Size Matters in my experience.
When working with a small space,my hands become more cramped and
tired. Trying to control my pencil pen
or brush to maintain fine, smallCreations.
But when I have a large canvas or pad of paper, to create a
pawn, I find I can work for muchlonger periods before I have to
(35:42):
rest, I wonder if the size does matter.
In this case, what seems to ringas truth in my mind body and
soul about the Codex gigas, is that the monk involved in its
creation did indeed become isolated whether through
punishment handed out by his Monastery, or on his own accord?
Cord, I'm not sure kind of feelslike his own accord.
(36:04):
If I really dive into the energywith his lengthy, confession of
some pretty Savage sins and calls for forgiveness, I believe
the Codex gigas was his life's work towards Redemption clever.
Marketing and myths. Always make for big sales and I
wonder if the podlasie say, Monastery wrapped a little
mystery into their sale. You would think from the size of
(36:27):
the manuscript and the fact thatno other book like this from the
13th century contained, anythinglike the full-page rendition of
the devil that this would be enough to mark up the value.
But we are talking about a time of our Collective history where
Superstition was alive and well but we will most likely never
know the true story around the Codex gigas is creation.
(36:48):
What a blessing it was created in the first place some of the
books contain in the Codex gigaswould not have survived into the
21st century without it and I think that is one way that
hermanus inclusives would have found eventual Redemption for
his missteps in life. Thank you so much for popping by
(37:18):
and spending time with me today.I really appreciate you being
here. I'm excited to see an increase
in loyal listeners and I would love to hear your feedback.
I invite you to leave a message at my anchor.
FM page, letting me know how youliked this episode or others.
You can also share your personalexperience with a show topic, or
even share show idea. I listened to each message and
may include your idea in a future episode.
(37:40):
Since I'm an independent podcast, host and producer.
A five star review on Apple podcasts follow on Spotify or
Review on where you are listening to me right now would
really help others find my show and a quick share of this or
other episodes is absolutely appreciated outside of my
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by searching for the Dark Side of light work with win Thornley.
(38:02):
If you like bonus content, I invite you to check out my
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(38:22):
feel grateful for all the support I have already received.
Thank you so much. I'm also expanding the
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app. There you can find me going live
throughout the month. Wisdom is a blend of live radio
and podcasting as all live conversation becomes archive so
(38:44):
you can listen in later wisdom. So offers the option to chat
live with me so I invite you, bemy guest and join the
conversation. Am I next episode?
I'll be sharing what I've learned about the school
experiment. The school experiment is widely
regarded. As the most important scientific
investigation of evidence for life.
After death, in all of history, taking place in multiple
(39:07):
countries and over a period of five years, there was profound
evidence said to be collected that give proof of communication
from the Beyond. Thank you.
Once again for listening until the end.
I look forward to dropping the next episode soon, so until
then, take good care.
In the 13th century. If you wanted to publish a book,
the process is much different than it is today.
The printing press was still 200years away from being invented
and forget about online books. This was a time when every page
was made a fine parchment crafted from animal skins called
vallum every word, an illustration produced by hand
(00:29):
multiple scribes in, illustrators would contribute to
the larger texts and, at times, it could take, Years for one
book to come to completion. This is why there is a higher
occurrence of religious books and texts considered sacred or
educational in nature available from this time period.
The process was long and could become expensive.
(00:52):
There is one book in particular from the 13th century.
That is so spectacular nature that it was once considered the
eighth wonder of the world. This manuscripts creation is
steeped in Legend and mystery. This book is an astounding size
and weight. Coming in a little over. 74
kilos or 165 pounds and measuresalmost half a meter wide.
(01:15):
And about 23 cm thick needless to say, this is the largest
surviving texts from the 1200s. It is believed this manuscript
was created in one night by a monk.
Who was sentenced to a mere man for allegedly committing
unforgivable. Abominations in life Legend says
that in A desperate attempt to save his life, he begged the
(01:37):
Abbot for Mercy before his sentence was completed.
The Abbot offered the imprison monkey challenge, one that have
completed would award him his freedom.
The monk was to create a book that included all the world's
knowledge that there was a catch, this book was to be
created in one night, smirking at his own Amusement, the Abbot
(01:58):
supplied, the monk with materials to begin this,
difficult Challenge and left himto work.
