In my part of the world it's getting wintery and dry, and that means I'm "enjoying" daily encounters with static electricity. Whenever this time of year rolls around, I always think of people in the days before we knew what electricity was, and I wonder what they made of such phenomena as: static cling - that thing when your hair stands up - palpable static shocks - visible static sparks.

Are there any well known texts from pre-scientific times that discuss or attempt to explain these experiences?