Anyway, more Egyptian Magic geekery. Again,
bolded the relevant parts. (I wonder if I should spoiler tag the text to
save space... Eh, I'll do it. )
"
From the religious books of ancient Egypt we learn that the power possessed by a priest or man
who was skilled in the knowledge and working of magic was believed to be almost boundless.
By pronouncing certain words or names of power in the proper manner and in the proper tone
of voice he could heal the sick, and cast out the evil spirits which caused pain and suffering in
those who were diseased, and restore the dead to life, and bestow upon the dead man the power
to transform the corruptible into an incorruptible body, wherein the soul might live to all
eternity. His words enabled human beings to assume divers forms at will, and to project their
souls into animals and other creatures; and in obedience to his commands, inanimate figures
and pictures became living beings and things which hastened to perform his behests. The
powers of nature acknowledged his might, and wind and rain,
p. xi
storm and tempest, river and sea, and disease and death worked evil and ruin upon his foes, and
upon the enemies of those who were provided with the knowledge of the words which he had
wrested from the gods of heaven, and earth, and the underworld. Inanimate nature likewise
obeyed such words of power, and even the world itself came into existence through the
utterance of a word by Thoth; by their means the earth could be rent asunder, and the waters
forsaking their nature could be piled up in a heap, and even the sun's course in the heavens
could be stayed by a word. No god, or spirit, or devil, or fiend, could resist words of power, and
the Egyptians invoked their aid in the smallest as well as in the greatest events of their lives. To
him that was versed in the lore contained in the books of the "double house of life" the future
was as well known as the past, and neither time nor distance could limit the operations of his
power; the mysteries of life and death were laid bare before him, and he could draw aside the
veil which hid the secrets of fate and destiny from the knowledge of ordinary mortals.
Now if views such as these concerning the magician's power were held by the educated folk of
ancient Egypt there is little to wonder at when we find that beliefs and superstitions of the most
degraded character flourished with rank luxuriance among the peasants
p. xii
and working classes of that country, who failed to understand the symbolism of the elaborate
ceremonies which were performed in the temples, and who were too ignorant to distinguish the
spiritual conceptions which lay at their root--to meet the religious needs of such people the
magician, and in later times the priest, found it necessary to provide pageants and ceremonies
which appealed chiefly to the senses, and following their example, unscrupulous but clever men
took advantage of the ignorance of the general public and pretended to knowledge of the
supernatural, and laid claim to the
possession of power over gods, and spirits, and demons.
Such false knowledge and power they sold for money, and for purposes of gain the so-called
magician was ready to further any sordid transaction or wicked scheme which his dupe wished
to carry out. This magic degenerated into sorcery, and demonology, and wit craft, and those
who dealt in it were regarded as associates of the Devil, and servants of the powers of darkness,
and workers of the "black art."
In the "white" and "black" magic of the Egyptians most of the
magic known in the other countries of the world may be found; it is impossible yet to say
exactly how much the beliefs and religious systems of other nations were influenced by them,
but there is no, doubt that certain views and religious ideas of many heathen and
p. xiii
Christian sects may be traced directly to them. Many interesting proofs might be adduced in
support of this statement, but the limits of this book will not admit of their being given here."
- We know that the Priests who held the Millennium Items had the
most power. People whose Ka were sufficiently trained also proved to be
powerful. (Ie. Aknadin training people underground to strengthen their
Ka.)
- I believe most of the Millennium Item and monster spirit fiasco was
known by the Pharaoh and the Pirests only, and well, Thief King Bakura
because he witnessed the massacre at Kul Elna. Though, didn't Shada and
Seto went to take trips to look for people with a strong Ka? Although I
still don't think it was common knowledge...
- It was told that the Millennium Tome holds the secrets of possessing the power over gods, spirits and demons.
- The White and Black magic was bought up in the card game as well, a
small chart is bought up during the first Yugi vs. Pegasus duels. There
are four types of magic users: Illusionists, White Magic, Black Magic,
Demons and Devils. Or it could be yet another nod to RPGs.
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