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The 'Magi' (singular 'Magus', from Latin, via
Greek μάγος ;
Old English: 'Mage'; from
Old Persian ''maguš'') were a tribe from ancient
Media, who — prior to the conquest of the Medes by the
Achaemenid Empire in 550 BC — were responsible for religious and funerary practices.
Later they accepted the
Zoroastrian religion, not without changing the original message of its founder,
Zarathustra (Zoroaster), to what is today known as
Zurvanism, which would become the predominant form of Zoroastrianism during the
Sassanid era (AD 226–650). No traces of Zurvanism exist beyond the
10th century. The best known Magi are the "
Wise Men from the East" in the
Bible, whose graves
Marco Polo claimed to have seen in what is today the district of Saveh, in
Tehran,
Iran. In English, the term may refer to a
shaman,
sorcerer, or
wizard; it is the origin of the words
magic and magician.
Etymology
In Indo-Iranian languages
There are two different meanings of the term 'Magi':
From Herodotus' ''Histories'' and from subsequent accounts of them, it is quite clear that the Magi were in fact a sacerdotal caste whose ethnic origin is never again so much as mentioned.[1] In other accounts,
we hear of Magi not only in Persia, Parthia, Bactria, Chorasmia, Aria (satrapy), Media, and among the Sakas, but also in non-Iranian lands like Arabia, Ethiopia, and Egypt. …It is, therefore, quite likely that the sacerdotal ''caste'' of the Magi was distinct from the Median ''tribe'' of the same name.1
In the texts of the
Avesta, the term only appears once, as (
Younger Avestan) ''moghu.tbiš'' meaning "hostile to the ''moghu''", that is, hostile to "both the teaching of Zoroaster and the community that accepted that teaching."
[2] This sense of the term, which the
Middle Persian authors of the ''Zend'' commentaries adduce to mean 'God's gift', is clearly related to
Vedic Sanskrit ''magha'' (मघा), meaning 'riches' or 'gift'.
In its adjectival form ''maghavan'', it appears to refer to a person enriched by the teachings of Zoroaster or one "possessed of this gospel."
[3] The adjectival form survives as ''maghvand'' in Classical Persian, where it "seems to mean something like 'adorning'."
1
The other meaning, evident as Herodotus' ''magoi'' for the Median tribe, derives from
Old Persian ''magu''. Notwithstanding the similarity to the Avestan language word, "there is no reason to suppose that the western Iranian form ''magu'' (Magus) has exactly the same meaning."
1 "It may be, however, that Avestan ''moghu'' and Medean ''magu'' were the same word in origin, a common Iranian term for 'member of the tribe' having developed among the
Medes the special sense of 'member of ''the'' (priestly) tribe', hence a priest."
[ A History of Zoroastrianism, Vol. I, , Mary, Boyce, Brill, 1975, ][4][5][6] Modern Persian ''mobed'', derived from
Middle Persian ''magu-pati'', 'lord priest', is the unequivocal term for a Zoroastrian priest of a certain rank.
Greek use of ''magos''
While, in
Herodotus, ''magos'' refers to the priestly caste and tribe of the
Medes, (1.101) said to be able to interpret dreams (7.37), it could also be used for any enchanter or wizard, and especially to charlatans or quacks (see also
goetia), especially by philosophers such as
Heraclitus who took a sceptical view of the art of an enchanter, and in comic literature (
Lucian's ''
Lucios or the Ass''). In
Hellenism, ''magos'' started to be used as an adjective, meaning "magical", as in ''magas techne'' "ars magica" (e.g. used by
Philostratus).
The
PIE root ''
★ magh-'' appears to have expressed power or ability, continued e.g. in
Attic Greek ''mekhos'' (cf.
mechanics) and in
Germanic ''magan'' (English ''may''), ''magts'' (English ''might'', the expression "might and magic" thus being a ''
figura etymologica'').
[7]
English language
The plural ''Magi'' entered the English language in ca.
1200, referring to
the Magi mentioned in , the singular being attested only considerably later, in the late
14th century, when it was borrowed from
Old French in the meaning ''magician'' together with ''magic''.
