Necromancy, << NEHK ruh `man` see >>, involves rituals or practices that supposedly enable a person to communicate with the dead to learn about the future. The term comes from Greek words for corpse and divination. Divination is the practice of trying to learn about the unknown by magical or supernatural means.
Necromantic practices are known from cultures throughout the world. Ancient peoples believed that necromancers could summon spirits of the dead. Such peoples including the Norse of Scandinavia and the ancient Egyptians. The spirits had special knowledge that would help the necromancer learn about the future. Several well-known ancient texts describe necromancy. These texts include the Bible and the Odyssey. The Odyssey is a long poem credited to the ancient Greek poet Homer.
Many necromantic rituals involved animal sacrifice, incantations (spoken or chanted words), the dead person’s possessions, or parts of dead bodies. In Europe during the Middle Ages, from about the A.D. 400’s through the 1400’s, people came to view necromancy and divination as magic. The Christian church banned both practices. People practicing necromancy were severely punished by the Inquisition, an effort by the Roman Catholic Church to seek out and reform those who opposed its teachings (see Inquisition).
Modern books and films often blend elements of necromancy with devil worship or witchcraft. These stories distort the original role of necromancy in ancient cultures. Necromancy in ancient times more closely resembled everyday religious ritual than it did the sinister practices depicted in modern fiction.
See also Divination; Ouija board; Spiritualism.
