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Ancient Egyptian Magic: Spells, Incantations, Potions, Stories, and Rituals
Ancient Egyptian Magic is the first authoritative modern work on the occult practices that pervaded all aspects of life in ancient Egypt. Based on fascinating archaeological discoveries, it includes everything from how to write your name in hieroglyphs to the proper way to bury a king, as well as:
Tools and training of magicians
Interpreting dreams
Ancient remedies for headaches, cataracts, and indigestion
Wrapping a mummy
Recipes for magic potions and beauty creams
Explanations of amulets and pyramid power
A spell to entice a lover
A fortune-telling calendar
These subjects and many more will appeal to everyone interested in Egyptology, magic, parapsychology, and the occult; or ancient religions and mythology.
Tools and training of magicians
Interpreting dreams
Ancient remedies for headaches, cataracts, and indigestion
Wrapping a mummy
Recipes for magic potions and beauty creams
Explanations of amulets and pyramid power
A spell to entice a lover
A fortune-telling calendar
These subjects and many more will appeal to everyone interested in Egyptology, magic, parapsychology, and the occult; or ancient religions and mythology.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
10 people are currently reading
540 people want to read
About the author
Bob Brier
32 books172 followersRobert Brier (born December 13, 1943), also known as Mr. Mummy, is an American Egyptologist specializing in paleopathology. A Senior Research Fellow at Long Island University/LIU Post, he has researched and published on mummies and the mummification process and has appeared in many Discovery Civilization documentaries, primarily on ancient Egypt.
Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Brier earned his bachelor's degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York. From 1966 to 1970, he was on the research staff of the Institute of Parapsychology (formerly the Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man) in Durham, North Carolina, where he worked on such books as Parapsychology Today and Test Your ESP. He earned his PhD in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1970 and began teaching at Long Island University in 1972. He served as chairman of the philosophy department from 1981 to 1996 and has also served as the director of the National Endowment for the Humanities' "Egyptology Today" program. He was appointed Senior Research Fellow at LIU Post in 2004. In addition to his career at Long Island University, Brier has taught ancient Egyptian at The New School and Egyptology at Webb Institute for many years.
Brier has conducted research in mummification practices worldwide. He has investigated well-known mummies such as Tutankhamen, Ramses the Great, Vladimir Lenin, Eva Perón (more commonly known as Evita), and the Medici family.
In 1994, Brier and a colleague, Ronald Wade, director of the State Anatomy Board of Maryland, claimed to be the first people in 2,000 years to mummify a human cadaver using ancient Egyptian techniques. This research earned Brier the affectionate nickname "Mr. Mummy" and was also the subject of the National Geographic television special of the same name, which made him a household name. He is also the host of several television programmes for the TLC Network including The Great Egyptians, Pyramids, Mummies and Tombs, and Mummy Detective. His research has been featured in Archaeology Magazine, The New York Times, CNN, 60 Minutes and 20/20.
In 1999, Brier gave a series of 48 specially-prepared lectures entitled "The History of Ancient Egypt" for The Teaching Company. He later did another series of 12 lectures for them, focusing on "Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt". Brier is a recipient of Long Island University's David Newton award for Teaching Excellence.
He leads tours to Egypt for Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural trips.
Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Brier earned his bachelor's degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York. From 1966 to 1970, he was on the research staff of the Institute of Parapsychology (formerly the Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man) in Durham, North Carolina, where he worked on such books as Parapsychology Today and Test Your ESP. He earned his PhD in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1970 and began teaching at Long Island University in 1972. He served as chairman of the philosophy department from 1981 to 1996 and has also served as the director of the National Endowment for the Humanities' "Egyptology Today" program. He was appointed Senior Research Fellow at LIU Post in 2004. In addition to his career at Long Island University, Brier has taught ancient Egyptian at The New School and Egyptology at Webb Institute for many years.
Brier has conducted research in mummification practices worldwide. He has investigated well-known mummies such as Tutankhamen, Ramses the Great, Vladimir Lenin, Eva Perón (more commonly known as Evita), and the Medici family.
