Necromancy, also known as necromancy, necromancy or necromancy, refers to a type of magic that involves communication with people who have already died; the term derives from an adaptation to the Latin voice "necromantīa" which in turn comes from the Greek "νεκρομαντεία" or "nekromanteía", an entry formed from "Nekros" which means "dead body" plus "manteia" or " μαντεία ”which refers to“ prophecy ”or“ divination ”. Necromancy can then be described as that divinatory or incantation method carried out in order to establish communication with the spirits or the dead in order to influence the course of events or to know what the future holds.
This word was incorporated years ago in the RAE, exposing it as a “ superstitious practice that tries to divine the future by invoking the dead ”. Necromancy is very ancient prevalent throughout western antiquity with records of its practice in Babylon, Egypt, Greece and Rome, known as a very intricate form of ritual magic, the purposes of which are guided to summon demons with magic circles drawn in different places. and long recitations full of Latin words like spells and exorcisms. The Babylonian necromancers were called manzazuu or sha'etemmu, and the spirits they raised were called etemmu.
One of the oldest uses of necromancy in the literary realm is found in Homer's Odyssey. Under the dominion of Circe, a powerful sorceress, Odysseus travels to the underworld (katabasis) in order to gain perspective on his imminent journey home by raising the spirits of the dead through the use of spells that Circe has taught him; then this character wishes to invoke and question the shadow of Tiresias in particular; however, he is unable to gather the spirit of the seer without the help of others.
In various passages of the Odyssey, several descriptive references to necromantic rituals can be found, there is talk of rites that must be performed around a well with fire during the night hours, and the character Odysseus has to follow a particular recipe, which includes the blood of animals for sacrifice, to perform a libation to the ghosts while he recites prayers to the ghosts and gods of the underworld.
