recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Melusine

**Also Known As:** Melusina

**Origin:** France

Raymond of Poitou was riding through a medieval French forest when he discovered Melusine, a beautiful, solitary woman bathing in a freshwater spring. He fell madly in love with her and asked her to marry him. She agreed on the condition that once a week, on Saturdays, she be given utter, total privacy. He agreed.

All was well for a while. Melusine and Raymond had several children. Some of the children had unusual features, exceptionally large teeth for instance, or tusks. It’s unclear whether it was the children’s appearance that whetted Raymond’s curiosity or if he ever wondered why he had met Melusine bathing all alone in the middle of a lonely forest, but after several years, her Saturday ritual of locking herself away and disappearing for the day became too much for him. Consumed with curiosity, he spied on Melusine. He discovered her all by herself, bathing in a huge tub of water, but she was not the woman he knew; instead she was part woman, part dragon—complete with wings and a serpent tail.

When she realized her privacy had been broached and her secret revealed, Melusine flew away. She never returned to her husband, but she periodically returned to see her children.

Various legends describe why Melusine is a dragon-woman. In some it is a result of a curse. In others, that’s just her natural form—she’s a goddess. Melusine’s true home may be the Celtic afterlife paradise, the Isle of Avalon. She is an ancestral spirit. Many claim to be descended from her. When a member of her family dies, even now Melusine or a dragon allegedly manifests, flying overhead and weeping.

That one day of privacy was apparently necessary for Melusine’s survival. She may be petitioned by those who seek time to express private, secret aspects of their personalities or who need time to allow hidden talents to emerge. She is a goddess of magical and spiritual wisdom.

Melusine may mean “sea mist,” “marvel,” or “wonder.”

**Manifestation:** Melusine may manifest as a woman, but her true form is a dragon woman: winged woman above the waist, serpentine tail below. In whatever form, she is exceptionally beautiful.

**Iconography:** Melusine is sometimes portrayed as a mermaid rather than a snake-woman.

**Element:** Water

**See Also:** Mami Waters; Toyotama-Hime; Vouivre

## Appearance in Modern Media

From Blood BrothersFrom Fate Grand OrderFrom Kamihime ProjectFrom Age of IshtariaFrom rage of Bahamut
## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Tyr

**Pantheon**: Norse

**Title**: The Lawgiver

## Smite Lore

Tyr. The embodiment of mankind's impossible ideals. Man is a malleable creature, but a God is stone, shaped only by the harsh weather of expectation. And none have a greater burden of expectation than Tyr, for he is Courage. He is Honor. He is Justice.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to face the frightening.

Fenrir, the mighty wolf, was foretold to wreak such devastation on the Gods that they sought to bind him. Tyr, clothed in courage, brought the beast to their prison, where the Gods prepared shackles.

Honour is not a stubborn oath, but the integrity to uphold what is right, even when it is not easy.

Under the guise of a test of strength, twice the Gods bound Fenrir, and twice he broke free. On the third attempt, Fenrir sensed a trick and demanded one of the Gods place their hand into his mouth. If the binding proved magical, Fenrir would take the hand. Tyr agreed.

Justice is not adherence to the law, but a code of fairness and morality.

Bound by the mystical ribbon, Fenrir devoured Tyr's hand. It was the price to be paid. And Tyr paid it willingly. Even Fenrir deserved justice.
One-handed, Tyr is worshipped as a pinnacle of righteousness, called upon for valour in battle, balance in law, and the fortitude to face the impossible.
Mo'o

**Origin:** Hawaii

**Classification:** Akua, Aumakua

Mo’o are gigantic dragon-like water lizard deities. Although that is their true form, Mo’o can shape-shift into the form of people. They can also possess humans (voluntarily and involuntarily).

Mo’o are guardians of water. They have dominion over dreams at night and storytelling during the day. (The Hawaiian word translated as “myth” is mo’olele.) Mo’o possess the power to reanimate and/or deify the dead.

Individual Mo’o may serve as personal guardians of specific families and lineages. They are considered part of the family (and may, in fact, be ancestral spirits) and thus expect to be honored and propitiated by their family members. Their long serpentine vertebrae are emblematic of their role as ancestral spirits. Each vertebra is a link in the ancestral chain, the family tree.

Mo’o offer protection and bestow abundance, health, fertility, and prosperity.

**Manifestation:** Their true form is as a gigantic water lizard, but they shape-shift in many forms, not limited to those of humans or lizards. For example, in one Hawaiian myth, a Mo’o takes the form of fog and torrential rain in an attempt to obstruct the goddess Hi’iaka.

**See Also:** Hi’iaka; Kihawahine; Klu; Mo’o Inanea; Nagas

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Muso Koroni

The Knowledgeable One; The Pure Woman with the Primeval Soul

**Also Known As:** Nyalé; Mousso Koroni

**Origin:** Bamana/Bambara

According to myth, Muso Koroni, Leopard Goddess of Mali, is the world’s first female while the first male was a blacksmith. Muso Koroni is among those spirits involved with the magical traditions of smithcraft. Originally a divine Creatrix, she traveled as a whirlwind sparking the process of creation.

