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Grimoire 99
Although many young people were “weekend
Goths,” the core of the Goth subculture eventually
came to be constituted by full-time Goths who
spoke an idiosyncratic language, dressed in black
clothing on a daily basis, wore distinctive jewelry,
etc. In 1990 two Gothic vampire games in the
Dungeons and Dragons tradition—The Masquerade
and Ravenloft—came onto the market and
further influenced the milieu. The works of popular
author Anne Rice were also adopted by Goths, as
reflected in the bands and Gothic periodicals that
adopted Rice-inspired names.
The triumph of Gothic music led to mixed
genres such as black metal, a blend of Gothic with
heavy metal that frequently invokes Satanism.
Black metal is not, however, generally representative
of either Gothic music or the Goth subculture.
A more significant segment of this subculture is
not particularly anti-Christian. Anne Rice, for
instance, propagates a sort of Christian
Gnosticism, as reflected in her 1995 novel,
Memnoch the Devil.
Nevertheless, there are links between the dark
world of the Gothic subculture and traditional
associations with the demonic. Some of the older
Satanist organizations have even sought to portray
themselves in an appealing manner to Goths,
though they have not been notably successful in
this bid for new recruits. On the other hand, a few
movements have originated within the Gothic
milieu, and some of these are Satanist or have
Satanist overtones. For example, the French group,
the Confrerie spirituelle sataniste les Croisades de
la Nouvelle Babylone, asserts that its goal is to unify
Satanists and neopagans. As the desecration of
graves in France and the torching of Norwegian
churches indicates, there are tiny groups around
the fringes of the black metal phase of the Gothic
subculture that commit illegal, antisocial acts. This
is especially the case for groups combining Nazism
with Satanism. It should be stressed, however, that
such acts of “esoterrorism,” as they have been
referred to, are not typical of the subculture.
See also Heavy Metal Music
For Further Reading:
Baddeley, Gavin. Lucifer Rising: Sin, Devil Worship
and Rock’n’Roll. London: Plexus, 1999.
Evans, S., and M. Ardill, “Relax, it’s just black,”
Toronto Star, April 25, 1999, pp. D16–D17.
Forsey, R., and S. Drakes, “Goths paint life black,”
Toronto Star, April 27, 1999, pp. C1, C3.
Introvigne, Massimo. “The Gothic Milieu: Black
Metal, Satanism, and Vampires.”
http://www.cesnur.org/testi/gothic.htm.
Grimoire
Through the centuries, a large number of handbooks
have been published that offer instructions on how
to perform different kinds of magic. Among these
books, usually referred to as grimoires, the oldest and
best known is The Key of Solomon, which is believed
to have been written by the legendary King Solomon.
A copy of the book was circulating as early as the first
century C.E. Countless versions, often with additions,
have followed the first century edition, rendering it
impossible to identify the original text. Besides The
Key of Solomon and its derivations, many other
grimoires circulated in the Middle Ages. Some of
these are still used as references in modern witchcraft.
The intent of the majority of grimoires was to
teach magicians how to summon and control the
power of spirits and demons. The sources were
ancient Egyptian, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin texts.
The rituals illustrated in grimoires are usually
very complicated. They suggest ways of dressing
and of behaving during and prior to evocation
ceremonies. They contain prayers and incantations,
directions for the creation of amulets,
instructions on how to sacrifice animals, and
provide lists of demons and spirits who can be
summoned through the grimoire.
Grimoires’ users were not necessarily devilworshipers.
Very often their intent was to
summon a demon and, after making a pact with
him, deceive him and take advantage of his
powers. The handbooks gave readers the instructions
necessary to carry out this trick. Grimoires
have often come under attack by religious authorities,
and some of them have been condemned as
dangerous or publicly destroyed. Nevertheless,
they continued to circulate in various versions
throughout the Middle Ages.
See also Demons; Magic and Magical Groups
For Further Reading:
Lady Sheba. Book of Shadows. St. Paul, MN:
Llewellyn, 1971.