ABSTRACT
Hermetic magic and the magic of marvels are two of the most characteristic features of medieval and early modern magic. They did not form a single coherent genre, but rather were two different sources of astrological techniques that were categorized frequently under the natural sciences and empirical and experimental approaches to nature. The magical texts associated with the names Hermes, Belenus and Toz Graecus, which form the basis of Hermetic magic, have been identified by modern scholars as a distinctive group, with a common origin. 1 The most significant magic text to treat marvels, the Book of the Marvels of the World (De mirabilibus mundi), has recently received detailed attention from scholars who have examined its sources. This paper will focus on the relationships between these two different genres of magic. Both are centred on how magic operates to create artificial life. The Hermetic image magic texts deal with instructions for the drawing down of spiritual power or celestial virtue into objects, in order to transform them into instruments of magical action, 2 whilst the magic of marvels represents an attempt to situate magical practices within a broader natural philosophical framework.
