List of Necromantic Rituals

The origin of necromancy can be traced to ancient Persia, Greece, and Rome. However, it became very popular during the middle ages. The concepts of necromantic rituals are drawn from both religious and cultural beliefs. There are several necromantic rituals that can be done depending on the intention of the magician. Ancient necromancers used this form of magic to trap and control spirits. The ghosts are sent to harass or attack a living being. There are also cases where the necromancer attempted to raise a corpse to life.

Most necromantic rituals are done at night, especially on a full moon night. They can be very scary, so to protect himself from harm, the magician is expected to wear protective amulets and cast such rites within magical circles.

Some common locations where necromantic rituals are done include;

At the center of thick wood or desert.
At an unfrequented plain where several roads meet.
In the ruins of ancient monasteries, abbeys, castles.
In abandoned churchyard, among the rocks on the seashore, at graveyards, or any other solemn location.

The rituals of calling out the spirits of the dead could be done for hours, days, or even weeks between the hours of 12 to 1 AM. Depending on the ritual, there are several rules which must be observed before commencing. For example, the necromancer might consume food that symbolize lifelessness and decay such as unleavened bread, dog meat, or unfermented grape juice. There are times he has to wear ragged clothes and abstain from bathing.

Generally, when summoned, these spirits cause several phenomena including unexplained sounds, cold spots, shadowy figures, apparitions, movement of objects, mental disturbances, and even nightmares. They can also manifest in forms of terrible roaring tigers or lions. At this point, the magician must not be scared nor act weak otherwise the spirit might overpower and harm him. When he has successfully commanded the ghost into a magical triangle, it changes its form into a naked man with a submissive countenance. While in this state, the magician can state his request, and at the end of the ritual, he must not leave the protection circle until the summoned spirit has disappeared completely.

There are several levels of necromantic rituals. Starting from level one, I have compiled some of the rituals commonly practiced by ancient necromancers. While some are still practiced in modern times, others have either been modified or abolished.

LIST OF NECROMANTIC RITUALS

Call of the Hungry Dead

This ritual takes about 10 minutes to complete. It requires the hair from the target. The hair is burnt in the flame of a black candle, thereafter the victim would hear confusing howling sounds that can make him go mad briefly.

Eyes of the Grave

This ritual requires a pinch of soil from a fresh grave. The necromancer uses the graveyard soil to cast a spell on his target which causes the individual to experience intermittent visions of his/her death for one week. Such visions can last up to one minute and will terrify the victim.

Consecrate the Tomb

If an ally of a necromancer dies, this ritual is performed to aid his journey to the other world. On the day of the burial, the necromancer recites an incantation for 15 minutes then the individual is buried along with few more items than normal. When the burial is completed, all the things the ally was buried with will enter Shadow land with him.

Stained Sight

In this ritual, the necromancer lays a curse on the sight of his victim to make him see everything as rotten and decaying. This can happen for a whole day leaving the victim terrified and depressed.

Ritual of Wraithly Focus

This ritual is performed to know the age and power possessed by a ghost. The necromancer will need a thigh bone that has been sharpened at one end. This thighbone must be from a buried human. When pointed at the ghost or one of its fetters, the necromancer will discover the answers he seeks. This ritual can be completed in one hour.

Vengeance from Beyond the Grave

Murdered individuals desire to return to life and punish their murderers. This ritual endows the corpse with the knowledge and ability to take revenge. The necromancer is meant to pour salt in a circle on the head of the zombie then utter a quick incantation. The ghost is sent fort to attack and torment his murderer.

Nightmares

To perform this ritual, the necromancer needs a beak of a raven and a cracked head of a man who died due to head injuries. He crushes the beak over the cracked head and chant for three hours. After this ritual, the target will experience terrible visions and dreams of his demise.

However, this can happen for only one night. Whenever the necromancer wishes to torment the victim again, he can repeat the ritual using a new beak but the cracked head can be used again.

Cry of Death and Blood

This ritual involves connecting one or more individuals to death. Their blood is used to bind them and if one of them dies, the others will get a vision of the cause of the death. To perform this ritual, the skull of a priest must be gotten from the grave and opened at the top. Upon the skull, a brand is carved for every blood circle bound through this ritual. The participants will donate two pints of blood each which will be poured into the skull. The blood is boiled over an open fire. The ritual takes seven hours to cast and if it is successful then the participants will be permanently linked to one another for life.

Contract of Death

This is a very powerful ritual that is akin to a pact with the devil. It involves signing a contract document with the blood of the parties involved. A part of the contract states that once a participant dies, his wraith will appear to the necromancer and serve him for a year and a day. All participants must understand what the contract means because anyone who fails to fulfill their part of the contract will be haunted by ghosts and higher powers.

Skull Sentry

To cast this ritual, the magician is expected to cut the head of a living creature using a special knife engraved with runic symbols and lightly powdered with gold dust. The cut head is soaked in blood. Usually, any blood can be used but to make it more powerful, the magician might use his blood or the blood of his trusted ghouls.

The head is buried underground and after the flesh has decayed, the skull is extracted, cleansed, and placed somewhere to protect an item or a vicinity. While the skull sits there, it shall detect an intruder that approaches the area or item. In response, blood drips from the eye sockets of the skull. This continues until the intruder leaves the area. If this ritual is successful, it can last till sun rays touch the skull and crumble it to dust.

Like I said earlier, necromantic rituals are dangerous. If you intend to tread on the necromantic path, I suggest that you tread with caution.

There are several books on this path that will guide you. I have just listed a few below.