The night away as impossible as.It may seem the following
morning, the monk presented the Abbot, with an impressive
manuscript containing exactly what he asked for.
Leaving the Abbot no choice, butto spare his life.
In today's episode, I'm going toshare what I've learned about
(02:20):
the Codex gigas over the last 800 years.
This massive book has intrigued those who have had a chance to
view it in person superstitious warnings and Supernatural Tales
are linked to the Codex. Gigas is even said that one of
the books passed on owners had developed an unhealthy obsession
with it. According to the legend, the
monk Who is credited for producing this massive.
(02:42):
Text actually had helped in its creation.
It is said that, when God didn'tanswer, the monks calls for
help, he prayed for the assistance of another and it was
the devil who stepped forward toanswer his call.
Welcome to the dark side of light work.
I'm win Thornley in life. I'm a professionally practicing,
esoteric teacher and channel to the ethers, specializing in
(03:03):
demystifying, the dark arts. And the Paranormal, I'm also a
supernatural nerd into a lot of personal Research into Things
That Go Bump in the night. My fascination with the unknown
began, when I was a kid, you'd having my own misunderstood
psychic experiences. I believe my lifelong
fascination with the strange. And unusual has prepared me for
the work. I'm called to do now, taking me
to places other light workers will not go.
(03:26):
These experiences have taught mea lot about how many fallacies
we are told and actually believeabout the world of the unknown.
Join me as I share with you. What I've learned about the
route. Has of the Paranormal Mystics of
the past and places that might make you feel uneasy.
I want to lift the veil a littlebit and take the Hollywood out
of the Supernatural and metaphysics.
And if you like what you hear, follow along by subscribing and
(03:48):
please tell your friends For all you regular listeners,
you might already be wondering what happened to my exploration
on Frank slide Alberta after working on that episode for a
(04:09):
couple weeks, I kept hitting roadblocks to moving forward
with it. I decided to sit in meditation
and explore where my block was sitting with getting this
episode out. What came in loud and clear is
the fact that this area of the Crowsnest, pass is still on my
active list, for haunted field trips.
The 2022 event was such a great success that my team.
And I have already set up dates for a new group of attendees.
(04:31):
Is for 2023 in order to keep theexperience fresh and unswayed
for the next group to visit thisarea with me, it was clear why?
I had my block, I dive deeply into my podcast topics and offer
a lot of information, and this can color one's perspective,
especially when on a haunted field trip.
So, to avoid preconceived ideas and expectations of experience,
(04:53):
I have decided to leave all active, haunted field trip
sites, off my podcast episode list until they are moved to
inactive. So I made a pivot and drove into
another topic. I've been meaning to explore
anyway in haunted field trip news.
I have a little bit to share theexploration of the Banff
Springs. Hotel and the old bat Cemetery
was incredible. There were eight attendees
(05:14):
presence, and all had unique messages passed along, while
tapping into the hotel. It always amazes me how
subjective the psychic senses are in everyone and the Banff
Springs Hotel, did not disappoint.
When offering a peek into its energy, it was fun to unpack the
haunted history of the hotel andthe Justify the facts from the
fiction. There are many stories told
(05:35):
about this paranormal. Hotspot, and some of the most
widely spread are actually tall tales and this hotel in
particular, made it clear to me why I chose to do haunted field
trips in the first place to follow this exploration.
We gathered at the old map Cemetery which was established
in 1890. We talked a lot about the dead
in cemeteries and I got to dive into a lot of questions on
(05:58):
energy work the Paranormal and strange experiences.
This has my heart chakra is full.
What? An amazing experience.
I'm so grateful to all those whoshowed up and connected for this
event in October. I will close down my haunted
field trip season in dry Island.Buffalo Jump, Provincial Park.
This is more of a connection andhealing event.
(06:18):
The attendees and I will dive deeply into the wisdom of the
land, calling our ancestors and Connect into the elements of our
world. I look forward to giving, thanks
in a unique way this year for the Thanksgiving weekend, we
will gather on 92022 and the group is finalized and formed.
One last event announcement thatI would like to share with.
(06:38):
You is a special group Workshop in celebration of my favorite
holiday Halloween. I have rented the cronquist
house which is one of the last homes in the City of Red Deer
that survived the turn of the 20th.
Century seemed appropriate to host a workshop, exploring one
of the most misunderstood divination devices in history.
