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