So, in my research, I came across Magi, and decided to read a little more about it. Below is the result of that research and a couple hours wasted from what I should have been studying. I did it mainly because I was interested, but also because I may, someday, submit a much deeper article on the issue to an encyclopedia for publication.

I thought I'd post it here, however, because I did find it interesting, and who knows, it may open up some different avenues for writing fanfiction.

EDIT: Just re-entered everything to fix it. Still can't edit without losing the post, however.

 

Were the links/footnotes meant to be working links? Or did they just come along with the copy paste?

Here's your article, minus any links.

Code:

[noparse][CENTER][B]Origins of the Magi[/B][/CENTER]

What are Magi? The name has been associated with numerous types of people throughout the ages, including Eastern astrologers, magicians, and even the three wise men who, according to the Christian scriptures, visited Jesus sometime after his birth. Contemporary writing often associate them with magicians, especially in fan-based works of fiction, such as that based on J. K. Rowland’s series, Harry Potter. 


Historically, however, their original role was not any of those listed above, but rather, “A well-established priestly class.” [1] The fact of magi as Wise men was known among the early Christian community as evidenced by Tertullian in his work later known as The Five Books in Reply to Marcion:


[CENTER]“Is holy virgin: life’s new gate opes; words
Of prophets fine their proof, fulfilled by facts;
Priests leave their temples and—a star their guide—
Wonder the Lord so mean a birth should choose.[2][/CENTER]

Magi originated in Media according to Herodotus (1.101) and, according to Bodil Hjerrild, “Acquired some sort of monopoly on the practice of religion.”[3] Herodotus further informs his readers that it is only Magi who may present sacrifices to his god within their religion, relegating laymen to be observers (1.142). James Moulton, in Treasure of the Magi, laid out the priesthood as hereditary, working the fire-temples of Zoroastrian religion, and "indispensable for the external side of Persian religion.”[4] Those who worked in those temples were known as Mobeds, or Lord of Magi. Though Moulton’s book is a century old, these basic understandings have not changed.


In fact, Zarathustra, (Zoroaster in the West—founder of Zoroastrianism), is recorded as being from this tribe of Magi. Thus, a pre-Zoroastrian religious existed for which the tribe of magi were charged with cultic performance and, as Zoroastrianism grew, they headed the nascent religion and continued in that role throughout its heyday.[5] Their greatest break, however, came from Cyrus the Great, who “instituted them [officially] when he founded the new Persian Empire.”[6]


How, then, are Magi associated with magic? Historically, the word magic, in its earliest understanding among those who studied Magi, refers to their power by which they would cast out demons. Thus, it was by magic they performed exorcisms.[7]


Magi continue to spark interested in both Biblical and Religious scholars, as well as modern fiction writing, and there is still much to learn about this Median tribe who oversaw a religion that influenced Judaism, Christianity, and Islam among others. Further study, however is hampered by two issues. The first is a lack of source material for their religious texts (the earliest Avesta documents that are available are copies, written in the ninth century of the Common Era, of those writings gathered together in the Sassanian period (221-642 CE).[8] The second is the well-known problem in both Persian and Biblical studies: the Persian Empire produced few records by which an accurate picture can be reconstructed of their internal politics, daily lives, and ongoing religious rites. Nevertheless, such a lack opens the door for many would-be authors of fiction to redefine the word and use it as he or she sees fit.

[1]Bodil Hjerrild, “The Survival and Modification of Zoroastrianism in Seleucid Times,” in Religion and Religious Practice in the Seleucid Kingdom, 140-150; edited by Per Bilde et. al. (Aarhus: Aarhus University Press, 1990), 142.

[2]Tertullian, Part Four, Five books in Replay to Marcion I:I.60-64. Note that in the discussion of the birth of Jesus, the priests are said to have followed the star, a direct correlation to the birth narrative in the early chapters of the Gospel of Luke. 

[3]Ibid. 

[4]James Hope Moulton, The Treasure of the Magi (London; Oxford University Press, 1917), 132.

[5]S. v. "Magi," Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia [CEV], 6th edition Q1, 2013.

[6]S. v. "Magi,” Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, 2nd ed. 2001. 

[7]S. v. "Magi,” CEV.

[8]John J. Collins, “Persian Apocalypses,” in Semeia 14: Apocalypse: the Morphology of a Genre, (Society of Biblical Literature, 1979).[/noparse]

Also, the code tags don't seem to stop bbcode from parsing, at least not in the preview, so I had to wrap them in a noparse.

 

When I come across Magi in HP fanfiction, they're usually described as being powerful wizards who are serving and/or blessed by a deity or supreme being. I think as long as religion is applied in some form, the term can be used freely.

If an author just starts to refer to Dumbledore as a Magi without any context, I will X that window right quick.

 

No, I actually didn't even put in the links. I think they came out that way simply because they were footnotes.

If I can get back in and edit it at some point, I'll remove them and just use normal footnote numbers, as well as fix the errors.

EDIT: just fixed it by reposting from scratch.

 

Small point, but the singular is Magus. Dumbledore would be a Magus, one of the Magi.

 

I've... never encountered that.

Now I'm just thinking of that old fic... with like, Magi that the Wizards had hunted to extinction, there's this stone in Hogwarts and Harry becomes one... no idea.

 

It was called The Third Magic/Power/Something I can't remember right now.

 

Ancient Persian exorcists.

 

Lol.

Also, magi. It's... another term for wizard? Wizard, mage, sorcerer. Someone who uses magic. Maybe I'm just ignorant or played too much Dragon Age.

 

Magi were the priests on the Persian Empire, servants of Ahura Mahda, Lord of light. They were the only responsible for perfoming the religious services. They were wise men, with expertise on the occult, liturgy, divining, astrology and more.

 

Has it any connection with the German food brand "Maggi"?

 

I think it was Harry Potter and the Third Key? By Slowfox or something?

Edit: Yup.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5269970/1/Harry-Potter-and-the-Third-Key-Reloaded

 

Yep, that's the one. I recognise the Magi vs Wizards paragraph at the start.