| Necromancer | |
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Real Name |
Necromancer |
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First Appearance |
World Mythology |
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Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
Necromancers are practitioners of necromancy—the ancient and forbidden art of communicating with the dead. Traditionally, they summon the spirits of the departed to gain secret knowledge, predict the future, or influence the living. The word necromancy comes from the Greek nekros (“dead body”) and manteia (“divination”), meaning “divination through the dead.” The practice dates back to antiquity, with roots in early shamanism and ritual magic across cultures such as Egypt, Babylonia, Greece, Rome, and China. Ancient necromancers performed elaborate nocturnal ceremonies—drawing circles, offering blood sacrifices, and invoking the shades of the recently deceased to speak truths hidden from the living. The Odyssey contains one of the earliest written depictions, in which Odysseus summons the ghost of Tiresias through blood rites taught by the sorceress Circe.
Though condemned in the Hebrew Bible and punished by Mosaic Law, necromancy persisted through the centuries. In medieval Europe, it was often practiced by educated clerics who combined Christian rituals with occult traditions. These necromancers sought to manipulate wills, conjure illusions, or obtain forbidden knowledge—often through the summoning of demons disguised as spirits. Their rites involved protective circles, conjurations, and sacrifices, as described in grimoires like the Munich Manual of Demonic Magic.
During the Renaissance, necromancers blurred the boundaries between prayer and spell, invoking divine and demonic names alike. The Church viewed their art as heretical, yet the fascination with death and hidden wisdom endured.
In the modern era, necromancy has evolved into a broader term for the manipulation or communication with the dead—echoed in séances, spiritualism, and other occult practices that claim to channel spirits for prophecy or guidance. Once considered the darkest of the magical arts, necromancy remains the emblem of humankind’s enduring desire to pierce the veil between life and death.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Necromancers from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Odyssey by Homer
- Geography by Strabo
- Metamorphoses by Ovid
- Munich Manual of Demonic Magic
- The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
- Lives of the Necromancer (1834)
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1911)
- Greek Divination: A Study of Its Methods and Principles (1913)
- An Encyclopædia of Occultism (1920)
- Bygone Beliefs: Being a Series of Excursions in the Byways of Thought (1920)
- La Kabbale Juive: Histoire et Doctrine – Essai Critique (1923)
- Necromancy in Naat (1936)
Notes[]
- In The Hobbit, Sauron first appears as the “Necromancer of Dol Guldur,” foreshadowing his role as the ultimate evil in The Lord of the Rings.
- In games like Dungeons & Dragons and many video games, necromancy involves raising corpses as undead servants—a blend of European spirit-summoning traditions and Caribbean zombie lore.
- In Derek Landy’s Skulduggery Pleasant series, necromancy focuses on manipulating shadows and life energy; its most infamous practitioner is Lord Vile, and the heroine Valkyrie Cain struggles with its dangerous allure.