What do you think?
Rate this book
Thracian Magic - Past & Present
Thracian Magic is a truly unmissable work which opens the treasure trove of Balkan folklore and magical practice to a wider audience for the first time, and in doing so expands the horizons of European magic to new levels. This unique and ground-breaking book combines scholarship and practice, as Georgi Mishev provides a thorough and detailed overview of the magical practices of Bulgaria and the surrounding Balkan countries, tracing them from the ancient world through Christian and Islamic overlays to their existing forms.
Drawing on numerous ancient sources including the Hittite ritual texts, Greek Magical Papyri, Derweni Papyrus and many others, the author demonstrates the continuity of magical practice in Balkan communities for millennia. At the same time he also presents a huge wealth of folklore and practices from the Balkan peninsula never previously available in English.
The enduring worship of the Great Goddess is considered in depth, both as figures such as Hekate, Artemis and Bendis, as well as in forms such as the Mother of the Sun, the Mountain Mother, the Virgin Mistress of fire and the She-Wolf, and her transmission into various saints such as the Mother of God, Fiery Marina, Petka and Nedelya.
Key figures including Orpheus, Musaeus, Eumolpus, Zalmoxis, Rhesus and the nymph Thrake, and their roles in the transmission of the ancient mysteries are discussed to help demonstrate the distinctive flavour found in folk practices of the Balkan Peninsula.
By exploring the contrasting roles of the healer (as valued member of the community) and the magician (as necessary evil) in Bulgarian traditional culture, together with their continued practice through family lines, the author demonstrates the way that traditional practices have survived and even flourished alongside the Christian church in a way not seen in western Europe.
Chapter Keywords: Thracian Magic, Bulgaria, Balkans, Rituals, Orpheus, Orphic, Musaeus, Eumolpus, Zalmoxis, Rhesus, Prophetess of Dionysos, Thrake, Mystery Tradition, Secret Knowledge, Healer, Healing, Magician, Concept of the Goddess, Mother of the sun, Mountain Mother, The Virgin Mistress of Fire, She-Wolf
Drawing on numerous ancient sources including the Hittite ritual texts, Greek Magical Papyri, Derweni Papyrus and many others, the author demonstrates the continuity of magical practice in Balkan communities for millennia. At the same time he also presents a huge wealth of folklore and practices from the Balkan peninsula never previously available in English.
The enduring worship of the Great Goddess is considered in depth, both as figures such as Hekate, Artemis and Bendis, as well as in forms such as the Mother of the Sun, the Mountain Mother, the Virgin Mistress of fire and the She-Wolf, and her transmission into various saints such as the Mother of God, Fiery Marina, Petka and Nedelya.
Key figures including Orpheus, Musaeus, Eumolpus, Zalmoxis, Rhesus and the nymph Thrake, and their roles in the transmission of the ancient mysteries are discussed to help demonstrate the distinctive flavour found in folk practices of the Balkan Peninsula.
By exploring the contrasting roles of the healer (as valued member of the community) and the magician (as necessary evil) in Bulgarian traditional culture, together with their continued practice through family lines, the author demonstrates the way that traditional practices have survived and even flourished alongside the Christian church in a way not seen in western Europe.
Chapter Keywords: Thracian Magic, Bulgaria, Balkans, Rituals, Orpheus, Orphic, Musaeus, Eumolpus, Zalmoxis, Rhesus, Prophetess of Dionysos, Thrake, Mystery Tradition, Secret Knowledge, Healer, Healing, Magician, Concept of the Goddess, Mother of the sun, Mountain Mother, The Virgin Mistress of Fire, She-Wolf
352 pages, Paperback
First published September 21, 2012
49 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Georgi Mishev
15 books20 followersGeorgi Mishev, PhD, born 1982, is a Bulgarian author and researcher in ancient culture and religion of the Mediterranean world and especially in magic practices, rituals and ancient relics in the folklore of the Balkan people. He has a bachelor's degree in Russian and German language, master's degree in Preservation of the cultural-historical heritage in the Republic of Bulgaria (master's thesis on the subject Thracian material and immaterial cultural-historical heritage in the region of Thracian cult centre Starosel) and doctoral degree in the field of cultural-historical heritage (PhD thesis on the subject Bulgarian traditional culture as an information resource about the magica in ancient Southeastern Europe).
The scholar knowledge of G. Mishev is enriched by his personal observations and conversations with magical practitioners in Bulgaria today. Because of his education - Russian and German philology, he is familiar with the written magical rituals of a number of Slavic and Germanic peoples. A tremendous contribution to his understanding of the ancient magical tradions and especially the Greek Magical Papyri was the seminar 'Ancient magical formulae' of Prof. Johann Tischler at the Dresden University of Technology, Germany in 2003/2004 and during the same period emerged his interest about Hittite ritual practices used later for comparative research of the Thracian culture.
The scholar knowledge of G. Mishev is enriched by his personal observations and conversations with magical practitioners in Bulgaria today. Because of his education - Russian and German philology, he is familiar with the written magical rituals of a number of Slavic and Germanic peoples. A tremendous contribution to his understanding of the ancient magical tradions and especially the Greek Magical Papyri was the seminar 'Ancient magical formulae' of Prof. Johann Tischler at the Dresden University of Technology, Germany in 2003/2004 and during the same period emerged his interest about Hittite ritual practices used later for comparative research of the Thracian culture.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 31, 2014
Thracians were the original inhabitants of Bulgaria. In fact Bulgaria used to be called Thrace and Thrace was an entity that embraced a vast quantity of land. The original Thracians lived in the mountains while people streamed in from further north to populate the area. The newcomers ended us adapting the Thracian religion and folk way.
