The Magic Arts

One of the first things that particularly struck me from our readings throughout both A History of Magic and Witchcraft, a **** Short Introduction are the rich, well-preserved, and fabulous artifacts and depictions of witchcraft and magic contained in the text.

Some of the art pieces that left an impression on me were the fresco of the Dionysian rites in the Villa of Mysteries in Pompeii (p. 44), the Roman mosaic depicting Odysseus (p.39), and the 14th century Mongolian nativity horoscope (p. 83). Each of these works contain such intricacy and had been made with an expert artistic eye and skilled craftsmanship. They also feature fine materials such as rich red paint, gold leafing, and reflective tiles. These factors indicate that people of a high economic station were willing to invest money, time, and energy into ensuring that these works were masterfully crafted by artists. This willingness speaks to the important role that magic played in the lives of individuals at all levels of the social hierarchy.

These pieces also have personal connections for their patrons; the Dionysian painting was once part of an individual’s villa, and the nativity horoscope depicted the exact placement of the stars on the night that the grandson of the Mongolian emperor was born. This personal connection could reveal that magic was something with great personal significance for many in the ancient world, and that it was something so special, that patrons commissioned grand artistic pieces not only to be created to their specification, but kept in prominent places in their homes.

Another element that I really enjoyed looking over were the lines of real spells and recommendations from grimoires. For example, the belief that uprooting a mandrake would cause it to emit a scream so terrible that it could kill someone, or the notion that certain plants contain healing properties. I would love to know more about how these commonly held beliefs came into being, and how the specifics surrounding them were determined. For example, how were certain plants, words, or actions connected with specific properties or set outcomes? Was it through trial and error? What constituted evidence that a given act accomplished a goal— a single successful incident, or repeated successes?

I also wonder how these pieces of information were preserved— were they passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation? Were they kept safe in hidden spellbooks? Were they maintained by the healers that worked with those in power? I also wonder if the high level of preservation of these spells and beliefs perhaps indicates that individuals over centuries thought it was powerful knowledge to possess, perhaps even information that was essential to their family, village, or society at that time?