Cyprianus

<p><em>Cyprianus</em> is the name of an infamous grimoire in Scandinavian folk magic and a byword for sorcery. In recent years dozens of <em>Cyprianus</em> books have been translated into English revealing a rich array of folk-magical operations similar to those found in the Iberian Cyprian tradition. Missing from this emergent literature however is the place of folklore. </p><p></p><p><em>Cyprianus: St. Cyprian and the Black Book in Scandinavian Folklore</em> provides a translation of Danish legends relating to the <em>Cyprianus</em> originally collected in the second half of the nineteenth century by the folklorist Evald Tang Kristensen. Most of these legends refer to the <em>Cyprianus</em> as a book - its powers familiar spirits and those persons bold (and sometimes foolish) enough to read from its pages - while others recount the exploits of its eponymous author a mysterious figure who in Scandinavian lore takes on different guises and genders. Still others reveal methods for outsmarting the Devil or banishing him entirely. </p><p></p><p>Together these legends offer a perspective on the <em>Cyprianus</em> that helps contemporary readers understand the cultural and folk-magical context of this fabled grimoire.</p>