Necromancy
Necromancy is divination by raising the spirits of the dead. The word derives from the Greek nekros "dead" and manteia "divination". It has a subsidiary meaning derived from an alternative and archaic form of the word, nigromancy, (from the word niger, "black") in which the magical force of 'dark powers' is gained from or acting upon corpses. One who is a practitioner of necromancy is a necromancer.
The historian Strabo (Strabo, xvi. 2, 39, νεκρομαντεις) makes reference to necromancy as the principle form of divination amongst the people of Persia; and it is believed also to have been widespread amongst the peoples of Chaldea (particularly amongst the Sabeists or star-worshippers), Etruria and Babylonia. The Babylonian necromancers themselves were called Manzazuu or Sha'etemmu. The raised spirits in Babylon were called Etemmu.
In the Odyssey (XI), Ulysses makes a voyage to Hades, the Underworld, and raises the spirits of the dead using spells which he had acquired from Circe. His intention was to invoke the shade of Tiresias, but was unable to summon it alone without the accompaniment of others.
Biblical references abound. The Book of Deuteronomy (XVIII 9-12) explicitly warns the Israelites against the Canaanite practice of divination from the dead. This does not necessarily mean that all of the Israelites heeded this advice: King Saul asked the Witch of Endor to invoke the shade of Samuel, for example, and there are many other notable evocations of the dead within the Bible. Some might argue that Jesus Christ's raising of Lazarus from the dead was a prima facie case of necromancy.
The 17th century Rosicrucian Robert Fludd describes Goetic necromancy as consisting of "diabolical commerce with unclean spirits, in rites of criminal curiosity, in illicit songs and invocations and in the evocation of the souls of the dead".
Modern séances, channeling and Spiritualism verge on necromancy when the invoked spirits are asked to reveal future events.
Necromancy may also be dressed up as sciomancy, a branch of theurgic magic.
Necromancy is extensively practised in voodoo.
Necromancy in fiction
In the context of fantasy and horror fiction, necromancers are usually considered evil, and are often said to have sold their soul to a demon or the Devil himself, to worship demons and evil gods, or to have been otherwise tainted by their evil practices. However, in some fictional settings necromancy is not inherent evil, but is simply a tool to be used like any other.
Necromancers in fiction often raise the dead as "undead", typically as zombies under the necromancer's control, though the binding of ghosts and spirits is also common. Necromancers often become powerful undead creatures themselves; in modern fantasy fiction, the Dungeons & Dragons-derived term "lich" is often applied to such beings. Necromancers are, in rare cases, capable of raising the dead or restoring vitality to the living, though in most cases the life energy involved must be transferred from another living creature.
The short horror story The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs is considered a classic of the genre. In the X-Files television series 7, the episode Millennium deals extensively with the subject of necromancy.
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fiction, The Necromancer was a name applied to Sauron in The Hobbit, and Morgoth's magic is at points described as necromancy. Notable are the barrowwights as evil undead spirits, as well as the phantom that ensnared Gorlim in The Silmarillion.
See also:
Sources:
- Paul Vulliaud, La Kabbale Juive : histoire et doctrine, 2 vols. (Émile Nourry, 62 Rue des Écoles, Paris, 1923).
External Links
- Necromancy school in West Palm Beach, Florida. Necromancy In Florida
- See also "Ars Falcis" at http://www23.brinkster.com/falcis/
Referenced By
Abdul Alhazred | AlchemY | Ancestor-worship | Ancestor worship | Anthropology of religion | Black Magic | Cimeies | Cimejes | Gaap | Kimaris | List of Biblical passages | List of Spirituality-related topics | List of Spirituality related topics | List of Spirituality topics | List of topics in Spirituality | Magic (paranormal) | Magic (paranormal)/temp | Spiritualism | Spiritualist | Tap (demon)
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