Magic in the Bartimaeus trilogy
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Magic in The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud is created by 2 entities, the magician and the magical entity coming from the Other Place.
Apprentices are given up by their parents to undergo magical training with a qualified magician. In return, the parents get a large sum of money as compensation. Apprentices are then trained in all manner of magical arts. They have rigorous physical as well as mental training. Swimming lessons are must as well as History, Music, Art, Languages as well as tuition in the edicts of magic.
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[edit] Magical Entity Classes
The most commonly summoned magical entities exist in 5 basic types, listed in increasing order of power:
- Imps
- Foliots
- Djinn
- Afrits
- Marids
There are many magical beings below imps---for example "mites," small magical bugs---and other beings who are stronger than marids---these are not really classified into levels, however, and magicians rarely use them, because they are in one case not very useful, on the other level too powerful to control. Elementals are also mentioned in the books, most notably their usage in elemental spheres, but their actual nature is unexplained and it is largely unclear what classification they come under, if they come under the 5 types at all. However, Bartimaeus mentions that spirits like him, who are beings of fire and air, are harmed by the elemental earth and Honorius is almost completely powerless in water, so the existence of water and earth elementals implies that they are a different form of spirit than the 5 conventional types.
In total there are thirteen thousand and forty-six classified types of spirit, and according to the magician Petronius there are forty-five thousand unclassified, although Zavattini believes there to be forty-eight thousand.
[edit] Lesser Spirits
Below and at level with Imps, there are:
- Goblin-Imps
- Homunculi
- Lamias
- Messenger Imps
- Mites
- Moulers
- Natterjack Implings
- Scarlet Vexations
- Shadow Stalkers
- Sprites
- Stygian Implets
- Vigilance/Search Sphere Imps
- Will-O'-The-Wisps
[edit] Djinn Sub-class
The various subclasses of the djinn are:
- Cockatrices Spirit with a deadly gaze, like the original Basilisk, so that one must wear mirrored glasses and place mirrors around the pentacle, with its instructions in a bowl to safely control it.
- Demi-Afrits Supposedly potent spirits that are close to, but not at, an Afrits level; at least four were present at the Piccadilly Raid.
- Ghuls djinn, fond of human flesh, sentries at Heddlam Hall, fought in the Siege Of Prague.
- Horlas (powerful djinn that cause illness and despair in humans and sap other spirits' essence, sentries at the Tower Of London and were part of the guard that protected the PM and Mr. Fry, fought in the Siege Of Prague).
- Inccubi (seductive male djinn; though not specifically mentioned, the existence of succubi seems to indicate their existence).
- Krels (tall, thin, reddish djinn, sentries at Mr. Lovelace's house).
- Reviler (mentioned only once on p.230 "Nathaniel" as a threat for his "failed" summoning of a djinni in The Amulet Of Samarkand).
- Tracker Djinn (Djinn that have the ability to bring their masters' Astral Form through another spirits' Astral Cord, allowing them to see who its master is, tracked Nathaniel by Mr. Underwood, and tracked Mart in the Westminster Raid).
- Succubi (seductive female djinn).
- Triloids (three-legged yellow sentry djinn, sentries at Mr. Lovelace's house).
- Uttukus (particularly unintelligent djinn, used as entries at the Tower Of London, fought in the Battle Of Al-Arish).
[edit] Greater Spirits
Similarly, above marids exist entities of terrible power which few magicians dare bother. Examples of these would be:
- Nouda
- Ramuthra
[edit] Notable Spirits
[edit] Notable Foliots
- Simpkin, the personal assistant to Sholto Pinn
[edit] Notable Djinn
- Bartimaeus Of Uruk (also known as Rekhyt Of Alexandria, Necho Of Jeruselum, Sakar-Al-Jinni Of Al-Arish, N'Gorso The Mighty, The Serpent Of Silver Plumes)
- Faquarl Of Sparta
- Jabor
- Shubit
- Nemaides
- Queezle
- Ascobol
- Affa
- Penrenutet
- Hodge
- Mwamba
- Cormocadran
- Purip
- Fritang
[edit] Notable Afrits
- Honorius
- Patterknife
- Naeryan
- Tchue
[edit] Essence
The basic form of the magical entities consists of a thing named essence, a flowing shapeless matter. While on earth, they have to create a physical body for themselves, which may be of any form they please. Maintaining this form pains them, and their essences weaken if summoned for a prolonged period. Their essences are also extremely vulnerable to silver and iron. These metals are often used to subdue spirits, such as when Bartimaeus Chases Honorius and when Mandrake tries to threaten Bartimaeus with a silver-tipped spear. It is to be noted that the Resistance often used silver throwing discs against spirits. The spirits are also vulnerable against rowan powder, rosemary, garlic, and a few other substances.