The Ouija board in my workshop Ouija and Pendulum boards, I
(07:02):
will share the history of these divination devices the do's
don'ts and misconceptions as well as covering the basics of
pendulum. Use the group will also have the
opportunity to have Hands-On practice with the Ouija and
pendulum boards. That I'll Supply.
This Workshop takes place on Sunday, October 30th from 10
a.m. to 3 p.m. and you want to come out and play with us.
(07:23):
Check my show notes for a link to my website for all the
details and links to register. There are limited seats
available. I had to cap the number Purrs at
24 and to date for those seats are already gone.
So, I expect this event to sell out.
So get in while you still can. Okay?
That is all the news about my other offerings, I have for you
today, now, on to the show, Codex gigas literally means the
(07:56):
Giant Book and giant. It is like I mentioned before,
it weighs in at an impressive. 165 pounds and is just short of
a meter tall, half a meter wide and about 23 cm thick seeing
pictures of this manuscript is the best way to put it into
perspective. How large this book really is it
(08:16):
takes a couple of people to handle it properly.
Today, the Codex gigas calls home to the National Library of
Sweden in Stockholm. Incredibly beautiful.
The codex gigas has wooden frontand back covers that are
overlaid in white leather. Elaborate metal decorations
embellish all four corners on the front and back covers Each
of which displays to Griffin's from the decorative metal plates
(08:40):
protrude knobs on which the Codex rests.
When opened, there is also a Starlight decorative, metal
plate attached to the center of the front cover and three That
are attached to the back cover. Each of these also having knobs
that support the book when opened, and when at rest on the
back, there are holes, that are thought to have been for a chain
that connected, the book to a table or desk at one time, the
(09:03):
pages are also bound with woodenboards.
And it is speculated that they might not be original to the
Codex gigas, which is normal. Considering the age of the book,
the Codex gigas is on display ina protective case with the book
opened to its most famous spreadpages. 576 and 577, but what
makes these pages so special. To be honest, most folks are
(09:26):
actually drawn to, and most curious about page 577.
This page contains a full illumination of the rumored
author of the Codex gigas, the devil, this one page of Vellum
out of over 600 lens to what theCodex gigas is also known as
which is the Devil's Bible, but I will unpack more about this a
(09:46):
little bit later in the episode.It's only natural.
Natural to go back to the beginning and explore what we
know about this books. Inception and the author
credited for writing this incredible work of art.
Though the original date of creation has been lost to
history, we can trace the Codex gigas back to the year 1222.
(10:09):
To the Benedict Monastery of thepodlasie say in the Czech
Republic since this Monastery was destroyed during the who
cite Revolution, it was difficult to nail down.
When exactly this Monastery, came into possession of this
manuscript. Even though the Codex gigas was
moved on from this Monastery. Well, before the who site
Revolution, I did some research about it.
Anyways, for this episode, I didn't know much about this.
(10:32):
Evolution and I wanted to get a clear historical picture of the
area from which the Codex gigas originated.
The hussite Revolution began in 1402 and was mostly centralized
in the lands of the Bohemian Crown.
Today's Czech Republic, a priestand Scholar named Ian, who's
promoted the reformist ideals ofJohn Wycliffe.
(10:52):
After he began to judge what he considered Corruption of the
church and the papacy similar tothe Reformation of the
Protestants. This questioning of Ian host LED
A separation movement of the host sites from the Holy Roman
Empire. In the end.
One group of the who sites were granted permission to perform
rites in their own vision and the other group were persecuted.
(11:14):
This is a complex topic. So I invite you to dive in
deeper, if you are more Curious.And now I degress when it comes
to the codex, gigas has history of creation.
There is not much documentation available as stated, but there
is a rich Legend. Let's dive in, shall we?
For the sake of dating. Let's say the years 1222 though,
(11:36):
it is not known for certain who the Scribe of the Codex gigas
was there are clues that a monk calling himself hermanus
inclusive. This is the person in question
there is a page of the Codex gigas thought to be dedicated to
him. This page includes what is
believed to be a self-portrait and a signature, as the legend
goes hermanus inclusives. Got himself into a pickle.
(11:59):
It was found out that he had broken his sacred vows.
Monastry. I will explore the vows, he
broke a little bit later, just know.
For now that they were said to be quote, unforgivable,
Abominations, unquote hermanus was sentenced to a mere moment
which is where the convicted areenclosed in a small space
without an exit alive entombment.
