Ancient magical and occult writings fascinate not only archivists, but also many interested observers outside the immediate community. The fact that such writings are also found in archives with purely state records is rare and naturally stimulates researchers' curiosity to clarify their origin and possible content. This is also the case with the archive document from the Bavarian Main State Archive, referred to in the relevant repertory as a “book of spells,” which is preserved in the “witchcraft files” collection as a completely isolated archive document with no further file context. Formally, the manuscript consists of 13 sheets, which were originally folded twice and were therefore considerably smaller in size than they are today. It contains various symbols and drawings reminiscent of fragments of Latin liturgy, as well as clear references to the Ten Commandments and the symbol of the Holy Spirit. It can be assumed that the author of the book did not understand Latin and reproduced what he had heard from memory, which is why it is no longer possible to make clear attributions today. A drawing of a left hand with an inscription that could possibly be interpreted as an incantation, in connection with the child hands, could indicate a paralysis spell. Child hands are the severed hands of children which, according to popular belief, were supposed to open doors for thieves on their nightly raids. This connection could be significant when trying to