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Egyptian Magic
A study of the remains of the native religious literature of ancient
Egypt which have come down to us has revealed the fact that the
belief in magic, that is to say, in the power of magical names, and
spells, and enchantments, and formulæ, and pictures, and figures,
and amulets, and in the performance of ceremonies accompanied by
the utterance of words of power, to produce supernatural results,
formed a large and important part of the Egyptian religion. And it is
certain that, notwithstanding the continuous progress which the
Egyptians made in civilization, and the high intellectual
development to which they eventually attained, this belief
influenced their minds and, from the earliest to the latest period of
their history, shaped their views concerning things temporal as well
as spiritual in a manner which, at this stage in the history of the
world, is very difficult to understand. The scrupulous care with
which they performed their innumerable religious ceremonies, and
carried out the rules which they had formulated concerning the
worship of the divine Power or powers, and their devotion to
religious magic, gained for them among the nations with whom they
came in contact the reputation of being at once the most religious
and the most superstitious of men. That this reputation was, on the
whole, well deserved, is the object of this little book to shew.
Egyptian magic dates from the time when the predynastic and
prehistoric dwellers in Egypt believed that the earth, and the
underworld, and the air, and the sky were peopled with countless
beings, visible and invisible, which were held to be friendly or
unfriendly to man according as the operations of nature, which they
were supposed to direct, were favourable or unfavourable to him. In
-nature and attributes these beings were thought by primitive man to
closely resemble himself and to possess all human passions, and
emotions, and weaknesses, and defects; and the chief object of magic
was to give man the pre-eminence over such beings. The favour of
the beings who were placable and friendly to man might be obtained
by means of gifts and offerings, but the cessation of hostilities on the part of those that were implacable and unfriendly could only be
obtained by wheedling, and cajolery, and flattery, or by making use
of an amulet, or secret name, or magical formula, or figure, or picture
which had the effect of bringing to the aid of the mortal who
possessed it the power of a being that was mightier than the foe who
threatened to do evil to him. The magic of most early nations aimed
at causing the transference of power from a supernatural being to
man, whereby he was to be enabled to obtain superhuman results
and to become for a time as mighty as the original possessor of the
power; but the object of Egyptian magic was to endow man with the
means of compelling both friendly and hostile powers, nay, at a later
time, even God Himself, to do what he wished, whether the were
willing or not. The belief in magic, the word being used in its best
sense, is older in Egypt than the belief in God, and it is certain that a
very large number of the Egyptian religious ceremonies, which were
performed in later times as an integral part of a highly spiritual
worship, had their origin in superstitious customs which date from a
period when God, under any name or in any form, was unconceived
in the minds of the Egyptians. Indeed it is probable that even the use
of the sign which represents an axe, and which stands the
hieroglyphic character both for God and “god,“ indicates that this
weapon and. tool was employed in the performance of some
ceremony connected with religious magic in prehistoric, or at any
rate in predynastic times, when it in some mysterious way
symbolized the presence of a supreme Power.
Egypt which have come down to us has revealed the fact that the
belief in magic, that is to say, in the power of magical names, and
spells, and enchantments, and formulæ, and pictures, and figures,
and amulets, and in the performance of ceremonies accompanied by
the utterance of words of power, to produce supernatural results,
formed a large and important part of the Egyptian religion. And it is
certain that, notwithstanding the continuous progress which the
Egyptians made in civilization, and the high intellectual
development to which they eventually attained, this belief
influenced their minds and, from the earliest to the latest period of
their history, shaped their views concerning things temporal as well
as spiritual in a manner which, at this stage in the history of the
world, is very difficult to understand. The scrupulous care with
which they performed their innumerable religious ceremonies, and
carried out the rules which they had formulated concerning the
worship of the divine Power or powers, and their devotion to
religious magic, gained for them among the nations with whom they
came in contact the reputation of being at once the most religious
and the most superstitious of men. That this reputation was, on the
whole, well deserved, is the object of this little book to shew.
