Also called São Cipriano, San Cipriano, Cyprianus, Cyprian of Antioch, Oração de São Cipriano
Cyprian of Antioch, a legendary sorcerer who became a Christian bishop and martyr, is invoked against curses and evil spirits, and his name was attached to famous spell books in Portugal, Spain and Scandinavia.
TraditionIberian and Scandinavian folk Christianity
RegionPortugal, Galicia, Brazil, Norway, Denmark
Era4th-century legend; grimoires 17th to 19th century
Moon☾ Waning moon
DayAny
ElementFire
Difficulty●○○ Simple
Time15 minutes
Tonight's moon is read when the page loads.
The working
Read the legend first: Cyprian, a learned magician of Antioch, tried to win the Christian Justina by sorcery, failed, and was converted by her faith.
Set the candle and water on a clean table and light the candle, ideally on his feast day (September 26 in the Western tradition, October 2 among the Orthodox) or on any day you feel weighed down.
Ask Saint Cyprian, who knew the arts he renounced, to undo any harm, ill wish or bad influence around you and your home.
Pray for protection, then for the good of anyone who may wish you harm, as the legend's turn from sorcery to faith suggests.
Close with an Our Father, sprinkle a little of the water at your door, and let the candle burn down while you are home.
Repeat for three or nine days if the trouble continues, and seek practical help too.
Take care: Keep candles on a heat-proof surface and never leave them unattended. The old grimoires contain coercive spells and treasure-hunting conjurations; use only protective prayers.
Versions across time and place
i
The Portuguese Book of Saint Cyprian
Portugal and Brazil · 19th century printings
Cheap Portuguese books subtitled the sorcerer's treasure mix Catholic prayers, including some to one's guardian angel, with exorcisms, love charms, divination and lists of buried treasure in Galicia. They remain popular in Brazil among practitioners of several religions. Many editions open with Cyprian's legend and include prayers attributed to him for breaking spells.
Recorded in: José Leitão, The Book of St. Cyprian: The Sorcerer's Treasure (Hadean Press, 2014)
ii
The Spanish Ciprianillo
Spain and Galicia · From 1810
Spanish versions, attributed to a monk called Jonás Sufurino, borrow heavily from the French Grand Grimoire, the Key of Solomon and the Petit Albert. In Galicia the Ciprianillo was linked to legends of hidden treasure.
Recorded in: Félix Francisco Castro, The Books of Saint Cyprian (2010)
iii
Scandinavian Cyprianus black books
Norway and Denmark · 17th to 19th century
In Scandinavia, handwritten svartebøker (black books) circulated under the name Cyprianus. They held charms for healing people and cattle, protection against thieves and spells, and finding lost things. The Black Books of Elverum claim to summarize a Cyprianus by a bishop of Oxford in 1682.
Recorded in: Wikipedia, Cyprianus (collection of spells); A. C. Bang, Norske hexeformularer (1901)
History
The legend of Cyprian and Justina was already told in the 4th century and was retold in verse by the empress Aelia Eudocia. Cyprian, a pagan magician of Antioch, tried to win the Christian Justina for a client, or for himself, with demons, and failed each time because she made the sign of the cross. Converted, he became a bishop and was martyred with her, according to tradition, at Nicomedia. Some scholars see the story as a forerunner of the Faust legend.
Because he had been a magician, folk Christianity treated him as the saint best able to break spells, and printers used his name to sell grimoires. The Iberian and Scandinavian Cyprian books are separate traditions that share only his name. The Catholic Church removed him from its general calendar in 1969 because his historical existence is doubtful, but popular devotion continues in Brazil, Portugal and among modern occultists.
Sources
The Book of St. Cyprian: The Sorcerer's Treasure · José Leitão, 2014