In 1994, Brier and a colleague, Ronald Wade, director of the State Anatomy Board of Maryland, claimed to be the first people in 2,000 years to mummify a human cadaver using ancient Egyptian techniques. This research earned Brier the affectionate nickname "Mr. Mummy" and was also the subject of the National Geographic television special of the same name, which made him a household name. He is also the host of several television programmes for the TLC Network including The Great Egyptians, Pyramids, Mummies and Tombs, and Mummy Detective. His research has been featured in Archaeology Magazine, The New York Times, CNN, 60 Minutes and 20/20.
In 1999, Brier gave a series of 48 specially-prepared lectures entitled "The History of Ancient Egypt" for The Teaching Company. He later did another series of 12 lectures for them, focusing on "Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt". Brier is a recipient of Long Island University's David Newton award for Teaching Excellence.
He leads tours to Egypt for Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural trips.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 1, 2019
This book opened up a totally new topic area...
September 22, 2014
I read this book as part of my research - it was recommended to me by an Egyptology expert. 'Ancient Egyptian Magic' is an updated version of 'Egyptian Magic' by E. A. Wallis Budge, and indeed uses some of the same 'case studies'. It is, however, much easier to read!
This enjoyable book explains how 'magic' has been used in Egypt since ancient times. It provides information on the significance of the ancient Egyptians' convoluted burial rituals, different amulets, the Book of the Dead and many other subjects. I found the chapter on dreams to be of particular interest, and enjoyed the tales of magical deeds which have been passed down through the centuries. There are also many illustrations, although I wish the photographs were in colour and less grainy.
To my relief, Mr Brier stuck resolutely to his subject and didn't wander off at a tangent. (I've found this is very easy to do when studying ancient Egypt!) His writing is succinct, easy to understand and not at all high-brow. I learned a lot from this book and enjoyed it in the process.
This enjoyable book explains how 'magic' has been used in Egypt since ancient times. It provides information on the significance of the ancient Egyptians' convoluted burial rituals, different amulets, the Book of the Dead and many other subjects. I found the chapter on dreams to be of particular interest, and enjoyed the tales of magical deeds which have been passed down through the centuries. There are also many illustrations, although I wish the photographs were in colour and less grainy.
To my relief, Mr Brier stuck resolutely to his subject and didn't wander off at a tangent. (I've found this is very easy to do when studying ancient Egypt!) His writing is succinct, easy to understand and not at all high-brow. I learned a lot from this book and enjoyed it in the process.
December 27, 2022
DNF
Well the book started out okay but it did not help that two-thirds of the way through the book that Set goes from being Osiris' brother to suddenly becoming Osiris' son. For being a noted Egyptologist, I don't know how Bob Brier could make that obvious mistake.
Well the book started out okay but it did not help that two-thirds of the way through the book that Set goes from being Osiris' brother to suddenly becoming Osiris' son. For being a noted Egyptologist, I don't know how Bob Brier could make that obvious mistake.
May 19, 2025
As part of my ongoing research for my intentions to eventually write something with fantasy elements set in actual ancient Egypt I reckoned this would be a good jumping off point. Granted, I did read the well-known EA Wallis Budge book eons ago, so I thought I'd mix it up and give Bob Brier's Ancient Egyptian Magic a spin. I certainly found Brier more friendly than Wallis Budge, and if anyone has an academic interest in how the ancient Egyptians viewed magic, then Brier's book is great place to start.
Something that can be said for the Brier is that his writing is accessible, and he gives a broad overview of not only the different methods but also gives a basic crash course on ancient Egyptian culture while he's at it – you can't really dig into the magical practices at least without some idea of the history behind it.
If something needs to be understood about ancient Egypt is that magic – and the practising thereof – was intrinsically embedded in the day to day. Doctors, priests, and magicians used amulets, spells, wax figures. Perhaps the most well known were the shabti figures that represented a pharaoh's servants in the afterlife – little statues that would come to life in the afterlife and serve the dead pharaoh so that he would not have to lift a finger after death. The gods themselves, practised magic in the stories – it was as natural as breathing. Great store was put in dreams, too, with some days considered more portentous than others.
