''Rauðskinna'' (English: ''Red Skin''), also known as ''The Book of Power'' or as the bible of all wizards, is a legendary book about
black magic
Black magic (Middle English: ''nigromancy''), sometimes dark magic, traditionally refers to the use of Magic (paranormal), magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes.
The links and interaction between black magic and religi ...
. alleged to have been buried with Gottskálk the cruel,
Gottskálk grimmi Nikulásson of
Hólar
Hólar (; also Hólar í Hjaltadal ) is a small community in the Skagafjörður district of northern Iceland.
Location
Hólar is in the valley Hjaltadalur, some from the national capital of Reykjavík. It has a population of around 100. It is t ...
, after he stole it from Chief and wizard Jon from Svalbard. It’s said his grandfather, Thorkell had written. The subject of the book, was to learn to master
magic
Magic or magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic
* Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...
to such a degree as to control
Satan
Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
. The book has been the subject of legend and
folklore
Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
and desired by practitioners of ''
galdr
A (plural ') or (plural ) refers to a spell or incantation in Old Norse and Old English respectively; these were usually performed in combination with certain rites.The article ''Galder'' in ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (1992)
Etymology
and or ...
''. One such legend is when the galdr master
Loftur Þorsteinsson
Loftur Þorsteinsson (born 1702) was an Icelander known as ''Galdra-Loftur'' for his supposed mastery of Old Norse sorcery (''galdr''). He was the subject of many folk sagas about his alleged magical performances.
Loftur was born near in the no ...
(''Galdra-Loftur'') tried to acquire it and allegedly lost his life because of it.
References
Other sources
*Páll Eggert Ólason (1948
''Íslenskar æviskrár''(Hið íslenska bókmenntafélag)
16th-century books
Grimoires
Witchcraft in Iceland
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