Dive into the darkest corners of history with this look at seven books rumored to be cursed, forbidden, or steeped in impenetrable mystery. Explore the strange origins of the Codex Gigas, the secrets of the Book of Soyga, the legendary Turris Babel, and more.
The 7 Forbidden Books
1.Excalibur
Excalibur (Often referred to as a legendary sword, but sometimes The Book of Excalibur or a reference to its legends in manuscripts).
Explore the mysterious connections between the legendary sword Excalibur and the lost or forbidden manuscripts chronicling its power and King Arthur’s reign.
While Excalibur is primarily known as King Arthur's mythical sword, its name is associated with powerful, often lost, Arthurian manuscripts (like the Vulgate Cycle or Post-Vulgate Cycle). The "forbidden book" concept often refers to the idea of a single, hidden text that contains the true secrets of the sword's magic, its forging, and the prophecy surrounding it—a text deemed too powerful or dangerous to circulate.
The legend suggests reading it would grant immense, perhaps corrupting, power or reveal truths about the kingdom's doom.
The legend of Excalibur centers on King Arthur's magical sword, a powerful symbol of his divine right to rule Britain. As a concept, it often features in lists of cursed objects due to its connection to fatal destiny and potent magic, acting as a metaphor for forbidden power. According to some versions of the legend, the sword was magically given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake and was said to be unbreakable, capable of cutting through any material and dazzling enemies. However, the true curse lies not in the sword itself, but in the destiny of its wielder. Arthur's failure to maintain the morality that justified his possession of the sword, coupled with the political treachery that led to his final battle, are inextricably linked to Excalibur's fate, culminating in its mournful return to the lake, symbolizing the bitter end of a glorious age.
2. Codex Gigas
Uncover the chilling legend of the Codex Gigas, the massive medieval manuscript allegedly written in a single night with the help of the Devil himself.The Codex Gigas is the largest surviving medieval illuminated manuscript in the world. Legend has it that a monk, facing execution, promised to write a book containing all human knowledge in one night. Unable to finish, he sold his soul to the Devil for help, leading to the manuscript's nickname, "The Devil's Bible." Its ominous appearance, the full-page illustration of the Devil, and its sheer size contribute to its cursed reputation.
This colossal manuscript, whose name translates to "Giant Book," is famous not only for its impressive size (measuring 36 inches high and requiring two people to lift) but also for the terrifying legend surrounding its creation. The manuscript dates back to the 13th century and was written in a Benedictine monastery in Bohemia. Legend holds that a monk was sentenced to death for an infraction and was offered a chance to save his life if he could write a book containing all human knowledge in a single night. Exhausted and desperate, the monk supposedly summoned the Devil and sold his soul in exchange for help. The sign of this transaction is a full-page portrait of the Devil, inexplicably added halfway through the text, which gave the manuscript its infamous nickname: The Devil's Bible.
3. Book of Soyga
Discover the secrets of John Dee's obsession: the Book of Soyga, a cryptic 16th-century treatise on magic filled with mysterious letter tables.
This 16th-century treatise on magic was a core object of study for the famous Elizabethan scholar and occultist John Dee. The book is most noted for 36 pages of densely packed, seemingly random tables of letters which defy complete translation or understanding to this day. Dee believed the text contained angelic language or a code that unlocked immense magical power, attempting to decode it with his medium, Edward Kelley. The book's lost status for centuries and its baffling content contribute to its mystique.
Known also by its Latin name, Aldaraia sive Zair (The Great Book of Magic), this manuscript is an enigmatic text of magic and astrology that achieved legendary status after it came into the possession of the renowned Elizabethan scholar Dr. John Dee. The book contains lists of angels, incantations, and complex astronomical calculations. The most inscrutable feature is a series of 36 square letter tables (magical talismans) comprised of seemingly random letters. Dee was convinced that these tables held the secrets to the universe, possibly a form of forgotten angelic language. His attempts to decipher the squares with the help of his medium, Edward Kelley, reportedly led to communication with the Angel Uriel, who suggested that the secret was too profound for humans to grasp. The book’s disappearance for centuries after Dee's death only amplified its aura as a forbidden key to celestial knowledge.
4. Codex Rohonczi
Investigate the Rohonczi Codex, a completely undeciphered manuscript written in an unknown language and alphabet, baffling cryptographers for centuries.Named after the Hungarian city of Rohonc (Rechnitz, Austria) where it was kept until 1907, the Codex Rohonczi is an illustrated manuscript containing 448 pages. Its text is written in an unknown script of about 200 symbols, making it an undeciphered puzzle—no one knows the language, the script, the author, or the subject matter. Its origin and content are so obscure that some experts suspect it might be a hoax, while others believe it is a key piece of lost history.
