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Table of Contents
Magic, also referred to as hocus pocus, is a performance of tricks and illusions by a magician which primarily aims to entertain the audience. Magic can be traced back from the earliest times through people who were called sorcerers. Magic nowadays has a larger scope even in the age of science, and is still performed by people called illusionists.
See the fact file below for more information on Magic, or you can download our 26-page Magic worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
MAGIC
- The term magic comes from the Greek βmagosβ which means βmember of the learned or priestly classβ.
- Magic is considered an ancient art. Its purpose is to show that impossible or supernatural things can be realistic or done using ordinary means.
- Magic uses different names, including conjuring, prestidigitation, wizardry, sorcery, legerdemain, necromancy, or thaumaturgy.
- Magic reflects the early peopleβs belief in supernatural interventions, especially those that believed and worshipped inanimate objects.
- During these early times, magic was considered as the belief in rituals or offerings in order to solve a problem in health, infertility, wealth, calamities, and other human needs.
- This is why religious people considered magic as an act of the devil or paganistic activity.
- The most commonly known as βmagicβ nowadays is the act of performing tricks that primarily amaze and entertain people.
- These magic tricks are performed on stage by an βillusionistβ.
- Some of these magic tricks include playing card tricks, pulling a rabbit from a hat, or making someone or something vanish.
- Even in the age of science and technology, many people are still amazed by these tricks.
THE HISTORY OF MAGIC
- Magic plays a huge role in the early Egyptiansβ life.
- They even upheld the idea that βa world without magic is inconceivableβ.
- They attributed the worldβs creation, the healing of the sick, and the assurance of life and death to magic.
- One example of believing in the work of magic was when an Egyptian woman couldnβt conceive, she would spend an evening in the Bes Chamber (incubation chamber) located in a temple.
- Bes was the god of childhood, sexuality, fertility, and other responsibilities that established the belief that his presence would encourage fertility.
- This is also one of the reasons why Egyptian women, to encourage fertility, carry amulets and tattoos attributed to Bes. These amulets were also worn by children as a form of protection.
- Heka is the god of magic, and it is also the name used to pertain to its practice.
- Heka was known as early as the Pre-Dynastic Period (6, 000-3150 c. BCE). However, he never had a temple because of the belief that he permeated every area of Egyptian life.
- The magician-priest or priest physician would invoke Hera during their practice of magic (also known as hera).
- In ancient Greece, magic involved spells, evil prayers (epodai), curse tablets (katadesmoi), drugs and deadly poisons (pharmaka), amulets (periapta), powerful love potions (philtra), and other things that people used in their daily lives in order to achieve happiness.
- Both men and women practiced magic art and activities.
- Magoi, Magi or the priests of Persia, were believed to be the first practitioners of magic in Greece who were also known as masters of mathematics and physics.
- Greek magic was often attributed to several gods and goddesses such as Hecate (goddess of the moon and witchcraft), Orpheus (who could charm animals with his lyre), and Circe (sorceress daughter of Helios who was an expert in magical herbs and potions).
- Greeks regarded magic as something that could possibly bring consequences, so ordinary people should not be reckless.
- Greeks realized the potential abuse of magic in the form of bewitching drugs and incantations, so Plato wanted to punish those who sold spells and curse tablets.
- Epicureans and Stoics also fought to eradicate magic.
- Despite these movements against magic, many individuals still believed in the power of magic, so they wore an amulet.
- The amulet was believed to bring protection, help farmers, or provide sufficient rainfall.
- Curses, for Greeks, were their means to maintain public order by threatening any individual who might bring possible harm to the community.
- Curses were also a way to harm enemies.
- This is why the curse tablet (sheet of metal inscribed with a curse which was rolled or folded and buried in the ground, tombs, or wells) was used as means to settle disputes.
- Christians did not have a good impression of magic as these beliefs were labeled by the Church as βpaganβ, which also another reason why it was condemned.
- In 14th century, when Christianity became a dominant religion, any magicians thought to be witches, sorcerers or devil worshippers were condemned to die.
- Despite the negative views about magic, this did not stop the representation of different magic-related activities in different forms of literature, such as fairy tales, epics, folk tales, art, etc.
- Even today, many people still uphold the idea and are even used to magic being used to teach lessons in the form of a story.
- Nowadays, magic is one of the foundations of looking beyond human capabilities through science.
TYPES OF MAGIC
- There are several types of magic that are performed through different means.
