Where Does Magic Come From?
WHEN RON WEASLEY’S FAMILY MAKES A trip to Egypt
in Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
Azkaban, Hermione admits, “I’m really jealous. The ancient
Egyptian wizards were fascinating.” Then in Phoenix she happily studies hieroglyphs, the
pictures that Egyptians once used for a written language. She would
probably agree with the many scholars who consider Egypt to be the
origin of magical knowledge.
EGYPTIAN RELIGION AND MAGIC
Hieroglyphs record that Egyptian magic and
religion were closely linked. The Egyptian gods, unlike those in
other cultures, entrusted humans with magical wisdom. (By
comparison, according to Greek mythology the hero Prometheus—whose
name means “to think ahead”—had to trick the gods into giving up
fire, which represents life and knowledge.)
According to Egyptian religion, magic was
created in the form of the god Heka soon after the creation of the
world. Heka’s name actually became the word that meant “magic.”
After that word was passed into Greek, where it was given a local
spelling and pronunciation, it became the word mageia, which gives us the English word we use
today.
Another Egyptian god, Thoth, was even more
closely associated with magic. He ruled the healing arts—always
linked with wizardry in ancient cultures—as well as astronomy and
mathematics. He was often pictured carrying a pen, and was said to
have written secret books
that revealed the mysteries of alchemy and science. One of these
books was supposedly sealed within a golden box that was kept
within a hidden temple.
The Egyptian god Thoth recorded his magical knowledge in books.
EGYPTIAN SPELLS
Egyptians relied heavily on charms and spells.
Speaking of an action was said to make it so. Sometimes those words
were spoken over a wax or clay figurine that represented the person
or thing to which the magic was directed. These spells were
commonly used for healing, but less benevolent uses were known. One
wizard, Weba-aner, was said to have transfigured a small figurine
of a crocodile into a live animal at court. The deadly beast killed
the lover of the adulterous queen, then was returned to its
original form by the wizard. Another wizard-priest became a ruler
by using this technique to “rule all kings by his magical power.”
He sank figures of his enemies’ fleets, causing the actual ships to
sink.
However, Egyptian magic was less concerned with
earthly riches than with holiness. According to one text, “He who
is a priest of the living . . . performs right actions without
seeking a reward for them. Such a teacher lives a life of true
piety.”
The Egyptian god Osiris
judged the dead.
SCARABS
Egypt is also the origin of the scarab, a beetle
that Hogwarts students know from Potions class.
Scarabs are called dung beetles because they
gather and roll balls of dung in which
they lay their eggs. In ancient Egypt this ball-rolling was seen to
symbolize the movement of the sun. The scarab god Khepera was said
to push the sun across the sky.
An Egyptian drawing of a scarab pushing the sun, with extended wings that
signify the sun’s rays.
See also: Black, Sirius Fawkes
Eventually scarabs also came to symbolize
immortality. Carved scarab amulets were placed on the hearts of
mummies to prepare them for their journey into the afterlife.
Scarabs are still a common motif for jewelry.