Veneration of Muso Koroni was severely repressed by Islam. She is now considered a dangerous spirit who must be carefully controlled. Demoted from goddess to witch, she is called the Mother of Chaos. The epitome of primal womanhood, Muso Koroni is now perceived as chaotic, defiant, and unruly. Every human being is believed to possess a fragment of her wild, primeval nature. This wild part is called wanzo and in Mande tradition is the feminine force of chaos, which is excised from men via circumcision so that they become completely masculine.

Muso Koroni has dominion over witchcraft. She presides over women’s secret societies and is invoked in love magic.

**Manifestation:** Muso Koroni appears as a black panther, a many-breasted woman or as a little old lady with white hair who haunts granaries. Muso Koroni is identified with hot, dry winds that evaporate moisture.

**Colour:** Black, associated with fertility and black fertile soil

**Elements:** Fire, air (wind)

**Offerings:** Smiths traditionally craft metal images of her in the form of candelabra. Her spirit is invoked when the lamp’s cups, filled with shea butter, are lit.

**See Also:** Artemis of Ephesus; Lilith; Oya

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Set

**Pantheon**: Egyptian

**Title**: The Usurper

## Smite Lore

Imagine you can, if only for the briefest of moments, glimpse the future. Your spirit yearns to see all that you hold dear prosper, shining like a beacon against all the rest of creation, defiant against hardship and basking in the glow of peace and security. Imagine then, seeing the truth, a truth of an altogether different kind.

You see your kingdom, the divine beings who protect it and its mortal peoples, and upon looking closer, you see a rot begin to form. A weakness, fraying away at the very heart, a fundamental absence of strength that threatens to spread, yawning wide into a void that will consume all.

What lengths would you go to, to prevent this from happening? What would you sacrifice, whose blood would you be willing to spill? For the god Set, he would pay any price, even the blood of his own brother, Osiris.

Set saw the tyrannical control his brother held over the land, the hoarding of strength and power even from his own son. He looked to that son, fair Horus, starved of the means to take the reigns of command when his appointed time came, incapable of leading them into any future but darkness. Set looked upon an unworthy king, and a worse successor, and he chose to act.

He knew the world would seek to damn him, to decry his deeds as those of a murderer, slavering for power. But Set would endure such lies, to save his kingdom. He would seize the throne back from the unworthy and the weak, from the sinister and the corrupt, and in time, when the truth of the world mirrored the truth he desired in his heart, they would throng the streets to praise him. Set would be their deliverance, no matter the cost.
Xing Tian

**Pantheon**: Chinese

**Title**: The Relentless

## Smite Lore

Hear the legends of the headless warrior from the East, for they are not tales of a murderous monster, but a man that would not be undone by defeat or even death.

Long ago, three Emperors warred for supremacy of a young nation. Barely clinging to dominance, the Flame Emperor deployed his greatest general, the warrior-poet Xing Tian. Tirelessly he battled the other would-be Emperors but their numbers were too great; their weapons too sharp. Xing Tian returned to his lord in defeat but with his spirit unbroken. He begged to ride out and meet the enemy once more, but the Flame Emperor refused. His reign was over; his life forfeit to the Yellow Emperor.

Unwilling to give in despite the loss of his lord, Xing Tian rallied the Flame Army for a final siege of the Yellow Emperor's Sky Palace. While the soldiers crashed around them, Xing Tian met the Yellow Emperor in single combat, the two titans trading blows up the upon the mountaintop. High upon the snow-capped peak, the Yellow Emperor's blade struck true, beheading Xing Tian.

Was it days that passed, or years? It is unknown, but there, at the base of the mountain, Xing Tian awoke. A new face burned from his chest. The fire to battle renewed, the now headless Xing Tian rose to fight again.

For Xing Tian there is no defeat; there is no death. As long as
there is a battle to be fought he will never surrender. And he will never die.
Rhubarb

(Rheum spp.)

Planet: Venus

Element: Earth

Energies: Love, protection

Magical uses:

Rhubarb is native to China, where it is still used in medicinal herbalism. All parts of the plant are poisonous save for the red stalks. Rhubarb is a love food. The zingy taste ensures zingy, exciting relationships if rhubarb is prepared with visualization. Rhubarb or rhubarb/strawberry pie is one of the ultimate love foods. The addition of sugar (necessary if rhubarb is to be enjoyed) seals the loving qualities of this Venusian vegetable. A wedge of rhubarb pie makes an excellent protective dessert.
Mesoamerican

The primary purpose of the ancient Maya was to give a sense of order and control to life, that was their world view. What created their world view was the mere fact that their primary crop was corn and they had to manage the wet and dry seasons which would predict the timing of the corn cycle. In the Popol Vuh, which is the Mayan creation story, the creation of the earth and the first human beings focus on the establishment of corn and on the creator deities. The important creator deities consisted of Huracan and Itzamna. In the Popol Vuh, Hun Hunahpu loses a ballgame against the gods of the underworld and they decapitate him. However, his sons the Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, defeat the gods of the underworld and restore the world to its former glory. The ancient Maya worshipped the gods in order to keep the crop cycle going, they also performed sacrificial rituals for the gods in order to make sure their demands would come to fruition.

