Medieval Necromancy: Supernatural and Magical Practice Discussion

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of medieval necromancy, exploring its evolution from classical times to the medieval period. It delves into the practice as a form of divination and communication with the dead, highlighting its roots in Homer's epics and the practices of Greek historians like Herodotus. The essay examines how the Christian Church challenged and influenced necromantic practices, viewing them as demonic and forbidden. It discusses the shift in perception regarding necromancy, the rituals involved, and the Church's control over practitioners. The essay concludes by summarizing the key aspects of medieval necromancy, emphasizing its significance as a major practice and the challenges it faced from religious authorities.

Running head: MEDIEVAL NECROMANCY
MEDIEVAL NECROMANCY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1MEDIEVAL NECROMANCY
The discussion of the medieval necromancy as a practice of the medieval era requires the
discussion on the historical aspects that were present and practiced in the matters involving the
supernatural. The study of the medieval necromancy as is involved in the discussions regarding
the supernatural the individual should be aware of the various practices that were accomplished
in the medieval period. In order to understand the medieval necromancy, the researchers should
shed major light on the mindset of the people living in the medieval period. The practice of
necromancy is observed to have its roots in the classical period and is known to have undertaken
certain reforms and improvements in the medieval period as well1. The practice of necromancy is
considered to be one of the major practices in the classical period as well as the medieval period
and was known to help the concerned practitioners to gain better knowledge on various subjects
that generally remained unknown to the practitioners as well. However, the practices and the
norms of necromancy were challenge by the then influential organizations like the Christian
Church. The following paper makes an attempt to discuss the acceptance of the practices of
necromancy and the challenges that were posed due to the changes in the perceptions regarding
the practices of necromancy.
The belief and the practices of necromancy as have been highlighted by the early
medieval times. The proper understanding of the practices of necromancy is observed to have
been following form and the practices that were presented in the Classical world. These are
clearly depicted in the epics that were composed by Homer. Homer in his famous epic, Odyssey,
discusses the various issues that revolve around the practices of necromancy. The epic poet
discusses the practices of necromancy to be directed towards the attainment of divination
through the communication with the dead people and the souls that have departed the world. In
1 Shemesh, Abraham Ofir. "Two Medieval Necromantic Practices: Maimonides versus Nachmanides and
R. Joseph Albo concerning Ob and Yidoni." Review of Rabbinic Judaism 22, no. 1 (2019): 93-119.

2MEDIEVAL NECROMANCY
the compositions of Homer, the epic heroes like Ulysses are observed to have been engaging in
the necromantic acts in order to gain knowledge and communicate with the spiritual world2.
Homer further describes the scenarios wherein the epic hero, Ulysses is observed to have been
visiting Hades in order to meet the sorceress Circe. In this scenario, the readers are introduced to
the conditions wherein the epic hero is instructed to take part in the various practices of
necromancy in order to help in the conversation with the deceased. The practices of necromancy
are known to have been demonstrated as one of the processes of divination that were practiced in
the Classical ages. A similar condition is demonstrated by Plutarch in his portrayal of Elysius of
Terina. In this situation the readers are known to have been introduced to the conditions wherein
the epic hero needs to undergo the practices of the necromancy in order to deal with the
information regarding the dead3. The descriptions as have been highlighted by Plutarch refers to
the practices of necromancy to be helpful in understanding the oracle of the dead and the only
means for gaining knowledge from the deceased and the departed souls. The practices of
necromancy are further highlighted in the works of Herodotus. The Greek historian, Herodotus is
known to have been describing necromancy as an activity related to divination. The act is
described to assist in the communication that is carried out with the deceased people. The
description of Penander, the tyrant of Corinth, and his conversation with his deceased wife is
considered to be a proper example of the use of necromancy as highlighted in the classical ages4.
The depiction as highlighted through the eyes of Herodotus serves as a perfect example of the
use of necromancy as a practice to seek information from the realms of the afterlife.
2 Page, Sophie. "Medieval Magic." Oxford University Press, 2017.
3 McDermott, Kristen. "Supernatural and Secular Power in Early Modern England." Journal of the
Fantastic in the Arts 27, no. 1 (2016): 133.
4 Young, Francis. "The Dissolution of the Monasteries and the Democratisation of Magic in Post-
Reformation England." Religions 10, no. 4 (2019): 241.