- First is ceremonial magic, also known as ritual or high magic. This type of magic requires theoretical learning as it includes precise and complicated rituals, offerings, and numerous things that aid the practitioner and the conduct of the magic.
- Second is folk magic (also called natural or low magic), which reflects the belief of a certain culture. This kind of magic is used to heal, attract luck or love, boost fertility, drive away evil forces, or even bring a good harvest.
- There is also white magic and black magic.
- White magic is believed to come from the Almighty and is practiced by pagans and witches. This type of magic follows a positive path and is intended for good purposes.
- Black magic, on the other hand, is believed to be from evil spirits and its purpose is to inflict harm through vicious deeds.
- There are also schools of magic which use spells for different reasons.
- First is the adjuration spell or protective spells. This is done through creating barriers, physical or magical, in order to protect the subject.
- Second is the conjuration spell which includes teleportation, creation, healing or summoning an object or other entities.
- Next is the divination spell, which helps in predicting the future or finding hidden things.
- Another is the enchantment spells which intend to control or influence someoneβs mind or behavior.
- There is also illusion spells that manipulate someoneβs mind and causes them to see things that are not really present and the other way around. This also includes remembering something that did not really happen or hearing sounds or noises that are not really present.
- Next is the transmutation spell, which alters the appearance or other characteristics of a particular object or even other entities.
- Lastly is the necromancy spell, which manipulates life and death by trying to control. One example is raising the dead.
MAGIC TRICKS
- Performance magic began in the 16th century. Magic has become a performance art intended to entertain the audience. This became known as magic tricks, effects, or illusions.
- The artist that performs magic as an illusion or entertainment is called an illusionist or a magician.
- These magic tricks include card tricks, making objects disappear, and even mind reading.
- Different types of Illusions or magic tricks also exist.
- The first one is called production, in which the magician produces something out of nowhere, such as pulling a rabbit out of an empty hat, producing cards from thin air, or getting coins from an empty bucket or container.
- The idiomatic expression pull a rabbit out of a hat, which means coming up with something out of nothing, was also derived from this idea.
- The second one is vanish, which is the opposite of production. In this trick, the magician makes an object disappear either by snapping his fingers, waving his wand, blowing on the object, or even clapping his hands.
- Next is restoration, in which the magician returns an object to its original shape or condition. For instance, a rope or fabric is cut into two pieces. Then after some tricks, the magician will be able to put them back together.
- Another is teleportation, which transfers an object from one place to another. For example, cards from the hands of the magician would suddenly be transported into his magic hat.
- Then there is levitation, which makes objects float. These are created with illusions either by hand or movement that will make the audience believe that the objects magically float.
- Lastly is penetration, where one object passes through another. For instance, several rings which are not connected will suddenly be intertwined.
FAMOUS MAGICIANS
- There were some magicians throughout the world that really made performance magic famous.
- The worldβs best-known magician is Harry Houdini. He was known for his abilities as an escape artist.
- He performed several tricks, such as escaping from a locked, submerged box, handcuffs, ropes, and even straight jackets.
- He died on Halloween in 1926 from peritonitis.
- Another is William Robinson, who stole the identity of Chung Ling Soo and became known as βthe marvelous Chinese conjurerβ. He became famous in English-speaking countries while pretending not to speak English, so he performed his magic acts without speaking.
- When the real Chung Ling Soo came, he was accused of being fake. Robinson died when a real bullet, which was part of his act, was accidentally fired at him and pierced his lungs.
- Harry Blackstone, on the other hand, was one of the most prominent illusionists in the 20th century who performed big magic tricks, such as disappearing horses, levitation, floating light bulbs and even dancing handkerchiefs.
- His legacy was continued by his son, Harry Blackstone Jr., who later made a name for himself in the field of magic tricks.
- Lastly is David Copperfield who is a multi-awarded American magician. He was known for his pairing magic tricks with storytelling. His famous illusions included levitating over Grand Canyon, and making the Statue of Liberty disappear.
Magic Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Magic across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about Magic, which is a performance of tricks and illusions by a magician which primarily aims to entertain the audience.
Complete List of Included Worksheets
Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.
- Magic Facts
- Hats of Information
- Magic Identification
- Magic Match
- Magic in Literature
- World Magic
- Magic Films
- Create Your Own Magician
- Magic Stuff
- Reflection on Powers
- Powers and Responsibilities
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Link will appear as Magic Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, November 3, 2022
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.