A spell is a spoken or written formula, or a related act, that people have believed could bring about a magical effect. The word covers different practices across different cultures and periods; it does not describe one universal ritual, and historical evidence that people used spells is not evidence that supernatural effects occur. For video-game players, it is useful to distinguish that historical meaning from a game’s spell: a designed ability governed by the rules of its fictional world.
What is a spell?
In historical and cultural discussion, a spell is a formula or act believed to produce a magical result. Some spells were spoken; others were written down or connected with objects and rituals. Their aims and meanings depended on the community and setting in which they were used.
That broad definition is different from the familiar video-game sense. In a game, a spell is usually a fictional action or ability, with effects and limits set by the game’s rules. The shared word does not mean that a game mechanic faithfully represents any particular historical or religious practice.
What is a grimoire?
A grimoire is a book of magic that may collect spells and related instructions. It is a kind of book, not a synonym for every spell or every magical tradition. Historical magic books varied in what they contained and what they were for.
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Historian Owen Davies’s Grimoires: A History of Magic Books, published by Oxford University Press in 2009, traces grimoires through contexts that include religion, literacy, print, science, and colonial history. Its broad account places the tradition’s roots in the ancient Middle East and follows its later history across the Western Hemisphere and elsewhere; that framing does not mean all cultures shared one grimoire tradition.
How were spells used in ancient times?
One documented example comes from ancient Egypt. Yale University Press describes the Book of the Dead of Reri, an Egyptian funerary text dated 305–30 BCE, as a papyrus containing illustrated spells. The text was placed in tombs, and some spells were intended to protect the deceased from dangers such as snakes and crocodiles and assist them in the afterlife. This is evidence of spells within a specific funerary context, not a template for spell use everywhere.
What did spell books contain?
Surviving books show that their contents could include spells with different purposes. The Swedish History Museum documents two small, handwritten Icelandic books of black magic dating from the late 1500s through the mid-1600s. They contain spells intended both to help and to harm. Differences in handwriting suggest that at least two people compiled material in the books.
The Egyptian papyrus and Icelandic manuscripts belong to distinct times, places, and practices. Comparing them is useful for seeing the range of material called spells; treating them as expressions of one timeless system would erase the historical differences the objects preserve.
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| Example | Period and setting | Medium | Documented purpose | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book of the Dead of Reri | Egypt, 305–30 BCE | Illustrated papyrus placed in a tomb | Funerary assistance, including protection from snakes and crocodiles | Yale University Press account of the funerary text |
| Two Icelandic books of black magic | Iceland, late 1500s through the mid-1600s | Small handwritten books | Spells intended to help and to harm | Swedish History Museum account; handwriting suggests at least two compilers |
Are spells part of folklore?
Spells can be studied as part of the beliefs, stories, and practices of particular communities, including folklore, but the label alone does not identify a tradition or explain how a spell was understood. A manuscript, a funerary papyrus, a spoken formula, and a fictional game ability are not interchangeable just because all may be called spells. To understand a particular example, ask who used or recorded it, when and where it belongs, what form it took, and what purpose its source assigns to it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Further reading
For a historical overview of magic books, Owen Davies’s Grimoires: A History of Magic Books is a history rather than a practical manual. Yale University Press’s discussion of books of magic, spells, charms, and incantations also places illustrated examples in their historical context.
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