Arabic Language
It is speculated that the old Persian word ''maguš'' is the origin of the Arabic word ''
majus'' (
Arabic: مجوس ) which is used generally to describe Old Persian religions.
History in the Persian Empire
According to
Herodotus i. 101, which lists the names of the six tribes or castes of the
Medes, the Magi were a hereditary caste of priests. They were highly influential in Median society until the unification of the Median and
Persian Empires in
550 BC, after which their power was curtailed by
Cyrus the Great and by Cyrus' son
Cambyses II. The Magi revolted against Cambyses and set up a rival claimant to the throne, one of their own, who took the name of
Smerdis. Smerdis and his forces were defeated by the Persians under
Darius I. The Magi continued to exist in unified Persia, but their influence was limited after this and other political setbacks, and it was not until the
Sassanid era (AD 226–650) that they would again achieve prominence.
The ''
Book of Jeremiah'' (39:3, 39:13) gives a title ''rab mag'' "chief magus" to the head of the Magi,
Nergal Sharezar (
Septuagint,
Vulgate and
KJV mistranslate ''Rabmag'' as a separate character). It's also believed by some Christians that the Jewish prophet Daniel was "rab mag" and entrusted a Messianic vision (to be announced in due time by a "star") to a secret sect of the Magi for its eventual fulfillment (Daniel 4:9; 5: 11).
The Magi in India
In
India there is an atv ''Maga'', ''
Bhojaka'' or
Sakaldwipiya Brahmins. Their major centers are in
Rajasthan in
Western India and near
Gaya in
Bihar. According to
Bhavishya Purana and other texts, they were invited to settle in
Punjab to conduct the worship of Lord Sun (
Mitra or
Surya in Sanskrit). Bhavishya Purana explicitly associates them to the rituals of the (now extinct)
Zurvanite brand of
Zoroastrianism. The members of the community still worship in Sun temples in India. They are also hereditary priests in several
Jain temples in
Gujarat and Rajasthan. Bhojakas are mentioned in the copperplates of the
Kadamba dynasty (4-6th cent) as managers of Jain institutions. Images of Lord Sun in India are shown wearing a central Asian dress, complete with boots. The term "Mihir" in India is regarded to represent the Maga influence.
Popular culture
★ The three Magi are major characters in
Christopher Moore's light-hearted novel about the life of
Jesus, ''.
★ The Magi are the three super-computers, Melchior, Balthasar and Casper, that appear in the anime series ''
Neon Genesis Evangelion'', which features many images from Judeo-Christian mythology.
★ In the game
Chrono Trigger, the Gurus of Life, Time, and Reason are named Melechior, Belthazar, and Gaspar. Magus is also the name of Frog's Arch Nemesis.
★ The
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn used the title of "Magus" to refer to the second-highest level of attainment in their degree system. This system, with associated titles, would later be adopted by
Aleister Crowley for his occult order
A∴A∴, wherein the title "Magus" designated the highest attainable grade of magic (considered the mastery of
Jesus,
Buddha,
Lao Tzu, etc.). To be a Magi means to journey to give gifts.
★ In the game ''
Warhammer 40,000'', the term Magos is used to describe a high ranking official of the
Adeptus Mechanicus, a para-religious cult dedicated to technology.
See also
★
Shaman
★
Kalku
★
Seid (shamanic magic)
★
Magician
★
Warlock
★
Wizard
★
Magic in the Greco-Roman World
References
1. The Teachings of the Magi, , Richard Charles, Zaehner, MacMillan, 1956,
2. , , Richard Charles, Zaehner, BSOS, 1939
3. A History of Zoroastrianism, Vol. I, , Mary, Boyce, Brill, 1975,
4. Les Mages dans l'Acien Iran, , Emil, Benveniste, Publications de la Société des Études Iraniennes, 1938
5. , , W., Eilers, Abhandlung der Akadamie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur in Mainz, 1953
6. , , Ilya, Gershevitch, JNES, 1964
7. Pokorny, IEW s.v. ''magh-''.
External links
★
The Majoos (Urdu)
★
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
★
The Chaldean MagiThe Complete Online Library of Ancient Sources.
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