The Rohonc Codex is another highly mysterious illustrated manuscript, famous not for its content, but for its utterly indecipherable script. Discovered in Hungary in the early 19th century, the codex contains 448 pages written in a unique language and alphabet composed of nearly 200 distinct characters. While some historians have proposed that the codex is a clever 16th-century hoax, others suggest it might be linked to ancient Hungarian scripts or religious texts from the early Christian era. The numerous illustrations within the codex depict religious, secular, and military scenes, frequently featuring Christian, Islamic, and Pagan symbols intermingled, suggesting a strange confluence of cultures or beliefs. The inability of cryptographers to definitively link the script to any known language or cipher keeps the Rohonc Codex locked away as an unsolvable linguistic puzzle.
5. Liber Chronicarum
Learn about the Liber Chronicarum (The Nuremberg Chronicle), one of the most significant and lavishly illustrated incunabula, chronicling world history from creation.
Printed in 1493, the Liber Chronicarum is a landmark book, one of the best-documented early printed books (incunabula). It's not "forbidden" in the traditional sense, but it is a massive, ambitious world history that chronicles the past from the biblical creation up to the author’s present day. Its "forbidden" aspect often comes from the sheer scope of its history, its inclusion of myths and monstrous races, and the incredible logistics and expense of its production, making it a "forbidden fruit" for collectors and a powerful symbol of early printing.
The Liber Chronicarum (Book of Chronicles), more commonly known as the Nuremberg Chronicle, is a different kind of "forbidden" book. Published in 1493, it was not banned for occult content, but for its massive scope and expense, making it a monumental undertaking for its time. It is a pictorial world history, tracing events from the Creation through to the time of its publication, often using a "six ages" historical framework. Its importance lies in the inclusion of hundreds of detailed woodcut illustrations of cities, historical figures, and biblical scenes. While it wasn't forbidden in the typical sense, its cost restricted its access to the very wealthy, and its comprehensive nature—especially its attempt to consolidate historical and religious authority—made it a potent object of interest and, occasionally, control by powerful religious institutions.
6. Book of Thoth
Discover the mythical Book of Thoth, the ancient Egyptian text allegedly holding the keys to cosmic knowledge and the power to control the world. The Book of Thoth is a legendary text from Ancient Egyptian mythology. It is not a single real book but an accumulation of magical and religious texts attributed to the god of writing and knowledge, Thoth. Stories (like the one featuring Prince Setna Khaemweset) describe the book as being protected by deadly spells. Whoever read it would gain the power to understand the animals, enchant the sky, and rule the world, but at the cost of being cursed by Thoth and leading to madness or destruction.
The Book of Thoth refers primarily to a collection of texts and symbols attributed to the Egyptian god of knowledge, Thoth. In the occult tradition, it is often associated with the Tarot deck, particularly the cards designed by Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris. The core idea is that the book contains the ultimate wisdom of the universe, hidden and encrypted within the symbolic structure of the Tarot’s 78 cards. The curse and danger lie in the misuse or misinterpretation of this divine knowledge. It is believed that accessing the "secrets of Thoth" without proper spiritual preparation can lead to profound mental imbalance or madness, as the human mind struggles to contain such potent universal truths. It’s an intellectual "forbidden fruit" that promises enlightenment but threatens sanity.
7. Turris Babel
Examine the connection between the mythical Tower of Babel (Turris Babel) and the manuscripts that attempted to document or interpret the confusion of languages.
Like Excalibur, Turris Babel (The Tower of Babel) refers to the biblical structure, but the "book" is a metaphorical reference to the lost knowledge and the scattered documentation about it. Historically, the name refers to numerous medieval and Renaissance attempts (often in the form of illustrated manuscripts or treatises) to understand the original language spoken before God scattered the people and confused the tongues. These speculative texts—many later suppressed or deemed heretical—were seen as attempts to uncover a forbidden, divine truth about language and unity.
The Tower of Babel is a biblical narrative and concept, not a singular physical book, but it represents the forbidden nature of human hubris and the collapse of universal knowledge. The story, found in the Book of Genesis, describes humanity uniting to build a massive tower to reach the heavens. This act was seen as an offense to God, who then confused their shared language, leading to chaos, misunderstanding, and the scattering of people across the Earth. The "book" or legacy of Turris Babel is therefore a warning against the forbidden ambition of men to achieve divinity or complete knowledge without divine sanction. It serves as a foundational myth explaining the loss of a single, unified language and the subsequent fragmentation of human understanding and communication.
Where the Mystical Meets Reality
As we have explored, the story of each forbidden book — from the cryptic texts of the Codex Gigas to the enigmatic prophecies within the Voynich Manuscript — highlights humanity's continuing fascination with hidden and forbidden knowledge. These books are not merely physical objects; they are living legends that test the boundaries between faith, history, and superstition.
Whether you are a devoted skeptic or a seeker of mysteries, we cannot deny the power these manuscripts hold over the collective imagination. They remind us that, despite scientific progress, there is always a dark and unknown corner of the world that draws us in.
What Do You Believe?
Would you ever risk turning the pages of these mysterious tomes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and share this article to challenge other "investigators of the unknown" to speak their minds.
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