ANCIENT RUNES HOMEWORK:
ANCIENT SPELLS

{all elective years, third to seventh}

Magical rites in the ancient world were often a lot more complex than our refined modern spells with a wand and a single spoken incantation. Select one of the sources below and write an essay (between 50-150 words) describing how you think the spell works, and comparing and contrasting the different techniques of ancient and modern spellcasting. Due OOC: 1st May.

QUICK GLOSSARY:

[NN] = where to insert the subject/victim of the spell's name
[SMALL CAPS] = names of magical deities, characters or "magical vowels" to be chanted aloud but not necessarily meant to be understood by ordinary people, i.e. a secret language calling on higher magical powers to aid you. There were common formulae for these. Repetition and vowel sounds were especially presumed to be the most magical elements of language.
[DIAGRAMS/DRAWINGS] = physical placement and shapes were often just as important as the content. Palindromes and increasing/decreasing letter incantations were often used to rid of illness.
[MATERIALS] = Rituals often have ingredients or some physical element to bolster the spell. "Magical material" might be something from the body of the subject like hair or fingernails.