A book that will help you understand the secrets of ancient magic. This is a journey into antiquity to better understand how our ancestors lived and what magical rituals have survived in the modern world.
Vampires, dragons, werewolves, mail to the realm of the dead, love potions and curses - just Tuesday in the ancient world, where magic was everywhere. Using a variety of sources and illustrations, Philip Matyshak immerses readers in the world of antiquity and gives a new, fascinating and sometimes ironic understanding of the role of magic in the development of civilizations. How do we know that when we see a vampire, we should take out garlic, and that a huge black dog is a harbinger of death? How can we get an answer from the dead and where can we look for portals between worlds? What animal can kill a basilisk? Why does the spell that blacksmiths pronounced while heating a sword blade suspiciously coincide in duration with the time of the “ideal” tempering?
In most modern countries, it is not prohibited to declare oneself a witch or a magician. But some elements of the sorcerer’s craft are still illegal and dangerous for the sorcerer himself and for those around him. For example, this book tells how the ancient Greeks and Romans summoned demons and other spirits of the Underworld, but repeating this ritual at home is highly undesirable. At best, your experience will be unsuccessful, and you will only waste your time and several buckets of sheep’s blood. At worst, you will succeed.