(12:22):
If you will, this is usually considered a death sentence
begging for his life. While being walled up, the Abbot
took pity on the Monk and decided to offer the prisoner a
deal. If he could create a manuscript
that contain the whole world's knowledge, he would be freed of
his death sentence. The Abbot even made sure to
gather Vellum ink and quills. To get the monks started left to
(12:44):
create this manuscript, the monkset to work, right away hours
into this project. It became blatantly clear.
This task was to lofty for the monk to complete on his own.
He began praying to God in hopesof divine intervention and
support he prayed and prayed declare.
Then he would change his ways ifhe received the help he called
(13:05):
out for. But his prayers were left.
Unanswered, as midnight came andpassed.
The monks start to fall into deeper states of desperation.
He didn't want to die and feeling shunned by God.
He began to seek the help of another as the legend goes,
hermanus began to pray to the devil for assistance and it
(13:27):
didn't take long for the devil to show up.
It was out of this despondency the monk traded his soul for a
finished manuscript and it is said the devil agreed to these
terms by morning, a book of event size and weight was ready
for the Abbott's assessment. And with his assessment hermanus
inclusives was released to live out the remainder of his life as
(13:51):
a free man. Pretty wild story.
A the thing is there are weird traits about the Codex gigas
that kind of validate the story.Let's explore what I found out
about some documented facts of this manuscript.
(14:12):
Some historians doubt that the Benedict Monastery of Paula's,
you say would have been capable of financing.
The Codex, gigas this Monastery was very poor and the cost of
the velum needed to create the Codex.
Gigas would have been astronomical at the time.
The size of one of the Vellum Pages used in the Codex would
have taken the skin of one donkey or one-and-a-half.
(14:35):
Calves. This book is estimated to
contain the skins of over. 160 donkeys.
That alone is a staggering number and this is not even
counting the cost of the Inc included.
The code is gigas used a range of colors for the inscriptions
and illuminations including black red, blue, yellow, green
(14:56):
and gold. Let me expand on what
illuminated manuscripts are for a moment here, for a book to be
regarded, as an illuminated book.
This means that there are illustrations included
throughout the pages. Sometimes Oceans would be simple
borders. Others would be intricate half
to full-page Renditions. This was a real art often.
(15:17):
There will be scribes who specialized in just
illuminations and scribes who focused on lettering.
In the case of a codex gigas, itappears, there was one author
who completed all the lettering and illuminations, that is the
first unusual feature of the Codex gigas, it has been proven
by Specialists who study historical manuscripts, that the
Codex gigas was indeed created by.
(15:39):
One author and in a short periodof time, the lettering is very
precise and consistent in nature.
Same with the illumination work,many experts agree.
This is incredibly rare and difficult to wrap your mind
around. It is estimated that it would
take close to five years for someone to create a book of this
(15:59):
size and complexity. And only if they worked day and
night without brakes, 20 to 30 years is the more realistic
timeline. Over that many decades.
One would expect to see a shift in the quality of the
handwriting and illustrations age illness conditions, like
arthritis or failing. Eyesight would be the cause of
(16:20):
the degrading quality. The incredible quality and
consistency lends to the legend that this book was created in
one night. And it is one characteristic of
the experts just cannot explain I want to break down the author
name offered for you hermanus includes this hermanus
translates to Herman and inclusive.
(16:41):
This translates from Latin to English to punishment or
voluntary isolation. Almost all the sources I came
across agree. It was Herman who is giving
credit to creating this book? Could it be that this book was
created by a monk who did live his life and isolation whether
voluntary or due to punishment is tough to validate especially
with the destruction of the original mom?
(17:02):
Story of the Codex gigas was traced back to there.
Always seems to be a touch of truth to all legends though,
isn't there? So it calls to the imagination.
As to why there was such a rich tail connected to the Codex.
Gigas was this a story of myth created to add value and mystery
to the book. Allowing the poor Monastery to
flow greater riches into their possession with the sale of the
(17:24):
book. Maybe was this a life work of a
monk who voluntary isolated himself in guilt of not being
able to live up to his commitment to his family?
Faith and Monastery again, we don't really know.
One thing that is known, is thatit was most likely written by a
Bohemian. Monk from the early 13th
century. This being indicated from one of
the many books contained within the Codex gigas, let's explore.
