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This article is about the general subject of necromancy. For other uses, see Necromancer (disambiguation).

Necromancy (Greek νεκρομαντία, nekromantía) is a form of divination in which the practitioner seeks to summon "operative spirits" or "spirits of divination", for multiple reasons, from spiritual protection to wisdom. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Divination (from Latin divinare "to be inspired by a god" related to Divine, Diva and Deus) is the attempt of ascertaining The word necromancy derives from the Greek νεκρός (nekrós), "dead", and μαντεία (manteía), "divination". Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly

However, since the Renaissance, necromancy has come to be associated more broadly with black magic and demon-summoning in general, sometimes losing its earlier, more specialized meaning. Black magic or dark magic is a form of sorcery that draws on malevolent powers By popular etymology, nekromantia became nigromancy "black arts", and Johannes Hartlieb (1456) lists demonology in general under the heading. Johannes Hartlieb (born ca 1410 died 18 May 1468 was a physician of Late Medieval Bavaria, probably of a family from Neuburg an der Donau. Demonology (from Greek grc δαίμων daimōn, "demon" and grc -λογία -logia) is the systematic study of Eliphas Levi, in his book Dogma et Ritual, states that necromancy is the evoking of aerial bodies (aeromancy). Eliphas Lévi, born Alphonse Louis Constant, ( February 8, 1810 - May 31, 1875) was a French Occult author Aeromancy (from Greek aero, "air" and manteia, "divination" is Divination conducted by interpreting atmospheric conditions (page 64)

Contents

Antiquity

Main article: Magic in the Greco-Roman world
The Witch of Endor is the most famous Biblical necromancer.
The Witch of Endor is the most famous Biblical necromancer. Magic in the Greco-Roman world is a branch of the disciplines of Classics, Ancient history and Religious studies that has become a popular object of In the First book of Samuel (an ancient Jewish prophetic book included in the collection of texts known to Christians as the Old Testament) chapter, the

Early necromancy is likely related to shamanism, which calls upon spirits such as the ghosts of ancestors. Classical necromancers addressed the dead in "a mixture of high-pitch squeaking and low droning", comparable to the trance-state mutterings of shamans. An altered state of consciousness, (ASC also named altered state of mind is any condition which is significantly different from a normal waking Beta wave state [1]

The historian Strabo refers to necromancy as the principal form of divination amongst the people of Persia (Strabo, xvi. Strabo ( Greek: Στράβων 63/64 BC – ca AD 24 was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher. The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia 2, 39, νεκρομαντία), and it is believed to also have been widespread amongst the peoples of Chaldea (particularly amongst the Sabians or star-worshipers), Etruria, and Babylonia. Chaldea (from Greek grc Χαλδαία Chaldaia; Akkadian akk māt Kaldu Hebrew כשדים Kaśdim, "the Chaldees" of the The Sabians ( صابئين, צבאים) were a religious group Etruria &mdash usually referred to in Greek and Latin source texts as Tyrrhenia &mdash was a region of Central Italy, located in an area Babylonia was an Amorite state in lower Mesopotamia (modern southern Iraq) with Babylon as its capital The Babylonian necromancers were called Manzazuu or Sha'etemmu, and the spirits they raised were called Etemmu.