3MEDIEVAL NECROMANCY
The authors of the early medieval period further demonstrate the discussion on the
practices of the necromancy as have been used for the search for the knowledge and the
understanding of the canonical literature of the Christian and the Jewish religions. The
understanding of necromancy as demonstrated by the early medieval scholars find a similarity
with the understanding of the necromancy practices as have been highlighted by the Greek
scholars of the Classical periods5. The use of the various activities that involve necromancy
highlighted the procurement of the information from the world of the deceased. Samuel 1:28
highlights a story of the Jewish ruler King Saul who had placed requests to the Witch of Endor
for carrying out the practices of necromancy in order to gain the required knowledge from the
Prophet Samuel who had departed the mortal world6. The Christian literature however presents
the various conditions wherein the religious literature challenges the practices of necromancy
and the divination that might be attained through practicing necromancy. This is majorly
highlighted through the passages in the Old Testament, especially Deuteronomy 18:10-137.
“Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who
practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,…or casts spells, or who
is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead…Anyone who does these things is detestable to
the LORD; because of these same detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those
nations before you…You must be blameless before the LORD your God.”
The development and the growth of the Christian doctrines and the Church has been
observed to have influenced the understanding of the practices of necromancy and the various
ways in which the practices are known to have been beneficial to the people who have been
5 Shyovitz, David I. A Remembrance of His Wonders: Nature and the Supernatural in Medieval Ashkenaz.
University of Pennsylvania Press, 2017.
6 Grypeou, Emmanouela. "Talking heads: Necromancy in Jewish and Christian Accounts from
Mesopotamia and beyond." Collectanea Christiana Orientalia 16 (2019): 1-30.
7 Ten Boom, Corrie. Defeated enemies. CLC Publications, 2008.

4MEDIEVAL NECROMANCY
practicing the same in the medieval periods. The medieval scholars who have been dealing in the
various practices of necromancy are known to have been challenging the various practices that
were majorly undertaken by the individuals in the classical ages8. The questions that were raised
in this regard have been observed to have been related to the influences as have been highlighted
through the various principles maintained by the Church. The practice of necromancy is
observed to have its roots in the classical period and is known to have undertaken certain reforms
and improvements in the medieval period as well9. The practice of necromancy is considered to
be one of the major practices in the classical period as well as the medieval period and was
known to help the concerned practitioners to gain better knowledge on various subjects that
generally remained unknown to the practitioners as well. However, the practices and the norms
of necromancy were challenge by the then influential organizations like the Christian Church10.
The authorities at the Christian Church were of the opinion that the practices of necromancy are
completely demonic in nature and source. The authorities opine that the practices are magical in
nature and are used to deal in the attainment of the divination. The magical practices are
observed to have been useful in the matters related to the aid and the power that are related to
divinity11. The practices of necromancy are thus used to deal with the summoning of the demons
and the demonic spirits rather than the basic purpose of communication with the dead. The
purpose of the use of necromancy was thus not limited to deal with the communication with the
8 Young, Francis. Magic as a Political Crime in Medieval and Early Modern England: A History of
Sorcery and Treason. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017.
9 Greer, Morgan Taylor. "Translation and Transformation: Uncovering the Source of Alchemy’s
Association with Magic through a Study of its Translation into Latin in the High Medieval Period." (2017).
10 Wieben, Corinne. "The Charms of Women and Priests: Sex, Magic, Gender and Public Order in Late
Medieval Italy." Gender & History 29, no. 1 (2017): 141-157.
11 Hobson, Amanda Jo. "Bewitching Bodies: Sex, Violence, and Magic in Urban Fantasy." In Gender
Warriors, pp. 51-69. Brill Sense, 2018.

5MEDIEVAL NECROMANCY
deceased and is considered to have attained a greater diabolical condition12. The medieval
literature highlighted the practices of necromancy to be forbidden and dark in nature.
A change in the perception regarding the necromancy practices was further observed in
the medieval periods. The common understanding regarding the practices of necromancy had
been recorded to be mainly concentrated on summoning the various spirits from the world of the
deceased and departed13. The medieval period necromancy was highlighted as involving the
various activities that are related to the performances of the rituals with the use of the various
symbols and objects. The practices of necromancy are thus observed to have been dealing in the
matters that are undertaken for the insidious and other enumerable such purposes14. The
communication with the angels and other such heavenly beings were also considered to be
dangerous in nature due to the fact that the demons are known to have been fallen angels in
nature15. This has been observed in the various practices that are presented in the matters that are
related to the practices of angel magic as is observed in the various Christian Churches.
The practices of necromancy as have been highlighted in the medieval times are observed
to have been dealing in the matters that are not restricted to the practices of the magic and
communication among the mortal world and the world of the demonic activities and divine
activities. The demons as were observed by the authorities of the Churches are known to have
been highlighting the tricky nature of the evil forces16. The connotations that are presented in the
12 Kallestrup, Louise Nyholm, and Raisa Maria Toivo. Contesting Orthodoxy in medieval and early modern
Europe. Palgrave Macmillan,, 2017.
13 Klaassen, Frank. "Curious companions: Spirit conjuring and alchemy in the sixteenth century."
In Knowing Demons, Knowing Spirits in the Early Modern Period, pp. 145-170. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2018.
14 Gordon, Stephen. "Supernatural Encounters: Demons and the Restless Dead in Medieval England c.
1050-1450." (2019).
15 Mitchell, Stephen. "Heresy and Heterodoxy in Medieval Scandinavia." In Contesting Orthodoxy in
Medieval and Early Modern Europe, pp. 35-56. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2017.
16 Giralt, Sebastià. "The Melancholy of the Necromancer in Arnau de Vilanova’s Epistle against Demonic
Magic." In Demons and Illness from Antiquity to the Early-Modern Period, pp. 271-290. BRILL, 2017.

6MEDIEVAL NECROMANCY
Christian doctrines and other such annotations are highlighted to have been dealing with the
enhancing of the power that is implied by the divinity as well. The practices of necromancy and
the necromancers were highly influenced and controlled by the authorities of the Church17. The
involvement of the religious authorities in the practices of necromancy are known to have been
highlighting the conditions wherein there has been a connection between the religious practices
and the demonic practices as were practiced in the medieval ages.
The existence of the angels as well as the demons are completely acknowledged by the
Christian authorities as well. The practices of necromancy are always known to have been
strictly magical in nature and are considered to be majorly involving the supernatural due to the
dealing in the matters related to the demons and the angels as well. The understanding of the
various necromancy practices and rituals involve the use of the demonic practices in the matter18.
The conjuring of the various spirits and the beings of the world of the deceased and the departed.
These practices are generally not observed to be in accordance to the practices of the law of the
land and do not comply by the needs of the society as well19. The necromancy practices are also
known to have been in conflict with the natural law of the land as well. The authorities at the
Christian Church were of the opinion that the practices of necromancy are completely demonic
in nature and source. The authorities opine that the practices are magical in nature and are used
to deal in the attainment of the divination. The magical practices are observed to have been
useful in the matters related to the aid and the power that are related to divinity20. The practices
17 Gordon, Stephen. "Necromancy and the Magical Reputation of Michael Scot: John Rylands Library,
Latin MS 105." Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 92, no. 1 (2016): 73-103.
18 Parish, Helen L. Monks, miracles and magic: Reformation representations of the medieval church.
Routledge, 2016.
19 Shemesh, Abraham Ofir. "'Who Tells the Raven or the Crane What Will Happen?': The Biblical
Prohibition of Divination Using Birds in Classical and Medieval Jewish Literature." Journal for the Study of
Religion, Nature & Culture 12, no. 2 (2018).
20 Chardonnens, László Sándor. "“The good and evill dayes of the moneth to worke in”: Lunaries in
European Magic Manuscripts." International Journal of Divination and Prognostication 1, no. 1 (2019): 100-122.