(17:48):
What you'll actually find withinthe pages of the so-called
Devil's Bible. The Codex gigas is an Eclectic
collection of hymns and prayers,medical knowledge, magical
formulas and incantations as well as local historical
records. There is a section that outlines
(18:10):
a calendar with obituaries of people who died in chronological
order from a specific timeline and around.
The Bohemian region. You will also find a list of the
monks who served at the podlasie, say Monastery in the
13th century where the Codex gigas was said to originally
reside for some time these sections plus a section
dedicated To the local history centering around, the Bohemian
(18:31):
region validates, the belief that the Codex gigas was created
by a monk living in, or around. The puddle has, he's a
monastery. This book is referred to as the
Devil's Bible and it actually does include rights of exorcism
and other incantations involvingAngelic.
And demonic forces yet, there are many holy books included in
(18:52):
this manuscript. I want to take a little bit of
time here and break down all theseparate books included in the
Codex gigas for you. You all of which are beautifully
and carefully hand written in Latin in the style of
carolingian calligraphy. If I pronounce that right,
forgive me. If I didn't, and forgive me, if
I don't pronounce a lot of things, right?
(19:13):
In this podcast episode, it was a lot of checking online about
pronunciation with a lot of the names that are about to come up.
And just another side note here I'm not sure if the list of
these books that I'm going to offer you is in order to the
actual codex I believe most are sandwiched in between the
Vulgate Bible. The Vulgate Bible being known as
(19:33):
the 4th Century Latin translation of both the Old and
New Testament. The next two books.
I want to explore our by flaviusJosephus.
They are called Antiquities of the Jews and the war of the Jews
flavius Josephus was a first-century, Roman Jewish
historian, who was also a military leader.
(19:53):
He is best known for his book called The War of the Jews, but
is also responsible for curatingthe book Antiquities of the
Jews. Antiquities of the Jews is a 20
volume account. Of the history of the Jewish
people Yosef is has been TL patreons.
The first ten volumes Yosef is follows the events of the Hebrew
Bible beginning with the creation of Adam and Eve, the
(20:16):
second ten volumes continues, the history of the Jewish people
beyond the biblical text and up to the first jewish-roman war
that began in the year. 66 273 Cee, the war of the Jews is also
an impressive collection and is divided into seven books.
The first two books open with a summary of the Jewish history
from the capture of Jerusalem byAntiochus, the fourth Tiffany's
(20:39):
in the year 168 BC, to the firststages of the first jewish-roman
war, the next five books detailed the unfolding of the
war under Roman generals, Vespasian and Titus to the death
of the last sakaki, it is described by Steve Mason a
Canadian historian. Whose focus is the Judea in the
Greek Roman period as quote, perhaps the most influential non
(21:03):
biblical texts of Western history unquote.
The next book of interest, is Isidore of Seville has
encyclopedia titled etymology. Isidore of Seville was a
visigothic scholar and cleric, he is widely regarded in the
words of the 19th century historian want to limbert as
quote, the last scholar of the ancient world unquote.
(21:27):
His end of life work. And to Malaysia the etymologies
is an encyclopedia that summarizes a wealth of Knowledge
from hundreds of classical sources.
It basically contain whatever Isadora thought was worth
keeping record of topics. Include our natural world
grammar mathematics, geometry music and astronomy law, War
(21:48):
medicine. And so many areas of religious
and philosophy, just to name a few three books alone were
derived from the massive works of Pliny.
The Elder's called Natural History, who Miss adore, did
give Greta to the next book to cover, is the chronicle of
bohemia by cosmas of Prague, cause Miss of Prague was a
(22:08):
priest writer and historian spending most of his life in
Bohemia. He compiled a three-volume
manuscript which includes information about the historical
events and check land from ancient times to the first
quarter of the 12th century. Though, the chronicle is not
limited to check National History.
It also reveals the relationshipbetween various European States
(22:30):
during the 10th to 12th centuries.
Next is a compilation of medicaltexts called ours medicine area
or the art of medicine. When I look this up it was tough
to nail down, one specific volume, curated text or
manuscript. It truly seems to be a
collection of medical writings from as early as the 2nd
(22:51):
Century, there are two more books on medicine included in
the Codex gigas these by Constantine the African
Constantine. The African was a physician who
lived in the 11th century. The first as part of his life
was spent in today's Tunisia region and the remainder in
Italy. He first arrived in Italy in the
coastal town of seller know hometo the school of medicine seller
(23:14):
neat Anna. This is where his work initially
attracted attention from the local Lombard and Norman rulers,
the completion of his vast openness was mostly composed of
translations to Latin from Arabic sources.
