William of Schyren

(Revision as of 13:23, 22 Sep 2004)

Categories: The Gnostic Saints

William of Schyren, a Gnostic Saint listed in Liber XV, is essentially a mystery. Aleister Crowley, the author of Liber XV, did not reveal his exact identity, and no historical record speaks of this name. However, there have been many educated guesses over the years. Sabazius X° has listed some of the more creative possibilities on his website, The Invisible Basilica (http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/schyren.htm). The following is a list of potential identities he lists:

• William I "The Conqueror," Norman King of England (1027–1087),
• William of Shyreswood or Sherwood (d. 1267), the medieval English logician
• William of Tyre (1130-1187), the great historian of the crusades
• William of Occam (d. c. 1349), the scholastic philosopher
• Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany (1859-1941)
• Based on the fact that "Schyren" is a spelling variant of "Scheyern", Sabazius posits that someone from the noble Scheyern clan of Bavaria might be the mysterious William, some of which seem to be promising.
• Guillaume (William) du Bellay, Lord of Langey (1491-1543)—a diplomat, humanist, soldier, scholar and historian—seems to be his favorite choice. Guillaume drafted the treaty of Scheyern in 1532 between the Landgrave of Hesse, the Elector of Saxony, the Dukes of Bavaria, and King Francis I of France. Perhaps most convincing is that he was the patron of Rabelais, another Gnostic Saint of Liber XV.

References

Sabazius. (1995). William of Schyren (http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/schyren.htm). Retrieved Sept. 21, 2004.