Enchantment. The phrases and ceremonies used by magicians to evoke demons, make curses or deceive people’s credibility. See Magic, Fascination (Fascination; Fascination), Curse, Witchcraft.

The word is derived from the Latin “in” and “canto”, i.e., “I chant”, since in antiquity magicians had the habit of chanting their conjurings and magic exorcisms, that is to say that the formulas of their enchantments were made in verse and one knew that the verses were made to be chanted. This last conjecture seems most likely, since enchantments were also give the name of carmina [songs or verses], from which we get the word “charm.” See Charm.

According to Pluche, nothing is simpler than the origin of “ enchantment .” The leaves or herbs or other symbols which were used to crown the head of Isis or of Osiris in the earliest times, were nothing but symbols themselves of an abundant harvest and the phrases pronounced by the priests were the formulas of gratitude for the gifts of the divinity. Little by little these ideas dwindled in the minds of the people; until they faded and were entirely lost.

“They took the idea of combining certain plants and some words which had become obsolete and meaningless, the products of their fathers’ mysterious practices. They amassed them into an art by which they pretended infallibly to provide nearly all their needs. Combining such-and-such ancient formula with certain leaves arranged on the head of Isis at the time of the crescent moon or of an star, introduced this crazy idea that with certain herbs and certain words, on could make the moon and stars come down from the heavens to the earth: Carmina vel coelo possunt deducere lunam . [By magic songs and incantations even the moon can be dragged down from the heavens.]

They had formulas for every situation, even to harm their enemies; and one can still see the traces of this in poetry. Common sense—well or evil-intentioned—came to the aid of these otherwise clearly quite meaningless invocations and claims; and the resulting success of medicine or the science of poisons would help make these magical beliefs fashionable.” Histoire du Ciel, Bk. I. Pp. 450-1.

It follows from this view that first, enchantment is composed of two things: knowledge of herbs and other magical instruments, such as human cadavers, animal blood or body parts, such as are used in necromancy, but this is nothing but the apparatus, and the material or, so to speak, the body of enchantment . Second, what made it effective and determined whether these tools would help or harm the object for or against which the magic was destined to operate was the phrases and the formulas pronounced by the enchanters. It is on this basis that demonographers, in the stories they tell of spells, always make mention of certain phrases and words that sorcerers pronounce quietly and mutter between their teeth. Third, that there are two types of enchantment , one is favorable and useful; the other negative and pernicious.

“This last has,” according to the same author, “naturally inspiring in mankind the horror of these practices which tended to the destruction of our fellow men, magical incantations were seen as murderous and became abhorrent and punished by all civilized people.”

But this severity did not mean that, in every era or every nation, there were not imposters who adopted enchanters’ methods or men evil enough to hope to reach their goals through enchantments . The many sources, including historians and authors who have focused on magic, do not even stop to mention the wax figures which were the means by which one could envision killing those that one hated. The terms volt and voust had been used in France, and the usage that one claimed to make of them: “to cast a spell on someone”, a phrase that Ménage derived from “invotare”, became someone with dark powers, but which, according to Ducange, came from invulturare, vultum effingere , words used in middle Latin to express the representation of someone in wax or clay. Although, in going into the etymology of the word, it is certain that in trying to make use of it, one spoke them in a way that one was persuaded could not be pronounced effectively by just anyone.

This is what we learn from the details of the trial of Robert d’Artois under Phillipe de Valois, a trial which Mr. Lancelot, of the Academy of Belles-Lettres has given us such an interesting account in the archives of the Academy. This author said that Robert d’Artois and his spouse used enchantments against the king and queen and that in 1313, between St. Remy’s Day and All Saints’ Day, Robert appointed Brother Henry Sagebrand, of the order of the Trinity, as his chaplain. After many entreaties, he obliged him to swear that he would protect his secret as a confidential confession and the monk swore it. Robert then opened a small case and removed a wax figure wrapped in a a handkerchief which was fully a foot and a half long and resembled the face of a young man. So it seemed (according to the deposition of Brother Henry), and if he saw it clearly the handkerchief was very freeing and had around it something that looked like hair of and also like a young man who carried the handkerchief. The monk wanted to touch it. “Do not touch it Brother Henry,” Robert told him, “it is all done and blessed. It was sent to me from France all done and blessed. There is nothing more to be done, it protects against Jehan de France, since it was done using his name and in order to trouble him. But, I would have another that I would like to have baptized.” “And what is it for?, ” asked Brother Henry, “it is for protection against a she-devil, ” said Robert, “protection against being plucked. “If you want me to baptize you, its done, its not necessary to perform a baptism.” “I already have the godfather and godmother and when there is the means, we can go through with it.” “It is not necessary to do this like a child’s baptism, saying all those names that are part of that.” Brother Henry continued to refuse to bless the other and told Robert to go elsewhere to find someone who would bless it. He unsuccessfully asked Jean Aymeri, a priest from the diocese of Liége, to bless his voust or his wax figure. Memoires of the Academy of the Inscriptions, Bk. X, Pp. 627, 629.

It seems from this story that, besides the profane sacrilege which it shows, the form of baptism and the naming by the godfathers and godmothers seemed necessary so that by means of the figure, one could harm one’s enemies.

It is not only among the ancients nor only in Europe that these types of enchantment took place. They were known to savages in America as well. The Illinois and other nations, says Charlevoix, made mannequins to represent those who they wanted to kill and they stabbed them in the heart. He adds that at other times they took a stone and by means of some invocations, they tried to transform it into the heart of their enemy. All these practices, as impious or ridiculous as they may seem, go to show that which we have observed, that enchantment is a collection of actions and phrases, done with a view to making some extraordinary and typically pernicious effect. Journal d'un Voyage d'Amérique, Letter xxv, P. 360.