These translations were used as textbooks from the Middle Ages
to the 17th century. You can find these translations
(23:34):
today in libraries across Europe, including Italy,
Germany, France, Belgium, and England, the last big section of
touch upon is the inclusion of the Hebrew Greek and Slavic
alphabets. So this manuscript is a massive
curation of some impressive books and many readers do not
consider this a book of evil, quite the opposite.
(23:57):
Actually one thing I failed to mention so far is that they are
10 pages that are missing. And I'll get to that in just a
minute here. Among all these books prayers,
hymns and medical information, there is the famous spread of
pages, 576 and 577 many are focused on page 577 because it
(24:18):
includes that full-page rendition of the devil.
I will share this image with my patreon community, but you can
also find a link in my show notes to a website.
That offers a look at the whole codex gigas page by Page this
type of rendition. The devil was almost unheard of
in the 13th century. Entry many often wonder why the
monk chose to include this in the Codex, many others Ponder,
(24:42):
if this is a self-portrait of the real author, I mean, Legend
does state that hermanus called upon the Devil to get the
manuscript done by morning and many more ads Superstition into
the mix. I should mention that at the
very center of the portrait of the devil, you will find a
darkened. Discoloration, this
discoloration seems isolated to this page.
(25:04):
It's been determined to not be mold.
It does not bleed through to theother side.
Is this some kind of essence of the devil soaked into this page
or something else? Altogether, I will unpack this a
little bit later in the episode.Let's take a moment to consider
the opposite page of this famousspread.
It is a full-page rendition of what is thought to be the city
(25:26):
of Heaven, both images of the city of Heaven and the devil are
framed by Massive pillars, the devil stands alone, and the
Halls. The city of the heavens are
empty. Some historians believe the
spread is to allow the reader tocontemplate.
Good and evil. Will their choices in life lead
to one or the other in the pages, leading up to the city of
(25:50):
Heaven, the monk leaves. What are thought to be his?
Confessions, the sins. He was convicted of in life,
these so-called confessions are written in double, the size of
the rest of the manuscript. And includes all the sinful
hits, he apparently admits to Pride.
Envy lust, gluttony bestiality and fornication.
(26:12):
But are these the sins of the monk himself or that of
humanity? This is Up For Debate to close
the list of sins. The monk include prayers of
forgiveness and mercy. The Codex gigas is creation
comes with so many questions. Did this monk really complete
this massive book alone and overnight indeed, this book had
(26:34):
all the world's knowledge of theThe time compiled into one
volume, but why make it so massive that it takes at least
two people to handle it. It doesn't make it very
convenient to read through, you know what I mean?
And what happened to those missing pages and did this book
really cause its owners to go mad or have Supernatural events?
Follow them. I will explore some historical
(26:55):
facts to help answer these questions.
Let's begin with the Journey of the Codex gigas.
It did quite a tour around the Czech Republic.
We do know, it is recorded as being sold from the pot, has a
monastery in Bohemia to the cistercian, monks of the Sedlak
(27:19):
Monastery in around the year 1222.
Where it remained for 70 years, the Benedict Monastery of
preventive, reclaim the Codex gigas around the end of the 13th
century. It is then recorded as being
kept in the library of a monastery and broom off from
1477 to 1593. This was until he was taken to
(27:40):
Prague in 1594 to form a part ofthe collections of the emperor
Rudolph the second and this is where things.
Get interesting Emperor, Rudolph.
The S Legacy has traditionally been viewed in three ways he was
an ineffectual, ruler, whose mistakes led directly to the
Thirty Years War. He was a great an influential
patron of the Either mannerist art and he was an intellectual
(28:05):
devotee of a called arts and learning which helped seed what
would be called the Scientific Revolution.
It was this last few that pulls Emperor, Rudolf the second into
the Codex gigas timeline Rudolphwas supposed to borrow this
manuscript but the sources I came across said he pretty much
stole the manuscript for one by not returning it to the
(28:27):
monastery of broom Olive and 42,he didn't offer in exchange for
it either. What I found in researching this
portion of the episode is that Rudolph became obsessed with the
Codex gigas. This obsession is often
attributed to the emperor's eventual.
