Mage and Warlock Herbert Aurillac
The Latin inscription under the medieval miniature reads: "Pray and Work"
Probably all of you have read M. Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita and remember the fateful meeting of Berlioz and Homeless with the “foreign professor” at Patriarch's Ponds. And, perhaps, they paid attention to how Woland explains his appearance in Moscow.
- What is your specialty? Berlioz inquired.
- I am a specialist in black magic ... Here in the state library were found the original manuscripts of the warlock Herbert Avrilak, tenth century. So, it is required that I disassemble them. I am the only specialist in the world.
- Ah! Are you a historian? Berlioz asked with great relief and respect.
- I am a specialist in black magic ... Here in the state library were found the original manuscripts of the warlock Herbert Avrilak, tenth century. So, it is required that I disassemble them. I am the only specialist in the world.
- Ah! Are you a historian? Berlioz asked with great relief and respect.
Meeting at the Patriarchs, illustration by A. Nabokov
Where did the manuscripts of some medieval magician suddenly appear in Lenin? And why the very educated and erudite Berlioz, who had already taken the "professor" for a madman, upon hearing the name of Herbert Avrilak, immediately calmed down and believed in the stranger's version?
I must say that in this novel by Bulgakov there are quite a few references to other works or to real historical events - what is now often called "Easter eggs". For example, I really like the hidden quote from the work of Michael Psellus about "the darkness that came from the sea."
M. Bulgakov:
"The darkness that came from the Mediterranean covered the city hated by the procurator."
M. Psell:
"A cloud that suddenly rose from the sea covered the royal city with darkness."
(The Byzantine historian uses this phrase in the story of a terrible storm that destroyed the Russian-Varangian fleet of Vladimir Novgorodsky, the son of Yaroslav the Wise, and Ingvar the Traveler, the cousin of Yaroslav's wife Ingigerd).
The mysterious warlock Herbert Avrilak, who died 15 years before the birth of Mikhail Psellus, of course, also appeared in Bulgakov's novel for a reason.
Getting to know the hero
Herbert is the real name of this man, who was born in the French city of Aurillac (formerly the name was pronounced as Avralak) around 946, so everything is correct here. Since for a long time he lived and worked in Reims, first as a scholastic (teacher) of the school of the monastery of St. Remigius, and then - in fact, he performed the duties of an archbishop, although he was not recognized as such by the Vatican, he is sometimes also called Reims. But at present, he is much better known as Pope Sylvester II (139th in a row).
Silvester II, portrait of the XNUMXth-XNUMXth centuries
This pontiff was a contemporary of Vladimir Svyatoslavich, the Polish king Boleslav the Brave (whose daughter the “cursed” Svyatopolk was married to) and the Hungarian king Stephen I (this pope blessed him to the throne). He also gave permission for the organization of the first Polish archiepiscopal diocese. And yet, it means that he managed to engage in magic and black magic, although this hobby seems very strange for a person who has become the highest hierarch of the Catholic Church.
However, the papal throne was also occupied by not such characters. Sylvester II, even in a nightmare, probably could not have dreamed of the “exploits” of John XII, who at feasts (more like orgies) repeatedly raised bowls to the health of the devil and pagan gods. And contemporaries did not call him a pharmacist of Satan, like Alexander VI (Borgia). No, Herbert Avrilaksky was a very peaceful, intelligent and quiet warlock and a quite decent and relatively harmless pope. He did not kill his predecessors, like Sergius III, did not dig up their corpses and did not judge posthumously, like Stephen VI. And even in such a solid business with a long tradition as the sale of church positions, he disdained to engage in. And such a cute entertainment of many popes and cardinals as concubinage (in Roman law - cohabitation without marriage), also did not favor. Well, except that he intrigued for his own pleasure. Acting as scientific secretary of the Bishop of Reims Adalberon during the congress of spiritual and secular lords of France, he participated in the election of the Duke of Ile-de-France, Hugh Capet, as king - this is how the Capetian dynasty was founded, which ruled from 987 to 1328.
Taking offense at Pope John XV, who refused to approve him as Archbishop of Reims, he spoke about the Vatican in such a way that his letters were then gladly quoted by Protestants - in 1567 and 1600. But who of the politicians of this scale (both modern and past years) is not unprincipled and intriguing?
