The History of Magic, Tr. by W. Howitt. to Which Is Added an Appendix of the Most Remarkable and Best Authenticated Stories of Apparitions &C. Selected by M. Howitt

The History Of Magic, Tr. By W. Howitt. To Which Is Added An Appendix Of The Most Remarkable And Best Authenticated Stories Of Apparitions &C. Selected By M. Howitt by Joseph Ennemoser. The work presents a twofold program: to treat myth as natural philosophy encoded in symbolic form, and to trace how ancient myths preserve physical knowledge about nature through poetic allegory. Drawing on authorities from Herodotus to Pausanias, it argues that Greek and broader ancient mythologies compress observable phenomena—elemental forces (water, air, fire, earth) and celestial powers (sun, moon, stars)—into personified deities. Many figures and rites are read as expressions of magnetism and electricity, with Hermes, Apollo, Circe, and others depicted as embodiments of natural powers. The text surveys healing, temples, and secret rites as repositories of practical knowledge about nature’s powers, and traces how Christianization reframes magic within theology while German thought seeks a synthesis of science and faith. It then surveys the witchcraft prosecutions (the Witch-Hammer) and evidence from trials across Europe, before turning to the rise of natural philosophy and magnetism, Paracelsus, Van Helmont, and Agrippa, and finally to trance, hauntings, and spiritualist movements, showing how belief in unseen powers intersects religion, law, and science across cultures.