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What is A History of Magic?

A class in which the very foundations of our talents are set, where the laws which govern us are explained and which your grade depends on keeping your eyes open for longer than ten seconds, Mr. Potter!


"Err... It's Perks, sir..."

Magic in one form or other appears to be a part of all known religious systems, at all levels of historical development, although the degree of importance given to it varies considerably. The term has been used loosely by many writers, especially when discussing European magic. Also the ethnographic accounts of small-scale preliterate societies vary in the degree to which they contain detailed descriptions even when magic is important in a particular culture. Thus the analyses of magic in its total cultural setting are remarkably few.

Knowledge of magic in prehistory is limited by lack of reliable data. Many cave paintings and engravings, from all parts of the world, have been claimed to represent figures practicing hunting magic and sorcery, but this is only conjecture. More certain information about magical phenomena is available for the ancient Middle Eastern and Greco-Roman cultures, Christian Europe, and contemporary preliterate societies.



Please research magic in one historical culture, and deliver 6 inches of parchment on the subject.









((OOC - six inches = six lines, please post name of Character at bottom of post to recieve house points))

((heehee... well it WAS Professor Binns, so I thought I'd better make it boring! anyways, cutting and pasting off a Google searched webpage should do!))

i hope it's right, ANY culture?

I chose the ancient egypt, we know sum stuff bout it out of the books:

The old egyptain wizards put spell and jinxes on the pyramides. curse breakers of the london wizard bank gringotts triey to clean the pyramides from the curses and jinxes now. Bill Wealsey, one of the jinx-breakers of griongotts, told the muggles, who tried to brok in into the pyramides were found in mutant skeletons, and grown extra heads and such stuff.

so.. i hope i understood it right jn harry potter...

Ritual
There are various kinds of Ritual, depends on the culture, mostly i think they come from western countries, practiced mostly by tribes of indians, they are also some that call then selves Shamans, and believe that the spirits exists and that they may help then if they pray for then. Ritual goes from scaring the skin to dancing around fir place.

Drake Faydark, Ravenclaw

For thousands of years the ancient priests of the South Americas used magic in their blood sacrafices to the gods. At first, when the explorers from the more muggle advanced western world, the priests thought that all peoples from the west had magic. The guns were thought to be wands of some sort, as those priests only had staffs. Their staffs were made of ancient oak, and each had been soaked in the blood of a phoenix or other mythical beast. The priests were not driven mad by this, because of spells and potions alocoytes were forced to drink at a young age, giving them halluciinations, and a slight power of divination.

Dale
Gryffindor

Professor Binns, I will finish this instead of my next piece of homework, as I am sure you would find it most interesting.

Ah yes, another parchment from the first year Ravenclaw, the wisest of the bunch. The written work was placed well as usual, and has included his thoughts like in most of his work.

Magic in Las Vegas

Magic to the muggles is a mere illusion just like most its magicians. No real magic in it except that they use various ways of misdirecting and hiding thier deeds behind smoke and mirrors. Those who watch such acts are placed in awe and wonderment, through time it has become a source of entertainment. Various options of media, mainly through TV, and through stage shows that muggle entertainment magic has grown. Faces like Siegried, and the bitten Roy, Copperfield, and Blaine became famous for the literal tricks. This is why muggles are so awed by magic, and has no concept of our magic, their minds are closed. I'm not entirely sure which magician is real or not, but they know of the rules.

Ocean Oliver, Ravenclaw
PS. Sorry, Las Vegas is not ancient, but it is historical in a bicentennial sense.

3 points

two points

Quite excellent, Dale! TEN points! And, most certainly, you can continue this, but if you do the next bit of homework as well, I'm sure you will perform to the same standard and win maximum points for your House again!

SEVEN Points for Ocean Oliver, for his unique angle.

Li dumbledore, gryffindor
Greek's used magic to help with their religion. They used certain spells to rain off evil demon from their gods temples and their royalty. Serveral people used magic to become welthy and or powerful.
An indevinual spell:
A. defixio - binding spell

1. caster seeks to "bind" or incapacitate his enemy

2. normally written on pieces of metal and buried in a secret place

3. language indistinguishable from pious prayer

i. Chryses in Iliad book 1 so there

4. e.g.: bankrupt a business rival, blight a neighbor's crops, cripple and athlete, silence an orator (very popular)
( it's an example)
hope thats good.

OH GEEEEEZ I GOTTA DO SOME RESEARCH...........

Jasmine pulled out her piece of parchment and handed it to the teacher, with a weary look. Her research had been done on magical history from the 1400s.

1400's -
With the coming of the Renaissance and the increasing reliance among Muggles on scientific reasoning, the break between the Wizarding and Muggle worlds is becoming more and more complete. Each culture goes on to create their own civilization: social structures, economies, governments, etc. Each borrows a little from the other as the years go by but it becomes apparent that the Muggles must be kept ignorant of the existence of their magical kin for their own good. Some Muggles persecute their Magical neighbors, others try to exploit magical power for their own gain and for quick fixes to their problems.

Jasmine Tonks, 7th year, Hufflepuff

Karen remembered her father telling her about wut happened in the 1600's so she wrote about it hopeing it would be good.

1600's-
Goblin rebellions in Britain.
Muggle persecution reaches an all-time high. These are dark times for the Magical Community. The governments of the Wizarding World meets to consider solutions to the crisis and create the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy of 1692. This not only completes the separation of the two cultures but also lays the responsibility of the various Wizarding governments in each country for maintaining the secrecy of everything from Quidditch games to dragons. Over the years, for Muggles, magic becomes the stuff of fairy tales and legend.
------Karen Titan, Slytherin

Four points to Li

Four points to Jasmine

Four points to Karen

I will accept no more homework. a new assignment will be set this weekend.

"There is a voluminous literature on magic. The earliest studies were those of Judaic and Christian scholars concerned with the relationship of magic to their faiths, both as relics of paganism and as heresy. During the latter part of the 19th century, anthropologists entered the field with the aim of analyzing magic and its part in the evolution of the world's religions."


Please name a book concerning magic, and briefly report on its contents...

Hogwarts a History.

This book reports on the various importamt happening in the school of Hogwarts, explain why muggles technology doesn't work, tells of how the school was open, it's magicaly connected to Hogawarts so when something important happens it's magicali writen on the book(so i think it does).
Drake Faydark, Ravenclaw

The Past And Present Of the Persecution Of Magic-Users By The Muggles Of Great Britain{should appeal to him}

Deals with all the different punishments, and methods to find them throughout the centuries in muggle Britain.

3 points to Drake and two to Dale

In the upcoming years to their induction into the full priesthood, several of the alocoytes would randomly, and savagely, attack the others. Many people believe this is because the potions had side effects on some individals. As far as can be interpreted from close study of the initation rooms, a subject had to undergo three trials, or tests. One was a four way battle between possible alocoytes, leaving two victorious. The other two were sacrificed. The second test was to get across a pool of steaming liquid(type unknown) by any means and the third took part between the two victors from the first match. An epty room with a pedestal at one end, on which was a staff. The first to get the staff won, although as they entered they had a choice of magical weapons, some of which lie in the collection of my father. the failed student had the choice to go through the four year alocoyte process again, let themself be sacrificed, or leave the priesthood althogether. Most left, and although they had failed, became prominent figurews in the societies of the civilisation.

Dale, Gryffindor

Laura Weasley
ravenclaw

Laura walked to the front of teh classrom to turn in her assignment. she didn't know how anyone could find this subject boring. she thought it was extreamly interesting.

Hogwarts a history
This book is about how hogwarts was started, and what had gone on their since. It contains important information about the castle itself, the founders of hogwarts, and the chamber of secrets. It pretty much explains all the mysteries about the school that any student could want to know

Kai Haider
Slytherin
6th year

'Curses and Counter-curses,' by Professor Vindictus Viridian, teaches you to basic curses for friendly duels and how to defend your self against them. It will let you "Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying, and Much, Much More" Although the curses are simple it can still be useful even in duels with more advanced wizards.

an extra five points to Dale!

Dissapointing Laura. However, you may have one point for handing it in on time.

3 points

Edward sighed. why couldn't he be good at all his lessons, like Jasmine?

Hogwarts: An Unhidden History, by Hermione Granger

Continuing her effort for S.P.E.W, Miss Granger has re-written Hogwarts: a History to include the trials and truths of the House-Elves. Whether the House-Elves are happy about this is uncertain, but the proceeds have raised enough money for another S.P.E.W leaflet to be published.

~Edward Cooper, Hufflepuff

Not up to Seventh yaer standard. However, it is on time, so take two points

I will accept no more homework assignments. I will assess and award points for those already submitted, then set a new assignment for next week...

"A magician is one who practices magic, sometimes considered the same as a sorcerer or witch. Conjurers are also sometimes called magicians, reflecting a historical confusion whereby legerdemain was considered to involve the supernatural. The name derives from the magus, an ancient Persian priest, and the cognate maghdim, a Chaldean term meaning wisdom and philosophy.

Though magic may theoretically be morally neutral, and many self-styled practitioners have claimed so, magicians have throughout European history usually been feared for their powers of wreaking evil. In some societies, the magician is typically an accepted personage whose help may be sought to accomplish a goal or ward off evil."

Research how the stereotype of "wizard" has changed over the last 1000 years.

minimum : 6 lines