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Necromancy
NecromancyNecromancy (derived from the Greek nekros, meaning "dead," and manteia, meaning "divination") is the evocation of the dead to obtain omens about future events or secret facts. It is based upon the belief that the deceased, free of physical limits, holds the power to obtain information that is not accessible to the living. Necromancy is a practice that originated in ancient Persia, Greece, and Rome, but was most popular during the Middle Ages, and is rare today. The most common form of necromancy is to summon the spirit of the corpse by sacrifices and incantations but there is also the less common practice of attempting to raise the corpse to life. The rituals demand meticulous execution and exacting preparations involving the choice of a proper place, for example a cemetery or the ruins of an ancient monastery; the choice of the right time, usually between the hours of midnight and one in the morning; use of specific incantations; and accessories, such as bells. One of the most important elements is the use of a magic circle which protects the necromancer and his or her assistant from being harmed by provoking the dead. There are many examples of necromancy throughout history, but the best-known necromancer was the witch of Endor, who, according to the Bible, summoned the spirit of Samuel to answer Saul's questions. Often considered a sinister practice, necromancy was condemned by the Catholic Church and was outlawed by the Witchcraft Act of 1604 in Elizabethan England. See also: Communication with the Dead; Dead Ghetto BibliographyDrury, Nevill. Dictionary of Mysticism and the Occult. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1985. Guiley, Rosemary E. The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft. New York: Facts on File, 1989. Shepard, Leslie A. Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology, 3rd edition. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1991. ISABELLE MARCOUX |
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MARCOUX, ISABELLE. "Necromancy." Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARCOUX, ISABELLE. "Necromancy." Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3407200208.html MARCOUX, ISABELLE. "Necromancy." Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. 2002. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3407200208.html |
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necromancy
necromancy the supposed practice of communicating with the dead, especially in order to predict the future. The word comes from Middle English nigromancie, via Old French from medieval Latin nigromantia, changed (by association with Latin niger ‘black’) from late Latin necromantia, where the first element represented Greek nekros ‘corpse’.
The translator Philemon Holland (1552–1637) gave the name Necromancy to that part of the Odyssey (book 6) which describes Odysseus' visit to Hades. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "necromancy." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "necromancy." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-necromancy.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "necromancy." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-necromancy.html |
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necromancy
nec·ro·man·cy / ˈnekrəˌmansē/ • n. the supposed practice of communicating with the dead, esp. in order to predict the future. ∎ witchcraft, sorcery, or black magic in general. DERIVATIVES: nec·ro·man·cer / -sər/ n. nec·ro·man·tic / ˌnekrəˈmantik/ adj. |
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"necromancy." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "necromancy." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-necromancy.html "necromancy." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-necromancy.html |
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necromancy
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T. F. HOAD. "necromancy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "necromancy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-necromancy.html T. F. HOAD. "necromancy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-necromancy.html |
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necromancy
necromancy •bassi, Brassey, brassie, chassis, gassy, Haile Selassie, lassie, Malagasy, Manasseh, massé, massy, sassy, Tallahassee
•Cotopaxi, maxi, taxi, waxy
•Anglesey
•antsy, Clancy, fancy, Nancy
•paparazzi, patsy
•Yangtze • necromancy • cartomancy
•geomancy • bibliomancy
•chiromancy • ataraxy
•Adivasi, brassy, classy, dalasi, Darcy, farcy, Farsi, glassy, grassy
•chancy • ardency • Nazi
•Bessie, Crécy, dressy, Jessie, messy, Nessie, tressy
•prexy, sexy
•Chelsea, Elsie
•Dempsey • Montmorency
•discrepancy • incessancy
•Betsy, tsetse
•epilepsy • narcolepsy • nympholepsy
•apoplexy • catalepsy
•Basie, Casey, Gracie, lacy, O'Casey, pace, pacy, precis, racy, spacey, Stacey, Sulawesi, Tracy
•cadency • complacency
•blatancy, patency
•Assisi, fleecy, greasy, Tbilisi
•decency
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"necromancy." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "necromancy." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-necromancy.html "necromancy." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-necromancy.html |
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