From Smite Gods

## Mayan Gods

ItzamnaChaacAwilixKukulkanXbalanqueCabrakanAh PuchIx TabCamazotzHun BatzAh Muzen Cab

## Aztec Gods

HuitzilopochtliAhuiateteoCoatliqueMayahuel
Peter Mormius

Mormius, Peter (17th c.) Alchemist and Rosicrucian. In 1630 Peter Mormius, a noted alchemist and author of Rosicrucian works, sought to introduce Rosicrucianism into Holland by petitioned the States-General for a public audience. Mormius said that he had a plan to make Holland the richest and happiest nation on Earth with the help of the Philosopher’s Stone and Elementary Spirits. Unimpressed, state officials turned him away. Mormius then thought that he could force this issue by publishing his alchemical book which he did during the same year in Leyden. The Book of the Most Hidden Secrets of Nature was comprised of three parts: perpetual motion, transmutation of metals, and universal medicine. This failed as well.

## Information Source

The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley
Min

Lord of the Eastern Desert; Lord of Foreign Lands

**Origin:** Egypt

Min is the lord of male sexuality, virility, and fertility. The gifts he bestows on devotees include sexual energy, vitality, vigor, and fertility. Min ensures production of healthy sperm and semen and may also be petitioned to bestow fertility to women. During the New Kingdom (1567–1085 BCE), Min was honored during pharaonic coronation rites to ensure the pharaoh’s sexual vigor and to guarantee a male heir.

Min is paired with Nephthys and also sometimes with Isis, either as a son or a consort. He may be an avatar of Osiris. Min also has other functions. He is a storm spirit with control over precipitation and is associated with the agricultural harvest. He was the lord of caravan routes through the desert, protecting merchants from various potential dangers emanating from spiritual and human sources as well as from the desert itself.

**Favoured People:** Travelers, nomads, merchants, hunters

**Attributes:** Thunderbolt

**Colour:** Black, white

**Creatures:** White Bull, Ram

**Tree:** Palm

**Planet:** Sun

**Element:** Air

**Sacred Sites:** Min’s most important sanctuaries were at Koptus (Qift) and Akhmim (Panoplis). His temple was among the last, if not the last, to be abandoned following the abolition of traditional Egyptian religion. Min rules desert roads. Historically, he ruled the caravan routes that left Koptus, journeying through the desert to the Red Sea.

**Offerings:** Min was traditionally offered a portion of the harvest. In addition, he was given lettuce, but not just any lettuce. The Egyptians possessed a special phallic-shaped lettuce with a milky residue reputed to have aphrodisiac properties. Substitutions are appropriate but some attempt should be made to maintain the phallic nature of the sacrifice; cucumbers or large endives might be more appropriate than plain lettuce leaves or a head of iceberg. Phallic-shaped ex-votos may also be offered.

**See Also:** Isis; Nephthys; Osiris

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Spell to Freeze Enemy

Use this spell to stop or impede an adversary or irritating person who will not take no for an answer.

### Items needed:

One small opaque container, a bottle of Tabasco sauce, and a picture of or handwriting from the person you want to stop.

Place the picture or handwriting at the bottom of the container. Sprinkle some of the Tabasco sauce over it and then fill the container with water. As you place the container in the freezer, say the following with great emphasis:

Fiery hot, and then frozen cold,

Your powers are now put on hold.
Norse

In Norse Mythology, the gods and the earth were created at the death of Ymir, the primordial deity and ice-giant. Before he was slain, the cow Audhumla, who was created with the same materials as Ymir, started to lick the salt off an ice block which in turn created the god Buri, who then immediately produced a son of his own, Borr. While Ymir fell asleep after drinking the cow's milk, he too bore a son and a daughter out of his armpits and a six-headed frost giant grew out of his feet. It was not too long before the frost giants and the gods did not get along with each other; the forces of good and evil were at war. One day Borr married the giantess Bestla, who gave them three mighty sons: Odin, Vili, and Ve. The trio decided to join their father, Borr, at defeating the frost giants, which they succeeded by killing the mighty Ymir. Thus, out of Ymir's flesh, the Midgard or the earth was created, of his blood the sea, of his bones the hills, and of his hairs the trees. With his skull, the heavens were born and with the scattering of his brain the clouds. Odin, the sky-father, and his sons Loki and Thor, ruled the city of Asgard, home of the gods. Here they defended the advances of the evil frost-giants of Jotun-heim. Aesir, as the Norse gods were called, were full of courage and heroism.

From Smite Gods

For information on Aesir Spirits

## Gods

OdinFriggThorLokiFreyaFreyrIdunnBalderSkadiHeimdallHelAngerboda/GullveigSolUllrBragiMimir

## Creatures

FenrirJormungandrFafnirRatatoskrDwarvesElf
Mo'o Inanea

**Origin:** Hawaii

Mo’o Inanea’s name is sometimes interpreted as the “self-reliant dragon.” She raised the primordial woman Hina and introduced her to Ku, arranging their marriage. She then traveled to Hawaii with them. Mo’o Inanea is among the highest-ranking Mo’o.

**Sacred Sites:** A clay pit on Oahu is among the places Mo’o Inanea calls home.

**See Also:** Hina; Ku; Mo’o

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Ostara (Holiday)

Ostara, the spring solstice, marks the astronomical start of spring. This was a time of joyous celebration, for the killing months of winter were over. Plants sprang from the ground in ways that seemed miraculous to our ancestors.

Because the burgeoning growth hasn’t yet fruited, sprouts are very appropriate. Seeds of any kind (including pine nuts, sesame, poppy, sunflower, and pumpkin) and green, leafy vegetables also vibrate with the season’s energies.

