This is an appendices episode to Episode 3: Kill My Magical Science about the real-world mythology of magic and its place in the fantasy genre. Magic is at the centre of the fantasy genre. We love it and we have reimagined it in thousands of different ways since the first stories were told.

Perhaps the reason it is so popular and exciting is because humans have always believed in magic to some extent. It has been important in human culture for most of recorded history and to this day there are several cultures in which magic plays a role. The wise man or healer, the advisor and the seer; these have all been roles that were and are occupied by humans with magical abilities. Is the reason we are so obsessed with magic because there is a part of us, and a part of our history, that believes that it IS real? The fantastic deeds and spells and powers that we read about actually have a basis in reality. We like to imagine that the impossible can happen.

In this episode I cover real magical mythology from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and Greco-Roman magic and lore.

For the interactive part, visit killmydarlingspodcast.tumblr.com. Find the blog for the episode you just listened to. Read the summary if you forgot what you just listened to. Help me clarify my ideas with your feedback in the comments section. I’ll try and respond to everything - it’ll be great for procrastinating the actual writing. Join a cute community of like-minded fantasy adventure-loving nerds by following all the accounts and things.

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