Poor choices that led into the 30-year War.
I covered a little bit about the30-year war in.
(28:48):
My exploration of the Bamberg Witch Trials.
Here's some cool notes. This was a time of reformation
where the Protestants were breaking away from the Holy
Roman Empire. Causing much Bloodshed in Europe
including amping up the witch hunts of the time Rudolph was
aligned with the Holy Roman Empire.
This proved not to be in Rudolph's favor by the end of
the Thirty Years War by the end much of his power was taken over
(29:10):
by his brother and other family members in the year. 1648, the
arrival of the Swedish army. Put an end to the war when the
Army invaded Rudolph's Castle. They confiscated his entire book
collection as War booty, including the Codex, gigas some
Say by Rudolf having possession and Obsession of this book is
what led to his downfall from this point.
(29:32):
In time. The manuscript was kept at the
Swedish Royal Library in Stockholm located in the Tre
kronor royal castle. This is where the next case of
bad luck would be documented. That involve the Codex gigas on
Friday, 7th of May in 1697 when a fire broke out at the Tre
kronor royal castle which destroyed much of the Royal
(29:53):
Library in order to save some ofthe most sacred and highly
regarded books. Those on-site began tossing
books, from a second story window, this included the Codex
gigas, it is believed. This was the event that led to
the 10 missing pages though. No one knows for sure.
Sure there's much speculation asto what could be included in the
(30:15):
10 missing pages of the Codex gigas.
Did they include Glued more exploration into the dark arts.
Could it be the answers to the greatest mysteries of life and
death again? No, one really knows for sure
though, there are theories that these Pages might have contained
the rules of the Benedict Monastery in Bohemia.
There are some Scholars that saythat these Pages didn't just
(30:37):
fall out of the book. They say that there is evidence
that these 10 missing pages wereripped out deliberately Along
with the missing pages the fire up the Tre kronor royal castle.
Also offers another story of Misfortune associated with the
Codex gigas this time, one leading to Major injury
according to the vicar Johan Eriksson when the code is geekus
(31:00):
was thrown out of the window to save it from the fire it landed
on and injured a bystander. Can you imagine 165 pounds of
Vellum and would landing on you?Whether this story is based on
fact or fiction And has been debated.
After all Johan, Eriksson wrote about this mishap 50 years after
(31:22):
the fire. So it was pretty challenging to
validate anything from this story.
The last myth, I will share withyou about the Codex.
Gigas involves a story share to a publication translated from
Swedish to English named hilarious antidotes.
This article being published in the year, 1858, it tells the
story of a caretaker of the Swedish national library and his
(31:45):
terrifying experience involving the Codex gigas, as The Story
Goes, one night is caretaker found himself locked in the
Library main hall. After falling asleep on the job.
We King, he shares, how he thought he saw books climbing
down from their shelves. The books began to float around
the room, in what appeared to bea whirling dance.
(32:07):
They all began to surround the Devil's Bible from all
directions. And this is when the Giant Book
lifted and joined in, on the dance itself, the next morning,
Library staff, found the frightened, caretaker, trembling
under a table. As The Story Goes, the caretaker
was forever affected by this event.
He was set to fall into a feeble-minded state from That
day on and had to be admitted toa sanatorium for the remainder
(32:30):
of his life. This story was repeated on only
a few of the sources. I came across, it was
challenging to validate any truth behind it, but it sure
does give out of curiosity to the myth and Tails connected to
the Devil's. Bible back in 1858.
This could have been clever marketing for the Swedish
national library, but it is muchmore fun to think of it, as a
(32:53):
legit tale of Supernatural, isn't it?
Close down this episode. I'm going to cover where the
codecs can be found today and mythoughts on this impressive,
medieval manuscript in September2007.
(33:13):
After 359 years, the Codex gigasreturn to Prague on loan to the
Czech National Library from Sweden.
This was until January 2008 fromthere.
It was returned to the National Library of Sweden where it is on
public display today. The Codex gigas is left, open on
the most famous red. The with a city of Heaven and
the portrait of the devil. There has been an incredible
(33:36):
amount of discoloration on both of these Pages.
This being due to the exposure to light and air experts.
Believe this is the reason for the mysterious dark and spot in
the middle of the devil's, Portrait, Simple and
explainable. However, many still believe that
the discoloration of these two pages are due to the essence of
(33:56):
the Prince of Darkness being soaked, into the pages.
But scientifically Vellum and ink from an 800 year old book
are quite sensitive to lighting today and exposure to air.
Medieval text, experts agree that the book being left open to
this red has definitely caused it to age much faster than the
(34:16):
rest of the over 600 pages to commemorate the accepted site of
its creation. The town Museum of Crest, where
the policy say Monastery was located is marked by a scale
model of the Codex gigas. So what do my spider senses?
Tell me all about this medieval Masterpiece.
Do I think the devil stepped in bought a soul and created the
(34:39):
largest manuscript? Come out of the 13th century and
overnight no less. I don't think so though.
It is strange, that all the experts agree that this book was
created by one person and over ashort period of time.
Remember, it is estimated it would take five years working
day and night to have completed a book.
(35:00):
Look of this size with this muchknowledge and illuminations the
Codex gigas contains more realistically, it would have
taken between 25 and 30 years. It is hard to explain why the
lettering and illuminations maintained Immaculate
consistency. So, I've been thinking and
thinking about it as a hobby artist myself, my mind goes into
(35:22):
the realm of Size Matters in my experience.
When working with a small space,my hands become more cramped and
tired. Trying to control my pencil pen
or brush to maintain fine, smallCreations.
But when I have a large canvas or pad of paper, to create a
pawn, I find I can work for muchlonger periods before I have to
(35:42):
rest, I wonder if the size does matter.
In this case, what seems to ringas truth in my mind body and
soul about the Codex gigas, is that the monk involved in its
creation did indeed become isolated whether through
punishment handed out by his Monastery, or on his own accord?
Cord, I'm not sure kind of feelslike his own accord.
(36:04):
If I really dive into the energywith his lengthy, confession of
some pretty Savage sins and calls for forgiveness, I believe
the Codex gigas was his life's work towards Redemption clever.
Marketing and myths. Always make for big sales and I
wonder if the podlasie say, Monastery wrapped a little
mystery into their sale. You would think from the size of
(36:27):
the manuscript and the fact thatno other book like this from the
13th century contained, anythinglike the full-page rendition of
the devil that this would be enough to mark up the value.
But we are talking about a time of our Collective history where
Superstition was alive and well but we will most likely never
know the true story around the Codex gigas is creation.
(36:48):
What a blessing it was created in the first place some of the
books contain in the Codex gigaswould not have survived into the
21st century without it and I think that is one way that
hermanus inclusives would have found eventual Redemption for
his missteps in life. Thank you so much for popping by
(37:18):
and spending time with me today.I really appreciate you being
here. I'm excited to see an increase
in loyal listeners and I would love to hear your feedback.
I invite you to leave a message at my anchor.
FM page, letting me know how youliked this episode or others.
You can also share your personalexperience with a show topic, or
even share show idea. I listened to each message and
may include your idea in a future episode.
(37:40):
Since I'm an independent podcast, host and producer.
A five star review on Apple podcasts follow on Spotify or
Review on where you are listening to me right now would
really help others find my show and a quick share of this or
other episodes is absolutely appreciated outside of my
podcast platforms. You can find me on social media
by searching for the Dark Side of light work with win Thornley.
(38:02):
If you like bonus content, I invite you to check out my
exclusive patreon Community, your contribution helps with the
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I have lots of exclusive contentavailable for my loyal patreons
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Behind the scenes, research content meditation, bonus
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(38:22):
feel grateful for all the support I have already received.
Thank you so much. I'm also expanding the
conversation of my other passionof working with the empathic
psychic intuitive and mediumshipcommunity over on the wisdom
app. There you can find me going live
throughout the month. Wisdom is a blend of live radio
and podcasting as all live conversation becomes archive so
(38:44):
you can listen in later wisdom. So offers the option to chat
live with me so I invite you, bemy guest and join the
conversation. Am I next episode?
I'll be sharing what I've learned about the school
experiment. The school experiment is widely
regarded. As the most important scientific
investigation of evidence for life.
After death, in all of history, taking place in multiple
(39:07):
countries and over a period of five years, there was profound
evidence said to be collected that give proof of communication
from the Beyond. Thank you.
Once again for listening until the end.
I look forward to dropping the next episode soon, so until
then, take good care.
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