Of course, there is also the famous Egyptian Book of the Dead which was not one book, as one might expect of say, the Christian bible, but rather a varying collection of spells to protect the deceased created specifically for individual folks – so the spells collated in each 'book' would vary from deceased to deceased. Brier also looks at how these books started as texts found in burial places – the Pyramid Texts – and eventually became inscribed on coffins and then scrolls.
This is a vast subject, and while this book does not represent a deep dive, it is still a useful jumping-off point that gives essential points that can be used for further study. In terms of the amount of study and research I've done over the decades, I didn't cover any new ground here, but what I read here put much into order, which I appreciated – so this is an excellent refresher. While the copy I read I accessed through a library, I've put the book on order for my permanent collection.
Something that can be said for the Brier is that his writing is accessible, and he gives a broad overview of not only the different methods but also gives a basic crash course on ancient Egyptian culture while he's at it – you can't really dig into the magical practices at least without some idea of the history behind it.
If something needs to be understood about ancient Egypt is that magic – and the practising thereof – was intrinsically embedded in the day to day. Doctors, priests, and magicians used amulets, spells, wax figures. Perhaps the most well known were the shabti figures that represented a pharaoh's servants in the afterlife – little statues that would come to life in the afterlife and serve the dead pharaoh so that he would not have to lift a finger after death. The gods themselves, practised magic in the stories – it was as natural as breathing. Great store was put in dreams, too, with some days considered more portentous than others.
Of course, there is also the famous Egyptian Book of the Dead which was not one book, as one might expect of say, the Christian bible, but rather a varying collection of spells to protect the deceased created specifically for individual folks – so the spells collated in each 'book' would vary from deceased to deceased. Brier also looks at how these books started as texts found in burial places – the Pyramid Texts – and eventually became inscribed on coffins and then scrolls.
This is a vast subject, and while this book does not represent a deep dive, it is still a useful jumping-off point that gives essential points that can be used for further study. In terms of the amount of study and research I've done over the decades, I didn't cover any new ground here, but what I read here put much into order, which I appreciated – so this is an excellent refresher. While the copy I read I accessed through a library, I've put the book on order for my permanent collection.
December 18, 2023
Overall a solid overview if a bit dry at times.
March 13, 2014
This book deals with all aspects of how magic was incorporated into the daily lives of the ancient Egyptians, with chapters covering the mysticism of the pyramids, the lives of the priests and magicians, the Coffin texts and book of the dead this is a comprehensive guide to arcane arts of magic, the occult and mythology.
With a fascinating few chapters at the back of the book with some ancient myths and some interesting spells to a calendar describing the Egyptian year and how it is broken down into three seasons this book has it all.
Written in a style that is accessible to anyone who reads it even if they don't have that broad a knowledge of the subject and illustrated throughout with black and white pictures of artifacts to give the reader a visual of the items used in ritualistic and religious practices.
Well worth reading.
With a fascinating few chapters at the back of the book with some ancient myths and some interesting spells to a calendar describing the Egyptian year and how it is broken down into three seasons this book has it all.
Written in a style that is accessible to anyone who reads it even if they don't have that broad a knowledge of the subject and illustrated throughout with black and white pictures of artifacts to give the reader a visual of the items used in ritualistic and religious practices.
Well worth reading.
July 4, 2012
I've been reading a number of different books covering the subject of ancient Egyptian magic. Some, like this one, are by academics, and others are more of what I might characterize as contemporary interpretations.
I liked this book a fair amoung. Brier covers all the basics in a good amount of detail. Much of what he wrote I already knew, so this made for a good refresher. I certainly keep it as a reference for this topic.
I liked this book a fair amoung. Brier covers all the basics in a good amount of detail. Much of what he wrote I already knew, so this made for a good refresher. I certainly keep it as a reference for this topic.
January 22, 2016
It increased my understanding of Egyptian understanding of magic, and it's role in their lives. It frustrated me that not a single ritual or spell was complete enough to have a mental picture of what it looked like.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews