Mysterious Grimoire Found to Contain Mostly Household Tips
The Codex Tenebris, a mysterious grimoire from the late 14th century, was discovered in June behind a false wall in a monastery outside Prague by Pavel Novák, 44, an electrician who had been looking for a junction box.
Novák turned the grimoire over to the National Library in Prague, which brought in Dr. Malcolm Wetherby, 61, a medieval historian, to translate it.
Wetherby, who keeps his grocery lists in Latin, spent six weeks deciphering The Codex Tenebris and discovered nothing more sinister than centuries-old advice about stains, vegetables, cookware, laundry, and moths.
“We were prepared for dangerous knowledge,” Wetherby said. “Then the first complete spell says to sprinkle salt on a wine stain. Instead of black magic the grimoire appears to consist largely of household tips.”
In addition, Wetherby discovered advice on removing candle wax from tablecloths, discouraging pantry flies, and keeping onions fresh through Lent.
One passage, labeled “The Binding of That Which Must Not Return,” recommends soaking a scorched cooking pot overnight. Another advises placing lavender in bed linens “lest foul spirits trouble thy sleep,” which, Wetherby concedes, “probably worked on moths.”
The mysterious grimoire includes elaborate diagrams that look as though they might depict portals to the underworld. Upon closer inspection, they illustrate the proper storage of root vegetables.
Interest in The Codex Tenebris intensified when the final chapter was reached. It was sealed with black wax and bore a warning that anyone revealing its contents would suffer “seven generations of unspeakable consequence.”
“It was genuinely unsettling,” said conservator Elaine Mercer, 48, who labels leftovers with both the date and expected emotional outcome. “Nobody wanted to open it.”
When the seal was broken, a spell was revealed that called for vinegar, warm water, a stiff brush, and eleven minutes of vigorous scrubbing.
Ring-around-the-collar never stood a chance.
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