Necromancy was widespread in Western antiquity with records of practice in Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. [2] The oldest literary account of necromancy is in Homer’s Odyssey (ca. 700 BCE). [3] In the Odyssey (XI, Nekyia), Odysseus under the tutelage of Circe, a powerful sorceress, makes a voyage to Hades, the Underworld, in an effort to raise the spirits of the dead using spells which Circe has instructed (Ruickbie, 2004:24). The Odyssey ( Greek: Ὀδύσσεια or Odússeia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. In Greek poetry, a nekyia ( ἡ νέκυια) refers to a journey to the Underworld. grc-Latn Odysseus or la Ulysses ( Greek grc-Latn Odysseus; Latin: la Ulixes or more commonly Ulysses) oʊˈdɪsiəs In Greek mythology, Circe ( sərsē; Greek Κίρκη Kírkē, falcon is a Queen Goddess (or sometimes a Nymph Hades (from Greek, Hadēs, originally, Haidēs or, Aidēs, probably from Indo-European *n̥-wid- 'unseen' refers both to the ancient In Greek mythology, Circe ( sərsē; Greek Κίρκη Kírkē, falcon is a Queen Goddess (or sometimes a Nymph His intention is to invoke and ask questions of the shade of Tiresias, in order to gain insight on the impending voyage home. Everes redirects here For the Butterfly Genus, see Everes (genus. Alas, he is unable to summon the spirit without the assistance of others. In Homer's passage, there are many references to specific rituals associated with necromancy; the rites must be done during nocturnal hours, and based around a pit with fire. [4] In addition, Odysseus has to follow a specific recipe, which included using sacrificial animals blood for ghosts to drink, while he recites prayers to both the ghosts and gods of the underworld. [5] Rituals, such as these, were common practices associated with necromancy, and varied from the mundane to the more grotesque. Rituals in necromancy involved magic circles, wands, talismans, bells, and incantations. [6] Also, the necromancer would surround himself with morbid aspects of death, which often included wearing the deceased's clothing, consumption of unsalted, unleavened black bread and unfermented grape juice, which symbolized decay and lifelessness. [7] Necromancers even went as far as taking part in the mutilation and consumption of corpses. [8] Rituals, such as these, could carry on for hours, days, even weeks leading up the summoning of spirits. Often these practices took part in graveyards or in other melancholy venues that suited specific guidelines of the necromancer. Additionally, necromancers preferred summoning the recently departed, citing that their revelations were spoken more clearly; this timeframe usually consisted of 12 months following the death of the body. [9] Once this time period lapsed, necromancers would summon the deceased’s ghostly spirit to appear instead.

Although some cultures may have considered the knowledge of the dead to be unlimited, to the ancient Greeks and Romans, there is an indication that individual shades knew only certain things. The apparent value of their counsel may have been a result of things they had known in life, or of knowledge they acquired after death: Ovid writes of a marketplace in the underworld, where the dead could exchange news and gossip (Metamorphoses 4. Publius Ovidius Naso ( March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD was a Roman poet known to the English -speaking world as Ovid who wrote on many topics including 444; Tristia 4. 10. 87–88). [1]

There are also many references to necromancers, called "bone-conjurers", in the Bible. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin The Book of Deuteronomy (XVIII 9–12) explicitly warns the Israelites against the Canaanite practice of divination from the dead. Deuteronomy (Greek deuteronomion, Δευτερονόμιον "second law" is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament This warning was not always heeded: King Saul has the Witch of Endor invoke the shade of Samuel using a magical amulet, for example. Saul (שאול המלך (or Sha'ul) ( Arabic: طالوت,Tālūt ( (reigned 1047 - 1007 BCE is identified in the Books of Samuel, 1 Chronicles In the First book of Samuel (an ancient Jewish prophetic book included in the collection of texts known to Christians as the Old Testament) chapter, the Samuel ( Hebrew: שְׁמוּאֵל, Standard Šəmuʼel Tiberian Šəmûʼēl) is an important Later Christian writers rejected the idea that humans could bring back the spirits of the dead, and interpreted such shades as disguised demons, thus conflating necromancy with demon-summoning.

Caesarius of Arles (Kors and Peters, 48) entreats his audience to put no stock in any demons, or "gods" other than the Christian God, even if the working of spells appears to provide benefit. For others with this name see Caesarius. Saint Caesarius of Arles (468/470&ndash 27 August 542) sometimes called "of He states that demons only act with divine permission, and permitted by God to test Christian people. Caesarius does not condemn man here; he only states that the art of necromancy exists, although it is prohibited by the Bible.

High Middle Ages

Many medieval writers believed resurrection was impossible without the assistance of the Christian God. They translated the practice of divination as conjuring demons who took the appearance of spirits. The practice became known explicitly as demonic magic and was condemned by the Roman Catholic Church, (Kieckhefer 152). Though the practitioners of necromancy were linked by many common threads, there is no evidence that these necromancers were ever organized as a group.

