isis unveiled: chapter x (outside the walls…)

"We will not ask which of the ancient writers mention facts of seemingly-supernatural nature; but rather which of them does not? In Homer, we find Ulysses evoking the spirit of his friend, the soothsayer Tiresias. Preparing for the ceremony of the "festival of blood", Ulysses draws his sword, and thus frightens away the thousands of [...]

isis unveiled: chapter x (outside the walls…)

"We will now give a few historical instances going to show that some daimons, or elementary spirits, are afraid of sword, knife, or anything sharp. We do not pretend to explain the reason. That is the province of physiology and psychology. Unfortunately, physiologists have not yet been able to even establish the relations between speech [...]