Egyptian Magic

Magic is the art in which a magician expends magical energy into something usable, such as a spell. Magicians must be extremely careful while doing magic because if they exert too much energy, their life force will burn to ashes.

Divine Words
Divine Words, or words of power, are Ancient Egyptian pronunciations for hieroglyphs; magicians speak them to create or tweak reality. To use them, no papyrus or other equipment, such as amulets, potions, shabti, and statues are needed. Sadie Kane can only speak Divine Words by tapping into the power of Isis as she was initially the host of the goddess. However, with Isis' power, she can speak almost every Divine Word in the world. Carter Kane, though not as proficient at this type of magic, has been shown to be able to speak fourteen Divine Words over the progression of the series. Due to being the former host of Horus, Carter can effortlessly summon the Eye of Horus symbol.

It is shown that, to be Chief Lector, a magician needs to be able to speak a good number of Divine Words. Former Chief Lectors, Iskander and Desjardins, were strong enough to summon a cloud of hieroglyphs around them. Amos can also do this, albeit only when he becomes very angry or emotional. Words of power can also be used to use the Path of the Gods as Carter can use the Divine Word khefa to summon the Fist of Horus.

List of Hieroglyphic Spells/Divine Words with their English Translations
Ma'at - "Order" - The most powerful spell in existence and can restore order in times of chaos or disaster. Used by Sadie Kane.

Ilen En-mar- This is a spell which causes the target to approach you. Used by Amos.

Khefa - "Fist" - Summons a fist of energy; for people channeling the power of the god, the Fist of Horus. Used by Carter Kane.

Ha-di - "Destroy" - This is a spell which causes the target to explode. Used by Sadie and Sarah Jacobi.

Hah-ri - This is a spell which causes silence. It can be used to disable earthquakes and put people to sleep. Used by Sadie and Iskandar.

Ha-tep - "Be at peace" - This spell destroys all negative feelings and also calms rogue creatures. Used by Carter.

Ha-wi - "Strike" - This is a spell used to strike the opponent; for people channeling the power of the god, the Fist of Horus. Used by Set and Carter.

Hi-nehm - "Join" - This is a spell used to join or re-construct broken objects. It can also be used to connect two things such as statues and shadows or pebbles and rocks. It can even be used to bind a sheut to a shabti once it is summoned inside. Used by Sadie, Walt, Desjardins, Carter and Amos.

A'max - "Burn" - This spell summons a fire to burn the target. It is the opposite of Maw. Used by Amos and Zia.

Sa-hei - "Bring down" - This is a spell which brings down entire buildings like the Hall of Ages. Used by Kwai.

N-dah - "Protect" - This is a spell used to shield people or objects. It is stronger if used with protective circles. Used by Carter and Sadie.

Heh-sieh  - This causes something to halt and turn back. Used by Desjardins.

W'peh - "Open" - It is used to open things, even portals and summon gods. Used by Sadie, Zia, and Julius Kane.

Zeheb - This spell makes the target return to its home. Used by Sadie. Opposite of Ilen En-mar used by Amos and closely related to Heh-sieh used by Desjardins.

Sahad - This spell is closely related to W'peh except that it unlocks doors and opening is not involved. Used by Sadie and Zia.

Tas - "Bind" - This command spell causes any string-related object to wrap around a foe and can be used to control the Seven Ribbons of Hathor. It can also disable any present magic. Used by Sadie, Carter, Zia, Julius, and Setne.

Heqat - It is the command spell to transform a rod into a staff and to summon a staff.Used by Sadie, Leonid, Zia, and Julius.

Med-wah - "Speak" - A spell used to communicate between two or more different languages by turning the foreign language(s) into Ancient Egyptian, but everyone around hears it as if it was their mother language. Used by Iskandar and Amos.

Fah - "Release" - A spell that is used to release something or a spell's magic. Used by Sadie and Isis.

Hapi u-ha ey pwah - "Hapi, arise and attack" - A spell used to summon Hapi, the God of the Nile. This can only be used in the Nile. Presumably used numerous times by Setne prior to the books. Used by Setne and Carter.

Se-kebeb -  "Make Cold" -This spell is used to summon ice or cold. Used by Felix.

Isfet  - "Chaos" - This spell is the opposite of Ma'at and reeks chaos. Used by Apophis and Menshikov.

I'mun - "Hide" - This spell turns releases a dark cloud which turns the user(s) invisible. However the spell requires black linen and the same number shabtis as the number of people. Can be seen by a powerful magician. Used by Zia and Carter.

Sa-per - "Miss" - This spell causes the target to completely miss their target. Used by Alyssa.

Drowah - "Boundry" - This spell causes a wall of light to appear to separate two things or defend something. Used by Sadie.

Maw - "Water" - This spell summons water to douse the target. Used by Carter.

I-ei - "Come" - This spell causes any god or mystical object to come. Used by Julius.

Sa-Mir - "Pain" - This spell causes hieroglyphs of the word to appear all over the target's body which starts to smoke and spark, causing it great pain. Used by Carter.

Mar - "Retch" - This spell causes the target to retch like they're trying to throw something up. Used by Sadie.

Suh-Far - "Loosen" - A spell to cause something to loosen such as a wall. Used by Sadie.

Elemental Magic
Doughboy stated that there are 5 main elements: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, and Cheese. Zia is a fire elementalist, Leonid is an air elementalist. Michel Desjardins and Alyssa are earth elementalists. A cheese elementalist was shown attacking the Hall of Ages alongside Sarah Jacobi as a part of her elite kill-squad during the third book. There are also elemental demons which can use the element they are made off. Cheese demons are quite dangerous as Carter says, in the Son of Sobek, the entire 21st Nome and Sadie Kane were learning how to defeat them.

While not being one of the main five, Light and Darkness are also other elements that can be used such as when Sadie Kane utilizes them against Thoth's shabti, the tjesu heru, enemy magicians in the Battle of Brooklyn House. Ice is also another element although Sadie Kane and Felix are the only magicians that have been shown to use it. Elemental magic can be employed by speaking Divine Words and/or English, although it is much harder unless the magican is familiar with the element. When a magician has become proficient with their element, they do not need to speak to be able to use elemental magic such as Zia, Leonid, Desjardins, Alyssa etc.

Storm Magic
Storm Magic, also referred to as Chaos magic, is a branch of Elemental magic that specializes in summoning weather disasters. It is not good magic and magicians do not use it, unless following the path of a Chaos god, such as Set or Apophis. With storm magic, magicians are able to use extreme winds, lightning, tornadoes, cyclones, hurricanes etc. Storm magic also enables the user to summon deserts and sand-based disasters as Egypt experiences many of these. Storm magic and combat magic can also be employed simultaneously, an example being Amos Kane with the Set avatar.

Glamor
A spell that deceives the weak minds of mortals and even demons, allowing a gods, magicians, and demons to appear differently. Once a magician becomes aware of the spell, their glamor becomes see-through. However, on mortals, it works just fine and it is effective to move around security. It also makes it so that mortals can have a understandable explanation of events, such as destruction created by demons or a group of magicians fighting gods. Setne was able to manipulate a glamour with a tas spell to become a binding until the glamour was dispelled.

Similar to the "Mist" in the Greek-Roman stories.

Demon Controlling
Unknown spells can be used to control Demons. Many magicians have used these spells.

Seven Ribbons of Hathor
A spell which summons seven ribbons and binds a god or magician, banishing them to the Duat. This was used by Zia Rashid against Serqet, goddess of scorpions, in the New York Museum when she was trying to save Carter and Sadie Kane. However, this spell can only be used once an year due to its immense restricting force (the ribbons are powerful magical items that can be made by a charm maker, each set takes a year to recharge after use but in though if a magician has more than one set then they will be able to cast it multiple times a year). Setne has the Ribbons of Hathor to prevent him from going on a killing spree and Zia and Carter Kane are able to use it to control him, binding him up more when need be by using the spell tas and are able to make the Ribbons appear and disappear as well. Setne somehow escapes from the Ribbons eventually.

Summoning Spell
A spell that summons a shabti or a minor creature out of the Duat. However, if it is powerful object like a part of the soul, then it only shows itself and its location. Zia uses this on Apophis' shadow and because its a part of the soul, it merely shows itself in front of them. Zia refers to it as being simple to cast, but ghosts like Setne are unable to cast it like many other spells.

Telepathy
This is the art of manipulating another's mind with one's own. Used by gods and Magicians alike, it has many applications. It can be used to overpower the will, forcing the target to perform actions against their choosing, such as when Set possessed Amos Kane. In the case of the gods, using extreme telepathy can cause their hosts to burn up or lose their sanity completely.

Sleep Spell
A spell to force sleep onto another opponent. This is also handy against security and if they draw weapons on you. After this spell wears off and the targets awake, their memories are rubbed about the magician. Sadie Kane used it to calm down Amos in The Red Pyramid. It was also used by Carter Kane, when chasing Sadie in The Throne of Fire. It was never mentioned again in the series.

Magical Persuasion
This type of magic is used by Apophis, Setne, Amos Kane, and Sadie Kane. It is done by lacing one's words with magic so that it persuades the target to do what the magician wants. To do this, you need to exert your magic on your target. Despite the imminent threat of Apophis and resurrecting Ra, Amos calmed down the initates of Brooklyn House with magical persuasion. Later, Setne used it to get Sadie to tell Julius/Osiris to release Setne although it didn't work as Julius/Osiris was aware of the ghost's powers.

Setne also tried to get Carter to let down his guard with magical persuasion but Horus alerted Carter, since gods are seemingly immune to a mortal using it. Apophis also has a specialty of magical persuasion and it is so potent that the victim doesn't realize what he is doing until it is too late, such as with Kwai and Vlad Menshikov. It is so great that Face of Horror, hosting a tiny fraction of Apophis' power, almost succeeded in getting Set to destroy the world.

Similar to the "Charmspeak" ability in Greek-Roman series

Surveillance Magic
This magic is used to see into the Duat, the magical realm underneath the mortal world. Using it, a magician can locate people even in the dark, gods, demons, godlings etc. Carter used it to see Thoth and how many demons were attacking him, estimating the time Thoth had before he would be overwhelmed. When reinforced with power from gods, the magician can see further in the Duat and his/her senses are expanded greatly. This was used by Carter and Sadie Kane.

Telekinesis
This is the art of moving objects using the brain. Carter possesses this ability and uses it on a number of occasions throughout the books. Jaz can also use this as she hurled enemy magicians, who were attacking her from afar. So far, only Carter and Jaz can use telekinesis and there aren't many magicians that can use telekinesis since it is a very unique magical ability.

Portal Summoning
This magic is used to go from one place to the other. However, it is very difficult and therefore, is usually done with artifacts, even those that aren't from Ancient Egypt but are replicas. It can also be done with anything in the shape of a pyramid or obelisk. A portal is described a swirling vortex of sand. A portal cannot be used in the Demon Days unless using the power of a god or goddess of magic like Isis or Thoth. When Apophis was loose, the portals didn't reach their destination as displayed by Sadie unless opened by a god or their host like with Walt/Anubis. Sadie Kane has summoned a portal in every book.

Duat Travel
Strong magicians can pass through the Duat and go to their destination in the world, in a short matter of time. Amos can travel from London to Brooklyn, New York in a couple of hours. Although to journey through long distances, a travelling item is needed like Amos' boat. Carter and Sadie can also use this, by tapping into the powers of Horus and Isis respectively, but can only pass through small spaces, like into Menshikov's palace.

Transformation
Transformation, also known as morphing, is magic used by magicians to transform their body into another using magic. This is done only for a short period of time as sustained transformations can result in the magician being unable to change back. It can also result in a magician burning up from staying too long. If following the path of a god, or hosting one, the magician usually assumes the form of the god's sacred animal. For example, Carter can transform into a falcon while Sadie can morph into a kite. When transforming via the power of the gods, the magician can stay longer in the morphed state although it is much more difficult to change back. This is evidenced when Carter had trouble transforming back and Sadie was stuck as a kite for a while. The more experience a magician has with this, the less power it seems to require as when Carter was near-exhaustion in The Son of Sobek and was worried about burning up, he was able to use this to transform into and back from a falcon with no apparent repercussions.

Forceful Transformation
This is a version of Transformation that is used by magicians to transform another person's body into something else using magic. This is done by overpowering the person's will and morphing them. Typically, magicians transform the target into an animal they know since it requires less energy. When used via the power of the gods, the magician can gain enough strength to forcefully transform another god into whatever they want. This was shown when Carter, after becoming the Eye of Horus, overpowered Set's will and forcefully morphed him into a fruit bat although it wasn't very long since Set overcame the transformation.

Scrying
A magician learns to scry as an initiate. Scrying involves a spell with a bowl of oil to see other faraway places. If the place is being concealed or in presence of a god or goddess or their host, the bowl will erupt in black flames which are lethal in a close distance. Walt Stone created a scrying bowl for Carter Kane, though it was automatic as Carter never learned how to scry.

Sympathetic Magic
Sympathetic magic is a powerful form of magic that binds a target's soul completely to an object somewhat similar to the target. Thus, if any damage is caused to the object, the same thing will happen to the target. It is very useful in execration spells. It needs usage of the target's secret name. It was used by Vladimir Menshikov to bind Death-to-Corks to a corkscrew and used to execrate Death-to-Corks. Divine magic can be used via sympathetic magic, as the Path of the Gods also require a connection between the god and the magician. Carter and Sadie both connect with Horus and Isis respectively with their common emotions, being able to do many of the powerful spells they had lost access to after giving up the gods, until they learn to channel their respective god's power without it. Sadie and Walt were able to use a more mild form of it to bind rubble blocking a doorway to stones on the ground and then move the rubble by moving the stones.

Execration
This magic is very powerful and destructive. Execrating someone erases the being completly from existance, destroying their bodies,their soul (except for the shadow) and even their secret name. It is described as being effective in destroying all manner of beings from mortals, magicians, ghosts and demons. With gods, it isn't able to erase them completly, but instead banishes them deep into the Duat for a long time until they can regain enough power to rise again to the mortal world.

Execrating someone generates a lot of power and that can be used to power spells. It was first used by Vladimir Menshikov on his minion, Death-to corks, to summon Set. In this case he used a corkscrew as Death-to-Corks had a corkscrew head. It was used again by Michel Desjardins to execrate Apophis for a while using what is refered to as a makeshift shabti of Apophis, leaving time to the Kane siblings to teach other magicians the Path of the Gods.

Shadow Execration
This is magic that is a highly kept secret of the gods as it has the potential to destroy them completely. This version of execration is used to finally destroy Apophis where so much else had failed. The spell takes the power of both Kanes and Horus and Isis to work, but they succed in execrating Apophis' shadow, destroying him. This version of an execration is very similar to the normal version: instead of performing the execration on a shabti or other representation of the target, it is used on a shabti that the sheut of the being is bound to.

The hard part is the amount of power needed to cast the spell which can cost the magician their life and locating the target's sheut which if its a god is kept well hidden. The spell has to be cast in the god's presence, but is the same besides that. While restoring Bes's ren using his sheut, Walt Stone has Sadie do it by reversing an execration spell once he has captured the sheut in a shabti. This returns the sheut to Bes and restores him to normal.

Binding Magic
This is a common form of magic and is easy to use. With just the command word tas, something can be used to bind someone. It can be used in the form of rope or twine. In one instance, a simple glamour was able to be transformed into a binding. In combat, magicians seem to use this to slow down or capture their enemies. A more extreme form of binding magic is the Seven Ribbons of Hathor which can bind even a god or goddess and force them from their host. When on trial, Setne was considered so dangerous that even with the Seven Ribbons of Hathor, he also had hieroglyphs floating around him in the form of Divine Words to further bind him. The Book of Thoth contains a binding spell capable of imprisoning gods and was used by Carter and Sadie Kane as well as Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase to defeat and imprison Setne.

Statuary magic
This form of magic is used to create perfect shabtis or transporting armies. Chief Lector Iskander could do this type of magic.

Divining
This form of magic is used to see bits of the future. Ruby Kane could use this type of magic. It is said to be incredibly rare with Ruby being the first person to posses this power in centuries. Even as a ghost she still possesed it. It's possible Jaz also possesses it, though this is unconfirmed, as she was aware that Sadie would need a special healing statue of Carter in the future and that she wouldn't be there to help at the time. However, according to Iskandar, its extremely tricky and not perfect.

Music
According to Thoth, music is a form of magic as Elvis Presley a famous magician.