Egyptian magic dates from the time when the predynastic and
prehistoric dwellers in Egypt believed that the earth, and the
underworld, and the air, and the sky were peopled with countless
beings, visible and invisible, which were held to be friendly or
unfriendly to man according as the operations of nature, which they
were supposed to direct, were favourable or unfavourable to him. In
-nature and attributes these beings were thought by primitive man to
closely resemble himself and to possess all human passions, and
emotions, and weaknesses, and defects; and the chief object of magic
was to give man the pre-eminence over such beings. The favour of
the beings who were placable and friendly to man might be obtained
by means of gifts and offerings, but the cessation of hostilities on the part of those that were implacable and unfriendly could only be
obtained by wheedling, and cajolery, and flattery, or by making use
of an amulet, or secret name, or magical formula, or figure, or picture
which had the effect of bringing to the aid of the mortal who
possessed it the power of a being that was mightier than the foe who
threatened to do evil to him. The magic of most early nations aimed
at causing the transference of power from a supernatural being to
man, whereby he was to be enabled to obtain superhuman results
and to become for a time as mighty as the original possessor of the
power; but the object of Egyptian magic was to endow man with the
means of compelling both friendly and hostile powers, nay, at a later
time, even God Himself, to do what he wished, whether the were
willing or not. The belief in magic, the word being used in its best
sense, is older in Egypt than the belief in God, and it is certain that a
very large number of the Egyptian religious ceremonies, which were
performed in later times as an integral part of a highly spiritual
worship, had their origin in superstitious customs which date from a
period when God, under any name or in any form, was unconceived
in the minds of the Egyptians. Indeed it is probable that even the use
of the sign which represents an axe, and which stands the
hieroglyphic character both for God and “god,“ indicates that this
weapon and. tool was employed in the performance of some
ceremony connected with religious magic in prehistoric, or at any
rate in predynastic times, when it in some mysterious way
symbolized the presence of a supreme Power.
126 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2013
140 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
E.A. Wallis Budge
1,346 books158 followersSir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge was an English Egyptologist, Orientalist, and philologist who worked for the British Museum and published numerous works on the ancient Near East.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 10, 2019
Well not what I hoped for. I was looking for a nice overview of magical practices, like the dust jacket description made it sound like the book was about. Instead it is a more archeological review of recovered magical texts and scrolls. Not recommended
December 13, 2015
It's practically mandatory that any review of a book written by Budge has to mention that he was, at best, a questionable scholar, a lot of his theories/writings have been discredited, and so on. That said, he was an accessible writer who wrote on a wide range of subjects regarding Ancient Egypt.
I haven't come across too many books about the Egyptian attitudes and practices regarding magic. This book doesn't go into much detail, but it at least touches on some of the major points. It's a decent starting point, but by no means a thorough reading on the subject.
I haven't come across too many books about the Egyptian attitudes and practices regarding magic. This book doesn't go into much detail, but it at least touches on some of the major points. It's a decent starting point, but by no means a thorough reading on the subject.
November 10, 2016
Historical events of Egyptian occult is among some of the reading information. It includes jeweled scarabs and amulets illustration. Learn the difference between white and black magic with there magical artifacts. I really enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it.
I was given this book from Quarto Knows for an honest review.
I was given this book from Quarto Knows for an honest review.
October 4, 2025
The magical system is categorised as Christian and non-Christian. and the words 'savage' and 'semi-savage' is used in the first chapter. this book is heavily biased towards Christianity, which is somewhat understandable since the was written during Victorian times. However, sentences are long winded and worst of all, if completely fails to deliver on what the back promised.
Egypt had such a rich magical belief that I wanted to learn more on, instead this is an antiquity book written by someone who saw ancient Egyptians as less than.
Egypt had such a rich magical belief that I wanted to learn more on, instead this is an antiquity book written by someone who saw ancient Egyptians as less than.
May 17, 2021
An entertaining read and a great source for learning about some of the earliest Western scholarship on Ancient Egyptian culture. Apparently, Budge is regarded as irrelevant to some modern scholars, and many resent him as a source, due to his work being public domain and still selling. Nonetheless, despite any flaws now known in his research or of his translations of different texts, there is valuable knowledge given with passion, clarity, and discrimination that still stands up today. The influence of his writing cannot be underestimated, and I for one will always honor his contribution to Egyptian scholarship.
December 8, 2019
Classic book but not really dealing with Heka
I like Budge as an author and egyptologist!Would not recommend as far as magic(heka)is concern.Doesn't really deal with it.More like history in charms and the trailer dynasties
I like Budge as an author and egyptologist!Would not recommend as far as magic(heka)is concern.Doesn't really deal with it.More like history in charms and the trailer dynasties
August 8, 2020
OMG so boring
My gods was this long and boring. I tried so hard to keep reading and even had the kindle robot lady read it to me but the sentence were insanely long. A lot of them run on. But I finished the whole thing. Glad it was only 0.99. Not worth anymore than that.
My gods was this long and boring. I tried so hard to keep reading and even had the kindle robot lady read it to me but the sentence were insanely long. A lot of them run on. But I finished the whole thing. Glad it was only 0.99. Not worth anymore than that.
June 23, 2021
It's okay
Not quite what I had in mind but not a terrible read. Hoped there would be more spells and incantations, but it is more of a history on magic in ancient Egypt. Still not a bad thing.
Not quite what I had in mind but not a terrible read. Hoped there would be more spells and incantations, but it is more of a history on magic in ancient Egypt. Still not a bad thing.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews