Re: VMs: Demons, Daimones, Daemones...

[Nick Pelling <nickpelling@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Pamela,

Perhaps I'm wrong, but ISTM that we may be sitting either side of the 
fault-line that runs through the history of astrology: on one side, the 
idea that astrology as practised today arises from a continuous tradition 
going back millennia - and on the other, the idea that modern psychological 
astrology (essentially, Ficinian astrology) is a quite different beast from 
the pre-1500 stuff.

Even though, just like you, I have read plenty of primary sources from all 
eras, it should be clear that my sympathies lie with the latter position 
rather than the former - basically, I'm with Bob Zoller all the way on this 
one. There really was a cataclysmic change of astrological ideology and 
practice circa 1480-1520, and I think you have to make a judgment call as 
to whether you think the VMs pre-dates, is concurrent with, or post-dates 
that time - I believe that's a question any historian of astrology looking 
at the VMs shouldn't try to fudge around. My own answer is (as you know) 
that what little there is of the VMs' astrology seems to be based firmly in 
the Middle Ages, but doubtless there is plenty of room for other answers. :-)

AFA the whole fixed-stars-thread goes: "astrology" is (literally) "the 
study of the (fixed) stars" (as opposed to, say, "planetology"), so you 
really don't have to scratch the surface long to get back to primary 
sources' (say, Iamblichus talking about Egyptian astrology) mentioning the 
fixed stars. However, I don't think any of your quotes so far  - though 
moderately suggestive - do directly link individual demons with individual 
fixed stars as convincingly as you would wish them to, especially on a 
careful re-reading. The names of fixed stars remain angelic or 
astronomical, while the names of demons remain necromantic: two quite 
separate traditions AFAICT.

FWIW, I think your assertion that astrology is a discredited science is 
perhaps a little out-of-date: one has only to look at the brilliant insight 
of people like Owen Gingerich, David Pingree, etc to see that a powerful 
comprehension of astrology (both practically and conceptually) can add a 
vital dimension to historians' work. Really, my opinion is that any view of 
pre-1600 European history uninformed by astrology is probably foolish: it 
should be clear that my particular interest in astrology here is trying to 
understand the intellectual & social context that gave birth to the VMs.

Sorry for yet another slightly disjointed email, but "time eludes us" etc. :-o

Cheers, .....Nick Pelling.....


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