Necromancy May 2026

At its core, necromancy centers on the belief that the dead retain agency and can act as mediators between the physical and spiritual realms.

: Modern folk necromancy focuses on "trafficking" with spirits through ritual offerings, incense (suffumigation), and specific ritual speech or vocalizations.

: The original purpose of necromancy was "sciomancy"—summoning shades to answer questions about the future.

Historically, necromancy has been both a scholarly pursuit and a forbidden rite. A Necromancer's Manual of the Fifteenth Century (review)

Necromancy, derived from the Greek nekros (corpse) and manteia (prophecy), is traditionally defined as the art of communicating with the deceased to gain hidden knowledge or foretell the future. While often dismissed as a "black art" associated with malevolent sorcery, modern practitioners and historians describe it more broadly as a spiritual practice involving ancestor veneration, graveyard work, and the building of collaborative relationships with the "local dead". Foundational Concepts

: Practitioners often use physical remains or items associated with death, such as graveyard soil or clothing of the deceased, to facilitate contact. Historical and Cultural Perspectives