Flower dishes are also traditional. Rose, mustard, squash blossom, nasturtium, carnation—all can be added to more conventional dishes to bring the flavour and energies of the season into your diet. Never use flowers that have been sprayed with pesticides.

Eggs are a welcome addition to the diet. If you wish, colour them red, yellow, and gold in honour of the sun. Flavour foods with sage for good health.
Wheat

(Triticum spp.)

Planet: Venus
Element: Earth

Lore:

Wheat has long played a part in the human diet. After rice, it’s the second-most commonly used grain for human food, and was first cultivated during the Neolithic age.

The Egyptians, Sumerians, Babylonians, Hittites, Greeks, and Romans all worshipped harvest deities associated with wheat. Wheat is particularly a symbol of the Mother Goddess. She taught the secrets of agriculture to women, the grain’s first farmers and cultivators. In ancient Greece, newly married couples were pelted with sweetmeats and grains of wheat.

The Romans crowned brides and grooms with wreaths of wheat and with lilies to symbolize purity and fertility

Magical uses:

Whole wheat is best for magical (and nutritional) purposes. Bleached wheat has had more than its vitamins, minerals, and bran removed: it also lacks magical energy. Though white bread was eaten by the Roman upper classes, it’s spiritually dead food.

Eat wheat-based foods (breads and all dough products) to bring prosperity and money into your life.

Before baking a loaf of bread, use a sharp knife to ritually incise a symbol of a specific energy that you wish to bring into your life. Do this with visualization. Various types of wheat bread have diverse energies and magical uses. Here are some of them:

Twisted breads (any bread-recipe book contains directions) are fine additions to protective diets. The more twists, the more protection. Visualize as you braid the dough.

Egg breads are baked and eaten, with visualization, to promote physical fertility.

Saffron bread enhances spirituality. To a lesser extent, so too do all round loaves.

Sprouted bread is excellent for increasing psychic awareness.

Pita bread (also known as “pocket bread”) is a fine spirituality food.

Seven-grain bread (or its eight-grain cousin) is a fine money attractant.

Dill bread promotes love.

Garlic bread, created by slathering slices of bread with garlic-flavoured butter, is a delicious and powerful addition to protection diets.

Most European countries produce sweetened breads for use during spring festivals (which are now connected with later Christian holidays such as Easter)
Zhong Kui

**Pantheon**: Chinese

**Title**: The Demon Queller

## Smite Lore

In this world resides powerful evil, intent on destroying everything crafted by Gods and Men. Without guardians of equal strength, all would have fallen long ago. Zhong Kui was once a man with ambitions no greater than scholastic excellence, but in death became the perfect shield
against evil’s onslaught.

Zhong Kui sought to pit his brilliant mind against the Imperial Examinations, tests to select councillors for the Emperor. With ease, he passed, but when the emperor saw his hideous face, he cast the scholar out. Offended, furious, Zhong Kui hurled himself repeatedly at the palace gates until his body was broken.

For his crime, Zhong Kui’s soul was judged by the King of Hell, but where the Emperor saw only ugliness, the King of Hell saw potential armed with genius. Zhong Kui was appointed Lord of Demons, tasked to forever hunt and ensnare the evils of the world.
For centuries, homeowners and shopkeepers have adorned their buildings with Zhong Kui’s likeness, for that visage that once horrified the emperor now glares with purpose at unwelcome demons.
Seaweed

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Energies: Weight loss

### Lore:

Seaweed (more correctly, sea vegetables) are surprisingly nutritious foods that are rarely found in Western diets, except as processed food additives (such as carrageenan). In Cornwall, pieces of a seaweed known as Lady’s Tresses were placed on small stands near the chimney to guard seaside cottages against fire. Seaweed is eaten throughout the year by the Japanese, who also serve it on their lunar New Year for happiness.

Magical uses:

Add seaweed to your diet if you wish to lose weight. Seaweed has been prescribed for this purpose since ancient times. Dried kelp (a generic term for seaweed) is available in all health-food stores.
Puffer

A Puffer is a nickname for an alchemist who is preoccupied with transmuting base metals into gold and silver and who ignores the spiritual or philosophical side of Alchemy. Puffers earned their nickname from their penchant for the use of bellows and forges. They were scorned by “true” alchemists; however, their experiments sometimes led to discoveries in chemistry.

Puffers laboured away in dirty laboratories, often killing themselves from careless handling of chemicals or from inhaling poisonous fumes. They hired themselves out to wealthy patrons who wanted easy riches, but their failure to produce precious metals landed them in prison or even on the execution block.

One puffer of note was Johann F. Bottiger, a German “pharmaceutical assistant” who in 1701, at age 16, reportedly transformed several 20-pfennig pieces of silver into gold in front of aristocratic witnesses in Berlin. The projection was aided by Bottiger’s employer, who applied a dark red glass tincture to the silver pieces.

Bottiger was vaulted to fame and caught the attention of Frederich I of Prussia, a gold-hungry ruler who executed alchemists who failed to make gold. Bottiger fled to avoid being forced to work for Frederich but fell into the employ of another greedy monarch, Augustus the Strong of Saxony, who hanged failed alchemists from a gallows decked out in tinsel to mock their failure. Augustus gave Bottiger everything he could want in the way of equipment—but made him a prisoner of the state.

Bottiger managed to spend 18 years working for Augustus, convincing the king that he could indeed make gold and silver. What saved his life was his ability to imitate porcelain imported from China. In 1706 August ordered him to discover how porcelain was made, and it took Bottiger three years to do so. His success enabled August to establish a porcelain factory in Meissen in 1710. Bottiger oversaw the factory and carefully guarded his secret for making porcelain.

But Augustus still demanded gold and silver, and in 1713 he insisted that Bottiger Demonstrate his ability or face execution. On March 13, Bottiger took copper and lead and made small buttons of gold and silver, according to witnesses. Bottiger’s life was saved. In December 1717, again under pressure by the king, Bottiger swore that he would reveal his secret formula for making precious metals. But before he did so, he apparently inhaled poisonous fumes in his laboratory and died. Whether the death was accidental or suicide is not known.
Metis

Wise Counsel

Metis, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, is an ancient goddess of wisdom and cleverness. Metis gave Kronos the emetic potion that caused him to vomit him up the children he had swallowed.

Metis married Zeus. She is his first or second wife, depending on whether one counts Dione. Prophesies foretold that Metis was destined to bear incredibly brilliant, wise children. You would think most fathers would be happy about this, but not Zeus.

* Metis’ first child, Athena, was destined to equal her father in wisdom and courage.
* Her second child was destined to conquer his father, just like Zeus and Kronos had conquered theirs.

Zeus determined that there would be no second child. He outfoxed Metis. When she was pregnant with Athena, he played a shape-shifting game with her. She took various different forms, and when she became a tiny fly, he swallowed her. The implication is that he killed and consumed her, somehow managing to rescue daughter Athena, who later emerged full-grown in full battle gear from Zeus’ head.

Another theory suggests that Metis exists within Zeus: he is able to draw on her wisdom, with or without her permission. Alternatively, Athena—who was born full-grown—is Metis. Athena’s insistence on virginity and chastity is her way of staying safe: Zeus will never permit the birth of the second child. (Erichtonios, the child she must keep secret, may be that child.)

* Metis may originally derive from North Africa, possibly related to Ma’at.
* Metis, Athena, and Medusa may form a trinity of closely related spirits.

**Manifestation:** Metis is a skilled shape-shifter, a talent that led to her undoing.

**Element:** Water

**See Also:** Athena; Dione; Erich tonios; Kronos; Ma’at; Medusa; Oceanus; Zeus

## Appearance in Modern Media

From Kamihime ProjectFrom Sid StoryFrom Age of Ishtaria
## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Maria Prophetess

Maria Prophetess In Alchemy, one of the early and most esteemed Hellenistic alchemists. Maria Prophetess is also known as Maria the Jewess, Maria the Hebrew, Maria Hebraea, and Mary the Prophetess.

Little is known about the life of Maria Prophetess. She lived prior to Zosimus, who lived in Hellenistic Egypt in about 300 C.E.; he quotes her as an Adept extensively in his own writings. It is not known where she was born, exactly where she resided, or how she acquired her alchemical wisdom. In medieval times she was associated with Miriam, the sister of Moses. In Arabic lore, she is called Mariya al-Qibityya, or Maria the Copt; “Maria the Sage, daughter of the king of Saba;” and also “the matron Maria Sicula.” Arnold de Villanova called her “the daughter of Pluto.” Michael Maier debated whether or not she was a fictitious person but concluded that she was genuine and was not the sister of Moses but another Jewish woman who possessed great knowledge. An early father of the church, Epiphanus (circa 315–402), cited two works by Maria called Great Questions and Small Questions, of which he was critical. Small Questions relates a vision Maria allegedly had of Jesus in which he produced a woman from his side, had intercourse with her, and explained to Maria that this transfer of semen was necessary for things to live.
According to medieval lore, Maria said that the secrets of alchemy were revealed to her by God; the title prophetessa was appended to her name in about the early 16th century. Her most significant teachings are in a manuscript entitled Dialog of Maria and Aros, published in the late 16th century as a Latin translation of an Arabic work, which may in turn have been translated from a Greek original. Aros, a fictitious philosopher, comes to Maria to learn the secrets of the Great Work.

Maria is credited with inventing several alchemical apparatuses—whether she actually invented them or merely popularized them is not known. The best known of these is the balneum Mariae, a water Bath. The apparatus is a double vessel. The outer vessel is filled with water and the inner vessel contains whatever substance to be heated to a moderate degree by the surrounding hot water. Maria also gave the earliest description of a still, as well as a more complex alchemical still called a tribikos, made of copper.

Maria gave a formula for making the Philosopher’s Stone and was credited with inventing various alchemical procedures. She held that all things in nature are one, and she authored axioms about this fundamental concept of alchemy. The most famous axiom is “One becomes two, two becomes three, and by means of the third and fourth achieves unity; thus two are but one.” Carl G. Jung read a Christian interpretation into this axiom, saying that the even Numbers represent the feminine principle, the earth and evil, which are interwoven with the uneven numbers of Christian dogma.

## Information Source

The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley
Ravana

**Pantheon**: Hindu

**Title**: Demon King of Lanka

## Smite Lore

Power does not come without sacrifice. The greater the sacrifice, the more immeasurable the power. Ravana, the Demon King of Lanka knew this. For years he worshipped, showing his devotion through isolation, prayer, and penance before the shrine of Shiva. Yet for years he was met with only silence. In his pursuit of immortality, he sacrificed his very life. He cut off his own head.

Agony and pain met him as it regrew. He was greeted not by Death, but by rejection. Shiva the destroyer did not want him. Ravana was undaunted. Nine more times his head was offered, and on his tenth sacrifice, finally Shiva was sated.

For the Demon King, Shiva granted a boon. Instead of immortality, he gained invulnerability against those he viewed as threats: Gods and Demons. Ravana could not be destroyed.

A master of combat, a genius scholar, a peerless leader, and now invincible, Ravana amassed an army of fiends and monsters to conquer the world. None could stop him. The Monkey King tried, but Ravana fought off his attacks. The Demon King's armies conquered all, leaving Ravana to rule from a golden throne.

Vishnu, in his wisdom and grace, would not permit Ravana's dominance. By Gods and Demons Ravana could not be harmed, but by mortals...
Thus was Vishnu reborn Rama, a mere man.
Thomas Norton

Thomas Norton, (d. 1477) was an English alchemist who learned from George Ripley. Thomas Norton is the author of a noted alchemical work, The Ordinall of Alchimy.

Thomas Norton the alchemist is believed to be the same Thomas Norton as the privy councillor to Edward VI. He was born to a wealthy family in Bristol; his father was sheriff of Bristol in 1401 and mayor in 1413 and also was a member of Parliament. Norton began his study of Alchemy early in life, writing letters to Adepts and asking for information. He was 28 when he sent a letter to Ripley, who answered by inviting him to meet face-to-face to discuss the secrets of the art. Ripley promised to make him “my heir and brother in this art.”

Norton stayed with Ripley for 40 days. He had already studied both the occult sciences and natural philosophy; and he quickly learned alchemy. However, Ripley declined to give him the secret of the process of making the white elixir into red elixir (see Elixir of Life; Philosopher's Stone) because of his youth, and the danger of using it improperly. Only after Norton convinced him of his integrity did Ripley at last yield up the secret.

Norton returned to Bristol with the secret for making the Great Red Elixir. But his first elixir was stolen by a servant, sending Norton into such a deep depression that he nearly gave up alchemy altogether. He rallied and made more elixir, but once again he was robbed, this time by a woman who was said to be the wife of William Canning, the mayor of Bristol, who suddenly came into great wealth.

In 1477 Norton wrote *Of Alkimy the Ordinal, the Crede Mihi, the Standard Perpetuall*, which became known as *The Ordinall of Alchimy*. He gave a copy to George Nevill, the archbishop of York, to whom Ripley dedicated one of his major works. *The Ordinall* is written in verse, originally in Latin. It’s first English translations was in 1652 in Elias Ashmole’s *Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum*.

The Ordinall discusses alchemists and their equipment, especially their furnaces, and describes procedures in vague terms. Norton portrays alchemy as a holy art that should not be undertaken for “appetite of Lucre and Riches.” He admonishes alchemists to learn how to discern honest and real alchemists from frauds and charlatans and says that most books of alchemical recipes are false. He holds that Nature can transmute minerals to metals under the Sun’s rays but that alchemy is more modest and must deal with the transmutation of existing metals. Astrological aspects are important for carrying out the work in four successive stages: Sun in Sagittarius and Moon in Aries; Sun in Libra and Moon in Virgo; Sun in Virgo and Moon in Libra; and Sun and Moon both in Leo.

Norton gave no evidence of profiting from his alchemical labours, and friends who invested money with him took losses. He died in 1477. His grandson, Samuel, also became an alchemist and wrote treatises on the Hermetic arts.

## Information Source

The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley
Sprouts

Planet: Various

Element: Various

Energies: Various

### Magical uses:

Generally, all sprouts are fine for promoting psychic awareness. Here’s a list of some specific sprouts and their energies:

Alfalfa (Venus, earth): Money, psychic awareness

Bean (Mercury, air): Protection

Mung (Mercury, air): Spirituality

Soy (Moon, earth): Spirituality, psychic awareness, protection

Sunflower (Sun, fire): Protection
Minotaur

**Pantheon**: Greek

**Parents**: Minos and Pasiphae

## About

The Minotaur is a half-human half-bull monster in Greek mythology that was imprisoned in the labyrinth of Crete which was built by Daedalus on the order of king Minos. The Minotaur would wander the labyrinth and attack and devour any who entered. Each year seven boys and seven girls were sent by Athens as a tribute to King Minos to atone for the death of his son. Each year they were sent to be slaughtered by the Minotaur until the hero Theseus volunteered as a tribute and with the help of Ariadne managed to slay the Minotaur.

## Modern Interpretations

The Minotaur has become a staple of the fantasy genre to the point where it has become regarded as a regular monster species and has appeared as such in many modern games which will be listed down below. Some modern portrayals show the Minotaur as less of a wild monster and more of a tragic figure. The Minotaur referred to as Asterios, plays a major role in the Okeanos chapter of the game Fate/ Grand Order where he is portrayed as a sympathetic figure and is befriended by the protagonist and helps to fight the antagonist of the chapter while also forming a friendship with the goddess Euryale.
Namaka

**Origin:** Polynesia

Namaka, Ocean Goddess, is the child of Haumea and Ku and is volcano goddess Pelé’s older sister. Conflict with Namaka was the primary reason for Pelé’s migration to Hawaii. Tahiti, their birthplace, wasn’t big enough for both these powerful, turbulent goddesses. Different reasons for the bitter conflict between the sisters are offered:

* They may have quarrelled over a lover.
* Pelé may have seduced Namaka’s husband.
* Namaka’s beloved dog may have had an unfortunate encounter with fire, leaving the water goddess bitterly hostile to fire deities.
* The two sisters may just be elementally incompatible.

Pelé’s departure failed to satisfy Namaka, who pursued her kid sister from island to island, extinguishing all her fires and threatening Pelé. Namaka’s name means “eyes,” and she kept those eyes fixed on Pelé, who finally reached safe haven in Hawaii. Needless to say, the two sisters cannot safely share altar space together. They will fight and compete with each other via fire and water. In general, Namaka manifests anger through tidal waves.

**See Also:** Haumea; Kapo; Ku; Pelé; Poliahu

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Tomato

(Lycopersicon spp.)

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Energies: Health, money, love, protection

Lore:

Known as zictomatl by the Aztecs, the tomato is an ancient food. When it was introduced into Europe in the sixteenth century, the tomato was regarded with suspicion. It is botanically related to nightshade, which is obvious from studying the plant’s leaves, flowers, and even fruit. Everyone assumed that its fruits were also poisonous, despite the tales of the inhabitants of New Spain (Mexico) eating it and surviving.

The fruits became known as “love apples” and were finally accepted into the dietary regime. At some point in the past, the tomato was considered to be a lucky food, and the red tomato pincushions that are still made today are a survival of this idea. Lonely women once dried tomato seeds and enclosed them in a piece of cloth. They wore this charm around their necks in the hope of attracting men.

Magical uses:

Tomatoes can be used in a number of ways. Tomato sauce, tomato juice, and the popular Italian combination of sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil are just some of them. For health, eat fresh tomatoes, or cook them with sage and rosemary. Mixing basil, cinnamon, or dill weed with tomatoes creates an especially potent, money-attracting food. For love, season tomatoes with rosemary, or eat them while they’re fresh and bursting with juice. To bring protective energy inside yourself, flavour tomatoes with black pepper, bay, dill, or rosemary.
Madame Brigitte

**Also known as:** Maman Brigitte; La Grande Brigitte; Brijit (Kreyol); Mother Bridget (New Orleans)

**Origin:** Haiti

**Classification:** Lwa

Madame Brigitte is Queen of the Cemetery and Spirit World. She is married to Baron Samedi and is venerated and petitioned alongside him, especially for fertility and healing. The Baron and Brigitte are invoked on behalf of terminally ill children. If Baron Samedi frightens you, Madame Brigitte may be petitioned to intercede on your behalf.
Brigitte has tremendous powers of her own: she is not dependent on her husband. Madame Brigitte is an avatar of Brigid, who was brought to Haiti by Scots and Irish indentured servants. She evolved in Haiti, transformed into a lwa, and wed the Baron; however songs suing in her honour still recall that she originally came from Scotland. La Grande Brigitte travels well: Haitian refugees carried her to New Orleans, where she is also actively venerated.

* Madame Brigitte is invoked to protect one’s children serving in the military.
* She is invoked for healing or for financial prosperity (especially when a quick fix of cash is desperately needed).
* Madame Brigitte serves as a judge in the Court of Spirits: invoke her for justice if it is not forthcoming elsewhere.
* Invoke her help in regular courts, too: petition her for success with court cases and legal issues.

Madame Brigitte is syncretized to Mary Magdalen, whose image may be used to represent her.

**Manifestation:** Madame Brigitte is traditionally envisioned as a white woman.

**Attribute:** Cross

**Days:** Monday, Wednesday, or Saturday, depending on tradition

**Colours:** Purple, black, violet

**Number:** 9

**Trees:** Elms and weeping willows; Madame Brigitte lives in trees within the graveyard.

**Altar:** In the cemetery, rocks are arranged as cairns or pyramids to serve as an altar for Brigitte; arrange cemetery rocks on home altars.

**Offerings:** Violets and purple irises; black coffee; rum in which many small extremely hot peppers have been steeped (she really likes those hot peppers; add them to her offerings as appropriate); over-proof rum; red wine; nine purple eggplants; black beans and rice; corn meal; corn bread; roast corn.

**See Also:** Baron Samedi; Brigid; Lwa; Mary Magdalen; Oya

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Ostara (Goddess)

*Radiant Dawn*

**Also known as:** Easter; Eostre; Astara

**Origin:** Germanic

Call her Easter: it’s her name. The various different spellings reflect regional pronunciations. Ostara was venerated throughout Germanic lands. She is the spirit of resurrection, Lady of Spring, and the return of life and fertility after winter’s darkness. Her name derives from the same root word as estrus and estrogen. It may mean east; the direction of the radiant dawn. Ostara’s annual return is celebrated with flowers, bell ringing, and singing. New fires are lit at dawn.

**Manifestation:** She manifests as a beautiful young woman, with flowers in her hair.

**Consort**: Her male consort takes the form of a rabbit. Sometimes he is the size of a full-grown human male; at other times he’s a little bunny that she cradles in her arms. Ostara and her frisky rabbit bring the eggs that signify Earth’s resurgence of fertility.

**Offerings:** If it’s advertised as being for Easter, then it’s got her name on it. Give Ostara Easter baskets and bunnies; painted eggs and chocolate eggs; build her an egg tree. Once upon a time, it was traditional to offer her painted eggs in the cemetery on the Vernal Equinox.

**Day**: The Vernal Equinox; Ostara is the name of the modern Wiccan sabbat celebrating the Spring Equinox.

**Animal**: Rabbit

**See Also:** Ix Chel; Waldmichen

## Appearances in Modern Media

From American GodsFrom Age of IshtariaFrom Rage of Bahamut
## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Samshin Halmoni

**Also known as:** Birth Grandmother

Samshin Halmoni, the Birth Grandmother, is among Korea’s most powerful goddesses. Halmoni literally means “Grandmother,” but it’s also a term of reverence and respect. She is really the mother, not the grandmother, of three spirits. Her actual name Tang Kum Agassi means “Tang Dynasty Silk-Like Baby.” The Tang Dynasty ruled China from 618–907 CE; it’s theorized that the story dates from that time.

She was a shaman whose parents are described as “heavenly beings.” At age fifteen, while her parents and nine brothers were away, she was seduced by a monk who was, at least according to legend, an avatar of the historic Buddha. When her family returned home, they discovered that she was pregnant. Her brothers tried to kill her, but her mother stopped them. She was locked in a stone box and left to die of hunger and thirst, but her mother freed her. She gave birth to triplets, whom she raised in secret. Because she delivered three sons at once, despite terrible obstacles, the young girl was honoured as the Birth Grandmother. (In a society that values sons, this was perceived as an incredibly sacred feat.)

* Samshin Halmoni the Birth Grandmother is responsible for all births on Earth.
* She protects infants for the first hundred days after birth.
* Although she supervises all births, the Birth Grandmother takes special care of home births.

**Attribute:** Gourd dipper (ladle)

**Offerings:** She may be venerated anytime, but offerings are expected for the three consecutive days following birth: offer incense, candles, spring water, alcoholic beverages, and cooked meals, including seaweed soup and rice.

**See Also:** Buddha; Avatar

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Rice

(

   Oryza sativa)

Planet: Sun

Element: Air

Energies: Money, Sex, Fertility, Protection

Lore:

Rice is to Asia what corn is to the Americas. It has been laboriously cultivated and eaten in the East for thousands of years. Linked with deity and served at every meal, rice was and still is a vital staple food for many peoples. More than half of the world’s population regularly eats rice. It’s of central importance in China, Japan, and
throughout the Pacific area.

Because of this, numerous rituals and customs have been attached to rice. Among some peoples, if a man and a woman eat rice out of a common bowl, it is a binding declaration of marriage.

In China, rice is thrown at newlywed couples to confer luck and many children. This is the origin of our similar custom.

The Japanese, who still revere rice, eat it with red beans (azuki) to bring good fortune. Interestingly enough, these are the same beans added to shaved ice (a flavored ice treat) enjoyed in Hawaii; and red beans and rice is an old Cajun luck food in Louisiana. In Japan, red rice, produced by cooking a special type of rice with azuki beans, was once eaten on the first and fifteenth days of each month for good luck, as well as on birthdays and festivals. Red is a colour of joy.

Wasting rice, to a Japanese, is an inexcusable action. In feudal times, rice was used as money to pay salaries, allowances, and retainers.

The Japanese used rice to startle and scatter “evil spirits.” In the past, one spirit, in particular, was believed to disturb babies who cried in the night without apparent cause. A bowl of rice was always placed near the infant. When trouble began, the mother or father threw a handful of rice from the bowl onto the floor. This frightened away the spirit and allowed the child to peacefully sleep all night. Ancient magic clings to rice. In cooking rice, if a ring forms around the edge of the pot, the owner will become rich.

Cooked rice, mixed with sugar and cinnamon (a common treat), is believed to “make a man skilful in his relation with the ladies.”

Magical uses:

Though white rice has outstripped brown rice in popularity, choose the brown variety for the best nutritional and magical effects. Rice cakes, those cute circles of pressed, puffed rice, are a deliciously simple way to bring rice energy into your life. Hold a plain rice cake in your hand and visualize money, enhanced sexuality, fertility, or protection. Eat the cake while retaining the visualization.

Before cooking brown rice, pour some of the rice to be used onto a clean, flat surface one grain thick. While visualizing, use a finger to trace an image of your needed change in the rice (a heart for luck, a dollar sign for money, and so on). Cook and eat this charged rice.
Squash

(Curcurbita spp.)

Planet: Sun

Element: Fire

Energies: Spirituality

### Lore:

Squash was cultivated in the Americas as early as 4000 B.C.E. Several American Indian tribes honored this plant. One striking Hopi kachina is depicted with a squash head, and squash-blossom necklaces are modern reminders of the original sacredness of this simple plant.

### Magical uses:

Eat this vegetable in dishes designed to increase awareness of the nonphysical reality around us. It is fine spirituality-inducing food. At least for magical purposes, a squash is a squash, baked or fresh, acorn, hubbard, or zucchini.