7MEDIEVAL NECROMANCY
of necromancy are thus used to deal with the summoning of the demons and the demonic spirits
rather than the basic purpose of communication with the dead.
In conclusion to the above discussion it can safely be stated that the necromancy is one of
the major practices that were highly undertaken in the medieval periods. The practice of
necromancy is observed to have its roots in the classical period and is known to have undertaken
certain reforms and improvements in the medieval period as well. The practice of necromancy is
considered to be one of the major practices in the classical period as well as the medieval period
and was known to help the concerned practitioners to gain better knowledge on various subjects
that generally remained unknown to the practitioners as well. The medieval scholars who have
been dealing in the various practices of necromancy are known to have been challenging the
various practices that were majorly undertaken by the individuals in the classical ages. The
questions that were raised in this regard have been observed to have been related to the
influences as have been highlighted through the various principles maintained by the Church.
The practice of necromancy is observed to have its roots in the classical period and is known to
have undertaken certain reforms and improvements in the medieval period as well.

8MEDIEVAL NECROMANCY
References
Chardonnens, László Sándor. "“The good and evill dayes of the moneth to worke in”: Lunaries
in European Magic Manuscripts." International Journal of Divination and Prognostication 1, no.
1 (2019): 100-122.
Giralt, Sebastià. "The Melancholy of the Necromancer in Arnau de Vilanova’s Epistle against
Demonic Magic." In Demons and Illness from Antiquity to the Early-Modern Period, pp. 271-
290. BRILL, 2017.
Gordon, Stephen. "Necromancy and the Magical Reputation of Michael Scot: John Rylands
Library, Latin MS 105." Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 92, no. 1 (2016): 73-103.
Gordon, Stephen. "Supernatural Encounters: Demons and the Restless Dead in Medieval
England c. 1050-1450." (2019).
Greer, Morgan Taylor. "Translation and Transformation: Uncovering the Source of Alchemy’s
Association with Magic through a Study of its Translation into Latin in the High Medieval
Period." (2017).
Grypeou, Emmanouela. "Talking heads: Necromancy in Jewish and Christian Accounts from
Mesopotamia and beyond." Collectanea Christiana Orientalia 16 (2019): 1-30.
Hobson, Amanda Jo. "Bewitching Bodies: Sex, Violence, and Magic in Urban Fantasy."
In Gender Warriors, pp. 51-69. Brill Sense, 2018.
Kallestrup, Louise Nyholm, and Raisa Maria Toivo. Contesting Orthodoxy in medieval and early
modern Europe. Palgrave Macmillan,, 2017.

9MEDIEVAL NECROMANCY
Klaassen, Frank. "Curious companions: Spirit conjuring and alchemy in the sixteenth century."
In Knowing Demons, Knowing Spirits in the Early Modern Period, pp. 145-170. Palgrave
Macmillan, Cham, 2018.
McDermott, Kristen. "Supernatural and Secular Power in Early Modern England." Journal of the
Fantastic in the Arts 27, no. 1 (2016): 133.
Mitchell, Stephen. "Heresy and Heterodoxy in Medieval Scandinavia." In Contesting Orthodoxy
in Medieval and Early Modern Europe, pp. 35-56. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2017.
Page, Sophie. "Medieval Magic." Oxford University Press, 2017.
Parish, Helen L. Monks, miracles and magic: Reformation representations of the medieval
church. Routledge, 2016.
Shemesh, Abraham Ofir. "Two Medieval Necromantic Practices: Maimonides versus
Nachmanides and R. Joseph Albo concerning Ob and Yidoni." Review of Rabbinic Judaism 22,
no. 1 (2019): 93-119.
Shemesh, Abraham Ofir. "'Who Tells the Raven or the Crane What Will Happen?': The Biblical
Prohibition of Divination Using Birds in Classical and Medieval Jewish Literature." Journal for
the Study of Religion, Nature & Culture 12, no. 2 (2018).
Shyovitz, David I. A Remembrance of His Wonders: Nature and the Supernatural in Medieval
Ashkenaz. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2017.
Ten Boom, Corrie. Defeated enemies. CLC Publications, 2008.
Wieben, Corinne. "The Charms of Women and Priests: Sex, Magic, Gender and Public Order in
Late Medieval Italy." Gender & History 29, no. 1 (2017): 141-157.

10MEDIEVAL NECROMANCY
Young, Francis. "The Dissolution of the Monasteries and the Democratisation of Magic in Post-
Reformation England." Religions 10, no. 4 (2019): 241.
Young, Francis. Magic as a Political Crime in Medieval and Early Modern England: A History
of Sorcery and Treason. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017.