Medieval necromancy is believed to be a synthesis of astral magic derived from Arabic influences and exorcism derived from Christian and Jewish teachings. Arabic influences are evident in rituals that involve moon phases, sun placement, day and time. Fumigation and the act of burying images are also found in both astral magic and necromancy. Christian and Jewish influences are found in the symbols and conjuration formulas used in summoning rituals. (Kieckhefer 165-166)

Practitioners were often members of the Christian clergy, though some nonclerical practitioners are recorded. Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given Religion. In some instances, mere apprentices or those ordained to lower orders dabbled in the practice. They were connected by a belief in the manipulation of spiritual beings, (esp. demons), and magical practices. These practitioners were almost always literate and well educated. Most possessed basic knowledge of exorcism and had access to texts of astrology and demonology. Exorcism (from Late Latin exorcismus, from Greek exorkizein - to adjure is the practice of evicting Demons or other evil Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems Demonology (from Greek grc δαίμων daimōn, "demon" and grc -λογία -logia) is the systematic study of Clerical training was informal and admission to universities was rare. Most were trained under apprenticeships and were expected to have a basic knowledge of Latin, ritual and doctrine. This education was not always linked to spiritual guidance and seminaries were almost nonexistent. This absence allowed some aspiring clerics to combine Christian rites with occult practices despite its condemnation in Christian doctrine. (Kieckhefer 153-154)

Medieval practitioners believed they could accomplish three things with necromancy: will manipulation, illusions, and knowledge. Will manipulation affects the mind and will of another person, animal, or spirit. Demons are summoned to cause various afflictions on others “to drive them mad, to inflame them to love or hatred, to gain their favor, or to constrain them to do or not do some deed,” (Kieckhefer, 158). Illusions involve reanimation of the dead, food and entertainment, or conjuring a mode of transportation. Knowledge is discovered through demons. Demons provide information on various things including identifying a criminal, finding items, or revealing future events.

The act of performing medieval necromancy usually involved magic circles, conjurations, and sacrifices as shown in the Munich Handbook. The "Munich Manual of Demonic Magic" (CLM 849 of the Bavarian State Library, Munich) is a fifteenth century Grimoire manuscript Circles were usually traced on the ground, though cloth and parchment were sometimes implemented. Various objects, shapes, symbols, and letters may be drawn or placed within that represent a mixture of Christian and occult ideas. Circles were believed to empower and protect what was contained within, including protecting the necromancer from the conjured demons. Conjuration is the method of communicating with the demons to enter the physical world. It usually employs the power of special words and stances to call out the demons and often incorporated the use of Christian prayers or biblical verses. These conjurations may be repeated in succession or repeated to different directions until the summoning is complete. Sacrifice was the payment for summoning. Though it may involve the flesh of a human being or animal, it could sometimes be as simple as offering a certain object. Instructions for obtaining these items were usually specific. The time, location, and method of gathering items for sacrifice could also play an important role in the ritual. (Kieckhefer, 159-162)

The rare confessions of those accused of Necromancy suggest that there was a range of spell casting and the related magical experimentation. It is difficult to determine if these details were due to their practices, as opposed to the whims of their interrogators. John of Salisbury is one of the first examples related by Kieckhefer, but as a Parisian ecclesiastical court record of 1323 shows, a “group who were plotting to invoke the demon Berich from inside a circle made from strips of cat skin,” were obviously participating in the church’s definition of “necromancy. John of Salisbury (c 1120 &ndash 1180 English author diplomat and Bishop of Chartres, was born at Salisbury. Ecclesiology (from Greek grc ἐκκλησίᾱ ekklēsiā, "congregation church" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study of the ” (Kieckhefer, 191)

Norse mythology also contains examples of necromancy (Ruickbie, 2004:48), such as the scene in the Völuspá in which Odin summons a seeress from the dead to tell him of the future. Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland Völuspá ( Prophecy of the Völva) is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda. Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. In Grógaldr, the first part of Svipdagsmál, the hero Svipdag summons his dead Völva mother, Gróa, to cast spells for him. Grógaldr or The Spell of Gróa is the first of two poems now commonly published under the title Svipdagsmál found in several 17th Svipdagsmál or The Lay of Svipdagr is an Old Norse poem a part of the Poetic Edda, comprised of two poems Svipdag ( Old Norse "sudden day" is the hero of the two Old Norse Eddaic poems, Grógaldr and Fjölsvinnsmál, which A Völva (also Vala, Spákona) is a priestess in Norse paganism, and a recurring motif in Norse mythology. In Norse mythology, Gróa ( Old Norse "growing" is a Völva and practitioner of seiðr, the wife of Aurvandil the Bold In Hrólf Kraki's saga, the half-elven princess Skuld was very skilled in witchcraft (seiðr), and this to the point that she was almost invincible in battle. Hrólfs saga kraka, the Saga of King Hrolf kraki, is a late Legendary saga on the adventures of Hrólfr Kraki and his clan, the Skjöldungs In Norse mythology, a half-elf is the offspring of an Elf and a Human. Skuld was a Princess of Scandinavian legend who married Heoroweard and encouraged him to kill Hroðulf (Hrólfr Kraki Seid or seiðr is an Old Norse term for a type of Sorcery or Witchcraft which was practiced by the pre-Christian Norse. When her warriors fell, she made them rise again to continue fighting.

Herbert Stanley Redgrove claims that necromancy was one of three chief branches of medieval ceremonial magic, the others being black magic and white magic. Ceremonial magic is a broad term used to encompass a wide variety of long elaborate and complex Rituals it is named as such because the works included are characterized by Black magic or dark magic is a form of sorcery that draws on malevolent powers [10] This does not correspond to contemporary classifications, which use nigromancy and black arts synonymously.

Late Middle Ages to Renaissance

Further information: Renaissance magic

In the wake of inconsistencies of judgment, necromancers, sorcerers and witches were able to utilize spells with holy names with impunity, as biblical references in such rituals could be construed as prayers as opposed to spells. Renaissance Humanism (15th and 16th century saw a resurgence in Hermeticism and Neo-Platonic varieties of Ceremonial magic As a result, the necromancy discussed in the Munich Manual is an evolution of these understandings. The "Munich Manual of Demonic Magic" (CLM 849 of the Bavarian State Library, Munich) is a fifteenth century Grimoire manuscript It has even been suggested that the authors of the Munich Manual knowingly designed this book to be in discord with understood ecclesiastical law. Canon law is internal ecclesiastical law governing the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Anglican Communion of churches

The main recipe employed throughout the manual in the necromancy sorcery uses the same vocabulary and structure utilizing the same languages, sections, names of power alongside demonic names. Demonic is a Death metal / Thrash metal album by Testament, released in 1997 The understanding of the names of God from apocryphal texts and the Hebrew torah demand that the author of such rites have at least a casual familiarity of these texts. term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to

Within the tales related in occult manuals, we also find connections with other stories in similar cultural literature (Kieckhefer, 43). The ceremony for conjuring a horse closely relates to the Arabic The Thousand and One Nights, and the French romances. Chaucer’s The Squire's Tale also has marked similarities. Geoffrey Chaucer (c 1343 – 25 October 1400? was an English author poet Philosopher, bureaucrat, courtier and Diplomat. The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century (two of them in Prose, the rest in verse) This becomes a parallel evolution of spells to foreign gods or demons that were once acceptable, and framing them into a new Christian context, albeit demonic and forbidden. Most forms of Satanic Necromancy today include prayers to such demons, namely Nebiros, and Eurynomos. In Demonology, Naberius is the most valiant Marquis of Hell, and has nineteen legions of Demons under his command In Greek mythology, Eurynomos is a Legendary creature dwelling in the Underworld.

As the source material for these manuals is apparently derived from scholarly magical and religious texts from a variety of sources in many languages, it is easy to conclude that the scholars that studied these texts manufactured their own aggregate sourcebook and manual with which to work spells or magic.