So, Sylvester II was a rather active pope, and managed a lot in 4 years of his pontificate. But, here's the trouble, he, it turns out, was very fond of magic and black magic. So much so that it's all they remember now. Let's try to figure out where the venerable pontiff suddenly got such a dubious reputation and whether his contemporaries had reason to accuse him of practicing magic, cohabiting with a succubus and having connections with the devil himself.
The beginning of a spiritual career
Herbert was born in 946 into a poor and humble family. In 963th-century Europe, the only chance for someone like him to make any headway was a clergyman's career, and so in 967 the young man entered the Benedictine monastery of Saint Herold. Here he immediately attracted the attention of his abilities and inclination to the exact sciences. And then Herbert was lucky for the first time. The abbot of this monastery, who turned out to be a caring and progressive person, in XNUMX recommended the young man as a secretary to Count Borrell II of Barcelona who happened to be in those places. So Herbert came to Spain.
However, such a country as Spain did not yet exist at that time. Almost the entire Iberian Peninsula was occupied by the Cordoba Caliphate, only in the north there were small Christian kingdoms, and the Reconquista was still far away.
The powerful Cordoba Caliphate had a great influence on the neighboring Christian states, including in the field of education and culture. In the libraries of Arab cities, the works of ancient authors have been preserved, many of which will be rediscovered by Europeans only in the Renaissance. It is claimed that the library of Cordoba contained up to half a million books, while the best European libraries boasted only a thousand.
Either way, Herbert was very lucky. But it was to this period that the first "warlock" legend "refers to his connection with a succubus named Meridiana, from which he received" inhuman "knowledge, and then - wealth and power.
Succubus. XNUMXth century wooden sculpture, Cambridge
In the name of this succubus, a geometric term is clearly heard - indeed, someone heard the ringing, but did not understand where it came from. By the way, some of Herbert's illiterate interlocutors also considered the octahedron and rhombus to be the names of demons.
It is often difficult for people in general to believe that a person can achieve success without a noble birth, wealth, or influential patrons: it is easier to explain other people's achievements by witchcraft or even a deal with the devil.
But Herbert did not cohabit with the beautiful Meridiana, but studied in Catalonia - in Vic. And then he managed to visit Cordoba. He may have also visited Seville and Toledo. And this study with the Moors was the reason for the appearance of the second legend - that Herbert stole a book of spells from the palace of Caliph al-Hakkam II himself: he discovered in it a formula that makes a person invisible, read it with the necessary intonations - and, as they say, was like that.
There is another version of this legend, according to which the daughter of his magician teacher, who was in love with him, helped Herbert to steal the book.
Fateful visit to Rome
In 969, Herbert ended up in Rome with the Barcelona Count Borrell. Here he met Pope John XIII. The scholarly young man made such a good impression on the Pope that he recommended him as the educator of his son to Emperor Otto I himself.
Lucas Cranach the Elder. Otto I the Great, portrait in the Chronicle of the Saxons and the Thuringians
In this position, Herbert was for three years, after which in 972 he went to Reims, where he taught at the monastery school, built a hydraulic organ and fought for the place of archbishop.
The future emperor Otto II also liked the teacher very much, which is not surprising, because Herbert was a supporter of asserting the priority of imperial power over spiritual. Having come to power in 973, Otto II remembered the teacher, appointing him abbot of the monastery in Babbio. But Herbert found it boring there, and he preferred to return to Reims. Then he supported the former student in the war against his compatriot - the French king Lothair (in 978).
Otto II, by the way, headed the jury of judges during the famous debate "on the classification of sciences" in Ravenna, in which his former teacher converged with the German dialectician Otrich. This dispute lasted a day and ended in a draw due to the complete exhaustion of the jury members, who, by their willful decision, stopped this dispute and literally crawled out of the hall.
Otto II with the personification of the subject lands. Miniature, circa 985 Chantilly, Kendé Museum
Otto II died in 983 at the age of 28, presumably from malaria. The heir to the throne, the son of the Byzantine princess Theophano, was only three years old at that time and his name was also Otto (only the Third: I'm already tired of writing this name - people have no imagination). This emperor, who was nicknamed the Miracle of the World by court flatterers, also developed an excellent relationship with Herbert.
Romans, Gauls (Lorraine), Germans and Slavs (Poles who converted to Christianity) bring gifts to Emperor Otto III, miniature, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich
In Reims, as we remember, our hero failed to become an archbishop, but thanks to the efforts of Otto III, he was appointed archbishop of Ravenna. This was not too difficult to achieve: Pope Gregory V was the emperor's first cousin.
A year later, this pontiff died, and Herbert was elected the new head of the Catholic Church. He became the first Frenchman to occupy the throne of Saint Peter.
Statue of Pope Sylvester II in the French prefecture of Aurillac
Portrait of Pope Sylvester II on a French stamp
Interestingly, the name chosen by Herbert upon accession to the throne: Sylvester. He took it in honor of the pope, who was an adviser to Constantine the Great. The hint was quite transparent, and the interested persons understood it perfectly.
Meister der Reichenauer Schule. Emperor Otto III and Pope Sylvester II, Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
Pope Sylvester II
In the future, Otto III and Sylvester II acted as allies. In 1001, they had to flee together from rebellious Rome. Meanwhile, the days of both were already running out. The young emperor died in 1002 (he was 22 at the time) during a campaign against Rome, Pope Sylvester II briefly outlived him, dying in 1003. But he nevertheless returned to the Eternal City and was buried in the Lateran Cathedral (St. John Lateran).
Cathedral of Saint John Lateran
The inscription on his gravestone reads: "Here lie the mortal remains of Sylvester, who will rise at the sound of the coming of the Lord."
Pope Sylvester II cenotaph
Later, a legend appeared that periodically a noise was heard from this tomb, warning of the imminent death of the Pope.
Mage and warlock
So, the rootless and poor Herbert of Aurillac was acquainted with three emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, with the support of the last of them became an archbishop, and then was elected pope - and, according to some, all this happened not without the help of the Devil. And the successes in the sciences (rather exaggerated and colored by rumors) increased suspicions. So far, these were just rumors circulating among the illiterate and superstitious commoners. But soon even the hierarchs of the Catholic Church started talking about it. And this is not surprising, because Pope Sylvester II, as we remember, was opposed to the sale of church posts and even considered imperial power higher than spiritual, and therefore he had many opponents and ill-wishers in the highest church circles.
Cardinal Bennon was the first to officially blame the deal with Satan for the already deceased (in 1003) Pope Sylvester II. This accusation fell on fertile ground, and in the future the stories about the miracles performed by the warlock on the papal throne only multiplied and acquired the most bizarre forms.
Silvester II and the devil
The enemies of Sylvester II even spread rumors that Simon Magus was his ancestor - the same one who wanted to buy from the apostles Philip, John and Peter "power over the Holy Spirit" and the ability to work miracles in his name. And who died in Rome, falling from a tower, during a competition with the apostles Peter and Paul - because Peter took power from the demons holding the magician (Nero acted as an arbitrator in this magical duel, by whose order these apostles were later executed).
Saints Peter and Paul before Nero during a dispute with Simon the Magus, mosaic. Palatine Chapel, Palermo, Sicily
On behalf of this character of the New Testament "Acts of the Apostles", as well as the apocryphal "Acts of Peter" and "Syntagma" the term "simony" originates, but Pope Sylvester, as we remember, was a principled opponent of the trade in church offices and miraculous relics.
It was also said that the black dog that accompanied Herbert everywhere was the devil himself, with whom he made an agreement. This legend undoubtedly influenced the later legends about Faust and Goethe's Mephistopheles appears to Faust in the guise of a black poodle.
However, there is a version of the legend in which Herbert did not conclude an agreement with the devil, but won the papal tiara in bone from him. In this case, he already acts as a character who has shamed the enemy of the human race and forced him to serve himself. Of course, even such connections with the devil were not encouraged by the official church, but among the people such a victory over an unclean spirit was perceived unambiguously positively. Let us recall the numerous legends about how the builders of cathedrals (for example, Cologne) and bridges (Rakotzbrücke in Saxony or the "Devil's" in Switzerland, connected with the name of Suvorov) managed to deceive Satan.
Rakotzbrücke Bridge, Kromlau park, Saksoniia
By the way, our hero was not the only Roman pontiff who had his own demon: Pope Boniface VIII also had a devil in his service. We know about this from the words of the French king Philip the Fair, who made an official statement at the Louvre meeting in 1303.
But what miracles did the warlock Herbert of Aurillac, who became pope, work?
Let's start with a simple one: everyone was simply amazed by his ability to perform mathematical calculations in the "mind" - it is simply impossible to do this using the then common Roman numerals. However, Herbert used Arabic numerals (in fact, the Arabs themselves borrowed them from the Indians, so it would be more correct to call them Indian). Herbert did not keep a new way of counting, multiplication and division using Arabic numerals in Europe: he taught it while working at the school of the monastery of St. Remigius in Reims and later tried to popularize it in every possible way. But how many students did he have then? A lot of time passed until the new way of calculating became commonplace and familiar. Europe finally abandoned Roman numerals only in the Renaissance.
Another magical specialty of Herbert was advising on territorial disputes: in this regard, the ability to calculate the areas of geometric figures was very valuable.
The never-before-seen hydraulic organ built by Herbert in Reims also aroused great surprise among contemporaries. He was also credited with the creation of the world's first mechanical tower clock, which he allegedly presented to Magdeburg. This clock seemed to "mark all the movements of the light, and the time when the stars rise and set." However, serious researchers have little faith in these watches: Herbert must have been way ahead of his time when creating them. Only in the 1335th century did tower clocks without a dial appear, which announced the beginning of a new hour by striking a bell. And the first reliably known mechanical tower clock with arrows was created only in XNUMX - in Milan. And historians do not at all believe in the legend that in the XNUMXth century the Dutchman Bomelius brought with him to Moscow a clock made by Herbert Aurillac.
Elisha Bomelia's watch
Elyseus Bomelius was the son of a Dutch priest but was born in Westphalia (in 1530). Taking care of the sick son of a noble English family, Bertie, he later ended up in England with her. He studied medicine at the University of Cambridge but did not graduate. For providing medical care without a diploma and license, as well as on charges of practicing black magic, he was later arrested. However, by that time, Bomelius already had some connections in high society, and he managed to get out. And then the Russian embassy in London turned out to be, and its head Andrei Lapin, who was instructed to find a good doctor for Ivan the Terrible, could not pass by such a valuable shot - he looked good. Bomelius, too, could not stay in London, so they agreed pretty quickly. In Moscow, Elisha Bomelius (as they began to call him here) gained great influence. The Dutchman managed to get the king addicted to astrology, and together they often watched the starry sky at night. There were rumors that the royal doctor and astrologer had another specialty: allegedly, on the orders of Ivan the Terrible, he made poisons that killed a person not immediately, but after a certain time: liquids and powders for adding to drink or food and candles with a poisoned wick. And therefore, in Moscow, Bomelius received the nicknames "fierce sorcerer" and "evil heretic." However, it should be noted that Ivan the Terrible had no reason to hide his anger and disgrace, and secret murders of enemies were not characteristic of him. On the contrary, in his reprisals and executions, he strove for publicity and theatricality, sometimes bordering on blasphemy. Therefore, it is unlikely that he needed the services of a qualified poisoner. He valued the Dutchman precisely as a doctor and soothsayer. Even the enemies did not deny the medicinal talents of Bomelius, and some stories that have come down to our time depict the Dutchman, although "nasty", but almost a miracle worker. And even in Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Tsar's Bride there is an episode where the people are indignant at the sight of two young people leaving the house of Bomelius:
“Did you go to the German for medicines? .. He's a filthy man! After all, he is infidel! .. Before you begin to rub shoulders with him, the cross must be removed. After all, he is a sorcerer! "
As for the influence on the tsar, some researchers believe that it was on the advice of Bomelius that Ivan IV temporarily transferred the throne to the baptized Chingizid Simeon Bekbulatovich - in order to avoid the troubles and misfortunes that the stars promised the Grand Duke of Moscow that year.
But Bomelius forgot about an important rule of any seer: his predictions must be pleasing to clients. And it is necessary to predict especially carefully those who have the opportunity to “pay for the services” of the prophet not only with silver or gold, but also with a noose and a dungeon: if you predict some kind of trouble for them, then be sure to immediately give a recipe for deliverance (as in the case of “renunciation of from the throne" in favor of Simeon Bekublatovich). Bomelius, as they say, in 1579, undertaking to predict the royal fate with the help of a crystal ball, got carried away and laid out a clean (as it turned out later), but very terrible truth: he told the monarch about the impending death of the second wife of the heir during childbirth, the death of three sons and the end of the dynasty.
Ivan thanked Bomelius with a blow of a heavy goblet on the head, from which he was unconscious for several days. Recovering his senses, the seer decided that he had spent too much time in Moscow, and in English, without saying goodbye to the hospitable tsar, he went to Pskov. However, Ivan the Terrible did not like foreign customs, and he considered people who left Moscow without his permission to be thieves and traitors. He sent a chase after Bomelius, which intercepted the fugitive. In the capital he recklessly abandoned, Bomelius was roasted alive on a spit, having cursed the king before his death. This curse was remembered when Ivan IV died suddenly, without even having time, according to custom, to be tonsured as a monk.
But back to Elisey Bomeliy's watch: they claim that somehow it later fell into the hands of Ivan Kulibin (he turned out to be the eighth owner of this watch) and burned down along with his house in 1814.
What can you say about this story? The first individual watches, as you know, were created in the XNUMXth century, and therefore Bomelius could really bring such a curiosity with him. However, this watch clearly had nothing to do with Herbert Aurillac. But this legend proves the wide popularity of this warlock in Russia.
Continuation of the story of Herbert of Aurillac
Other magical deeds of Herbert were the reconstruction of the abacus (the prototype of the accounts) and the astrolabe, which he also improved, according to the drawings found in the Arab books.
Abacus
Astrolabe, XNUMXth century
The astrolabe, by the way, began to be used by European sailors only a century later (although they did not forget about it a second time, and that's good). Also, our hero was the first in Christian Europe to construct Sphaera armillaris - an armillary celestial sphere, where the celestial equator, tropics, ecliptic and poles were designated.
Antonio Santucci. Armillary Sphere, 1588-1593. Galileo Museum, Florence
It is believed that it was Herbert, who became pope, who provoked in Italy the fashion for astrology, which quickly spread throughout Europe. But his personal attempts to predict the future were more than unsuccessful.
The fiasco was the louder and more abundant that he decided to predict the end of the world. And he named it the exact date: January 1, 1000. But at that time he was not a scholastic and not an abbot, but the pope, to whose words the whole Catholic world listened. A panic began that engulfed all of Europe: some, leaving work and caring for their families, fasted and prayed, while others, on the contrary, decided to take a walk for the last time. And the affairs of so many families fell into decay. When the end of the world did not come, the authority of Sylvester II was greatly undermined. This is considered by many to be one of the main reasons for the above-mentioned rebellion in Rome, due to which Emperor Otto III and Pope Sylvester II had to flee to Ravenna in 1001.
The death of this pope is, of course, also told a mystical story. Sylvester II allegedly made an automaton in the form of a copper head (teraphim), capable of giving unambiguous answers to the questions posed. Perhaps it was a kind of prototype of a slot machine that gave answers "yes" - "no" in a random order (nodding or shaking his head).
Pope Sylvester II and his mechanical computer
According to another version, the teraphim were presented to him by members of a secret society founded by the Indian king Ashoka, called the Nine Unknowns. The first version, in my opinion, is easier to believe. This machine allegedly advised Sylvester not to go on his planned pilgrimage to Jerusalem. And when Sylvester died shortly after the service in the Roman church of St. Mary of Jerusalem, the inhabitants of the city, remembering his refusal to go to the Holy Land, immediately began to say that, according to an agreement with the devil, the unclean man had to take the soul of the pope when he set foot on earth Jerusalem. According to the same legend, Sylvester II bequeathed to cut his body into pieces and bury it in different places so that the Devil would not find him. However, as we remember, this pope was buried in the Lateran Cathedral.
The most offensive thing is that even in our time, these stupid medieval rumors and gossip affect the perception of the image of this handsome and extraordinary person. And in the British TV series "The Discovery of Witches" (2018), Herbert of Aurillac unexpectedly turns out to be not even a warlock, but a vampire.
Trevor Eve in A Discovery of Witches
Well, as for Woland's visit to Moscow, if he nevertheless found time to get acquainted with the manuscripts of Herbert of Aurillac, most likely, he found in them not magic formulas, but works on geometry or astronomy. Something like this:
And, probably, Bulgakov's devil was very disappointed with his discovery.
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