Thracian Magic: Past & Present

by Georgi Mishev

Thracian Magic: past & present is a phenomenal volume of work by the Bulgarian author Georgi Mishev, which opens up the treasure trove of folklore and magical practices of the Balkan Peninsula into the English language for the first time. The author examines the magical practices of modern day Bulgaria and the surrounding Balkan countries, tracing them to their roots in the ritual traditions of Thrace and the Mystery Cults of the ancient world. The ritual practices of the Thracians survived through Christian and other overlays for many centuries in Balkan communities through into modern Bulgaria, carried by successive generations of practitioners. Evidence for the antiquity of these modern survivals can be found in numerous ancient literary sources, including the Hittite ritual texts, the Greek Magical Papyri, the Orphic Argonautica, the Derweni Papyrus, as well as in the writings of Homer, Plato, Strabo and others. Further clues are found in curse tablets and other archaeological finds. The transmission of the ancient mysteries through Orpheus, Musaeus, Eumolpus, Zalmoxis, Rhesus, the Thracian Prophetess of Dionysos and the nymph Thrake are all considered in turn, to help demonstrate the distinctive flavour found in the practices of the region. Likewise the ways in which secret knowledge was preserved, as well as the roles of both the Healer and the Magician in Bulgarian traditional culture shed additional light on the diversity and depth to be found in the research presented in this volume. The importance and survival of the Great Goddess in the practices and beliefs of the region is explored in the final chapter of the book, ‘Concepts Of The Goddess’. Here the reader is introduced to the roles of goddesses such as Hekate, Artemis and Bendis, as well as to the Mother of the Sun, the Mountain Mother, the Virgin Mistress of Fire and the She-Wolf. Additionally, both the continued existence and re-emergence of the Great Goddess in the form of Christian saints such as the Mother of God, Fiery Marina, Petka and Nedelya are examined in turn, alongside the Samodivi forest spirits who combine the characteristics of both nymphs and ancient goddesses. From divination to healing, initiation to fertility spells, curses to protection from the evil eye and other malefic influences, this book embraces and reveals the scope of a living tradition with its roots deep in the ancient world. Thracian Magic: past & present opens up the field of study in a unique way, being both practical and accessible, whilst simultaneously maintaining its scholarly integrity. ~ “One writes about magical practice most commonly either from the position of a scholar or from the position of a practitioner. The book, which G. Mishev offers us, leads the reader into the secrets of the magical with the dignity of a descendant and carrier of millennial traditions, preserved in the South-eastern European area, and with the passion of an explorer, rushing towards the light of knowledge.” Prof. Dr. Sc. Valeria Fol ~

Genres: Witchcraft, Folklore, Paganism, Nonfiction

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 21, 2012

About the author

Georgi 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.

Reviews

[Steve Cran · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Bill Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Jan Pospíšil · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

some history
mostly a collection of folkways told plainly

[Pavlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Ronesa Aveela · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Plamen Petkov · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing work on ancient history and belief!

[Deanne Quarrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

a lot of material previously unavailable!