sorcery

Sorcery refers to practices intended to influence events through supernatural means. It commonly involves rituals, spoken formulas, charms, or other acts believed to harness hidden powers. Across cultures, sorcery is often distinguished from broader notions of magic by its focus on deliberate manipulation of particular outcomes and by the authority or status of the practitioner within a community.

Etymology and scope: The term sorcery derives from Old French sorcier, sorciere, from Latin sortiarius, related to fate or luck. In scholarly use, sorcery describes organized techniques and traditions rather than spontaneous power, and boundaries with witchcraft and magic vary by culture and era.

Historical and cultural contexts: References to sorcery appear in ancient Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman texts, and in many traditional societies in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania. Practices often accompany healing, protection, divination, and social dispute management, and they may be regulated, tolerated, or condemned depending on the culture and period.

Methods and social dimensions: Common elements include ritual actions, symbolic objects, and invocations of spirits, ancestors, or deities. Outcomes are interpreted through cultural frames that link misfortune or success to sorcery. The perceived power of a sorcerer often rests on knowledge, lineage, and communal legitimacy.

Modern perspectives: Anthropologists study sorcery to illuminate belief, social power, and ritual practice. The term is applied variably across cultures and often used by outsiders to classify unfamiliar traditions. In fiction and media, sorcery remains a versatile motif reflecting questions about agency and the unseen world.