The old Thracians revered the Goddess, who was called Hekate and her son the sun god. She gave birth to him and he became her lover. Sounds a lot like Wicca. The Yule time celebrates the birth of the god. It is a holiday that lasts 12 day. The book then proceeds to describe the yearly cycle according to the Thracians. Next is mayday and then holiday popping up in the summer an finally close to Halloween.
Many Bulgarian practices come from the Ancient Thracians and the acceptance of Christianity did not blot them out. THE Church tolerated them as they were part of the culture. I look at this book as a reference for general information. Most of the magical actions in here cannot be performed in this day and age owing to the fact that some of the actions require slaughtering an animal and/or creating a big fire. But they could be modified.
Magic is still practiced in Bulgaria. There are healers who still work and they their job is to heal and help people. Usually they are selected by an older healer and initiated, for women before they begin their period or after they have gone through menopause. Boys are selected before their first sexual encounter. Transference of bestowing of power is given by saliva or blowing on someone. To learn magic one must be selected and taught by a healer or magic worker and the it is a mystery tradition. To merely copy the magic will not be effective. Wo to those who perform ritual without knowing their real meaning. In Bulgaria sometimes the saints are summoned to perform healing and sometimes there is reference to the Ancient Gods.
There are dark magicians who work for their own gain and curse people as well. They are part of the community so they are not completely shunned. Yet the practice is looked down upon. Thracian magic was influenced by the surrounding culture and it influenced the surrounding cultures. if you wish to glimpse into an Ancient Culture this is a great book to read and the end is chocked full of resources, Get it for 6.99 on the kindle and you cannot go wrong.
The old Thracians revered the Goddess, who was called Hekate and her son the sun god. She gave birth to him and he became her lover. Sounds a lot like Wicca. The Yule time celebrates the birth of the god. It is a holiday that lasts 12 day. The book then proceeds to describe the yearly cycle according to the Thracians. Next is mayday and then holiday popping up in the summer an finally close to Halloween.
Many Bulgarian practices come from the Ancient Thracians and the acceptance of Christianity did not blot them out. THE Church tolerated them as they were part of the culture. I look at this book as a reference for general information. Most of the magical actions in here cannot be performed in this day and age owing to the fact that some of the actions require slaughtering an animal and/or creating a big fire. But they could be modified.
Magic is still practiced in Bulgaria. There are healers who still work and they their job is to heal and help people. Usually they are selected by an older healer and initiated, for women before they begin their period or after they have gone through menopause. Boys are selected before their first sexual encounter. Transference of bestowing of power is given by saliva or blowing on someone. To learn magic one must be selected and taught by a healer or magic worker and the it is a mystery tradition. To merely copy the magic will not be effective. Wo to those who perform ritual without knowing their real meaning. In Bulgaria sometimes the saints are summoned to perform healing and sometimes there is reference to the Ancient Gods.
There are dark magicians who work for their own gain and curse people as well. They are part of the community so they are not completely shunned. Yet the practice is looked down upon. Thracian magic was influenced by the surrounding culture and it influenced the surrounding cultures. if you wish to glimpse into an Ancient Culture this is a great book to read and the end is chocked full of resources, Get it for 6.99 on the kindle and you cannot go wrong.
August 22, 2023
I need to apologize to the author. I had a hard time getting into this book for most of it and I blamed him. Rather it was my inability to get past differences in grammar because English is not his first language and I was not in the mindset for this book. My mindset was in a different place when I came back to finish Thracian Magic and I now actually want a physical copy or digital copy of my own for reference. This is a great book once you realize what is truly being connected, a point I was slow to catch onto. If you are interested in the Goddesses of the Mediterranean and or the Eastern European area at all, than you will enjoy this book. Also Mr. Mishev's notes are extensive! Wow.
December 9, 2019
The translation is a bit rough in places, especially the various songs and sayings and magical formulas.
There could be a bit clearer sourcing on some claims.
Still, for this topic you probably can't get a better book in English.
There could be a bit clearer sourcing on some claims.
Still, for this topic you probably can't get a better book in English.
March 8, 2025
some history
mostly a collection of folkways told plainly
mostly a collection of folkways told plainly
February 6, 2020
I absolutely enjoyed reading this book.
Albeit having been raised in that culture, a lot of the information presented in the book I'd never heard of. Some of it gave the context to traditions, concepts and habits I have been part of and experienced while growing up.
I have to admit at some spots in the book I almost felt cheated that no one taught us this in school! :-) Also great this book is available in English so it can reach a wider audience.
Albeit having been raised in that culture, a lot of the information presented in the book I'd never heard of. Some of it gave the context to traditions, concepts and habits I have been part of and experienced while growing up.
I have to admit at some spots in the book I almost felt cheated that no one taught us this in school! :-) Also great this book is available in English so it can reach a wider audience.
January 8, 2016
This book has been a godsend for the research I've done for fiction and non-fiction books I've written. Not knowing Bulgarian, I've found it difficult to find "good" information about Bulgarian rituals and customs in English. So much of what's on the internet is copied from one site to another, and I never know how accurate it is. This book has a wealth of information about the ancient customs.
April 2, 2022
An amazing work on ancient history and belief!
September 24, 2013
a lot of material previously unavailable!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews