The Magic of the World's Peoples

Magic has always been an integral part of the cultural landscape of different peoples and civilizations. In whimsical cults, ceremonies, and rituals, human fears, hopes, and dreams are reflected like in a mirror. This vibrant cultural guide will introduce you to well-known and exotic magical practices from around the world: from the medicine of Ancient Egypt to the love magic of modern Australians, from medieval alchemy to Siberian shamanism. You will peek into the holy of holies: the temple of Apollo in Delphi, where the famous oracle was located, the sacred groves of the Druids, and the laboratories of medieval alchemists, get acquainted with various forms of magic — ritual and domestic — and understand the nature of the most enduring prejudices about Freemasonry and Voodoo. What can African witches do? How do Polynesians predict the fate of a new canoe? Why was Pythagoras considered a magician, and what mystical story associated with Babylonian rituals surrounds the mysterious death of Alexander the Great? This book will tell you about this and much more, and perhaps bring you closer to answering the eternal question of why we all desperately want to believe in magic.