63
Bendichas Manos
Little research exists in relation to gauntlets and successful expeditions to hell.
But all documents reference some kind of “restorative” in the aftermath of a journey or attempted journey.
We might think of contact with hellfire as exposure to an alien atmosphere—not necessarily lethal but taxing to our systems, and some people may be able to endure it better than others.
There are sources that claim Asclepius prescribed marrow broth for soldiers who had survived Greek fire at the siege of Delos.
Maimonides, Galin, and the Huangdi Neijing all extol the virtues of chicken soup.
Hildegard von Bingen wrote of viriditas, the divine force of life, and claimed this renewing sap ran through our veins like blood. How was it to be restored? By eating.
But for any of these substances to work, whether they be soup or broth or stew, they must be made from scratch.
Why? Of course this guarantees strict control of the ingredients and their freshness.
But if we understand that demons feed on our emotions, might we not require such nourishment as well?
The grinding, chopping, stirring, steeping effort of the maker?
“Kitchen magic” has long been sneered at for its association with the domestic—i.e.
, it is understood to be women’s work. But I would argue this: Healing is the most transgressive magic because it denies death.
—Notes from the Grimoire of Pamela Dawes (unpublished)