In the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, it is stated that:

Of all human opinions that is to be reputed the most foolish which deals with the belief in Necromancy, the sister of Alchemy, which gives birth to simple and natural things. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer (taken from 12:13)

Modern necromancy

In modern time necromancy is used as a more general term to describe the art (or manipulation) of death, and generally implies a magical connotation. Modern séances, channeling and Spiritualism verge on necromancy when the invoked spirits are asked to reveal future events. A séance (ˈsay-ons is an attempt to communicate with spirits The word " séance " comes from the French word for "seat" "session" Spiritualism is a Religion founded in part on the writings of the Swedish mystic Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772 Necromancy may also be dressed up as sciomancy, a branch of theurgic magic. Theurgy (from Greek θεουργία) describes the practice of Rituals sometimes seen as magical in nature performed with the intention of

Necromancy is extensively practiced in Quimbanda and is sometimes seen in other African traditions such as voodoo and in santeria, though once a person is possessed by a spirit in the yoruba tradition he cannot rise to a higher spiritual position such as that of a babalawo, but this should not be regarded as a modern tradition, in fact it predates most necromantic practices. Quimbanda is an Afro-American religion practiced in Brazil. It is often also called Macumba and found mostly in urban areas such as Rio de Janeiro Santería, also known as La Regla de Lukumi (Lukumi's Rule and The Way of the Saints is an Afro-Cuban religious tradition derived from traditional beliefs A Babalawo (also Babaaláwo in full and pronounced Baba-a-láwo literally meaning 'father or master of the mysteries' in the Yoruba language is a Yorùbá title that denotes

An Encyclopedia of Occultism[11] states:

The art is of almost universal usage. Considerable difference of opinion exists among modern adepts as to the exact methods to be properly pursued in the necromantic art, and it must be borne in mind the necromancy, which in the Middle Ages was called sorcery, shades into modern spiritualistic practice. There is no doubt, however, that necromancy is the touchstone of occultism, for if, after careful preparation the adept can carry through to a successful issue, the raising of the soul from the other world, he has proved the value of his art.

In modern culture

Necromancy is fairly common in role-playing games. Most of the time necromancers are represented as mages or wizards that specialize in raising the dead, usually in the form of zombies or skeletons, to do their bidding.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Luck, Georg (2006). Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds (Second Edition). The Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore. ISBN 0-8018-8346-6.
  2. ^ Encyclopedia of Witchcraft the Western Tradition, ed. Richard M. Golden (California: ABC-CLIO, 2006), 808.
  3. ^ Encyclopedia of Witchcraft the Western Tradition, ed. Richard M. Golden (California: ABC-CLIO, 2006), 808.
  4. ^ Encyclopedia of Witchcraft the Western Tradition, ed. Richard M. Golden (California: ABC-CLIO, 2006), 808.
  5. ^ Encyclopedia of Witchcraft the Western Tradition, ed. Richard M. Golden (California: ABC-CLIO, 2006), 808.
  6. ^ Rosemary Ellen Guiley, The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy, (New York: Facts on File, 2006), 215.
  7. ^ Rosemary Ellen Guiley, The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy (New York: Facts on File, 2006), 215.
  8. ^ Rosemary Ellen Guiley, The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy (New York: Facts on File, 2006), 215.
  9. ^ James R. Lewis, Encyclopedia of Wiccan and Neopagan Traditions (California: ABC-CLIO, 1999), 201.
  10. ^ In Bygone Beliefs, chapter 7: Ceremonial magic in theory and practice
  11. ^ Spence, Lewis. (1920). An Encyclopedia of Occultism. Hyde Park, NY : University Books.

Literature

Medieval

See also

External links

The Venture Bros (alternatively The Venture Brothers) is an American Animated television series airing as part of Adult Swim This is a list of magical terms and traditions dealing with various occult practices traditions and components of Magic. Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and Magick, in the broadest sense is any act designed to cause intentional change Parapsychology is a discipline that seeks to demonstrate the existence and causes of Psychic abilities and life after death using the Scientific method Quimbanda is an Afro-American religion practiced in Brazil. It is often also called Macumba and found mostly in urban areas such as Rio de Janeiro Undead is a collective name for fictional beings that are deceased yet behave as if alive

Dictionary

necromancy

-noun

  1. Divination involving the dead or death.
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