[edit] Summoning
To summon an entity, a magician requires to draw a pentacle. He also needs to take many precautionary measures to prevent any mishap (like escape of the entity which will likely result in the death of the magician at the hands of the entity). A number of herbs act as instruments to ward off entities. The magician then speaks a spell. The spell acts in the following manner: the magician's voice carries to the Other Place (takes nine seconds) where it wakes up the entity being called (takes seven seconds). The entity then has to answer the summons or risk tearing its essence apart. It then appears in an adjoining pentacle (takes three seconds).
Depending on the skill of the magician, there are limits to summoning ability. Some powerful magicians of summoning were:
- Nathaniel/John Mandrake
- Simon Lovelace
- Maurice Schyler
- Quentin Makepeace
- Jane Farrar
- Julius Tallow
- Jessica Whitwell
- Solomon
- William Gladstone
- Ptolemy
- Henry Duvall
[edit] Magical items
[edit] The Amulet of Samarkand
It is an immensely powerful amulet, which contains an unusually powerful entity (powerful enough to ward off the power of Ramuthra, a being so powerful that it disrupts each of the planes) which can absorb any magical spell or creature that is of lesser power than the trapped entity residing in the Amulet. It is mainly a passively defensive item. It was created 3,000 years ago in the Steppes of central Asia, as a gift to a princess.
[edit] Gladstone's staff
Gladstone's staff is a powerful offensive weapon containing the power of two marids, which was used by Gladstone, the most powerful magician of Britain, in his conquest of various countries across the world, thus building a world empire. It contained many powerful entities, and has at least two Marids worth of magical power. The staff was destroyed by Nathaniel when he let the entities inside break free so that he would be able to defeat the spirit known as Nouda.
[edit] Golem's Eye
A magical, ornate stone eye made from hardened river mud, this allows a magician to view what the golem is seeing and to give the golem commands. This must be combined with a golem's body and golem's scroll to make a functioning golem.
[edit] Golem's body
Golems were creatures shaped from mud and created by a spell which required much of the energy of the magician. They originally came from Czechoslovakia, especially Prague, where the great magician Leow created one deep in the ghetto 400 years prior to the book "The Golem's Eye", and were used as a last-ditch defence against the British invasion of Prague. They were controlled by a golem's eye, a magical instrument which allowed the magician to see what the golem was seeing and thus direct it. One was used by Henry Duvall to destroy large parts of London. This must be combined with a golem's eye and golem's scroll to make a golem. It is implied that golems draw power from a different (earthly) source than spirits.
[edit] Animating Parchment
A magical scroll inscribed with an ancient, secret Czech spell. The spell must be written with equal parts ink and blood, and a small square is made at the bottom, where the user of the golem signs his name. It is implied that whoever signs their name in that box is the only person able to control the golem. The golem's scroll is placed inside a golem's body, which animates the golem. When a golem's scroll is removed from a golem's mouth, the scroll disintegrates, and the golem returns to its owner to "die", or collapse into a pile of mud.
[edit] Seven-League Boots
These are magical talismans, allowing people to travel great distances in a few steps. They are activated by a single, magical command. People use them to appear and disappear from numerous situations and scenes without any trace. When Nathaniel retrieved them, they were part of his key plan to destroy Nouda and the other Hybrids. The pair that was worn by Verroq was destroyed (or at least unfindable) when Mandrake broke Gladstone's Staff's bonds.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- The Amulet of Samarkand ISBN 0552551577
- The Golem's Eye ISBN 038560615X
- Ptolemy's Gate ISBN 0385608683
| Bartimaeus Trilogy | |
|---|---|
| Books | The Amulet of Samarkand | The Golem's Eye | Ptolemy's Gate |
| Main characters | Nathaniel | Bartimaeus | Kitty Jones |
| Other topics | Magic in the Bartimaeus trilogy | Characters of the Bartimaeus trilogy |
