Egyptian 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[]
- Main article: 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, Iskandar 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 khe-fa to summon the Fist of Horus.
Elemental Magic[]
- Main article: 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 magician 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[]
- Main article: 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.
Other Magic[]
Glamour[]
- Main article: Glamour
A spell that deceives the weak minds of mortals and even demons, allowing gods, magicians, and demons to appear differently. Once a magician becomes aware of the spell, their glamour 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 an 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[]
- Main article: 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[]
- Main article: Summoning Spell (Kane Chronicles)
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[]
- Main article: Sleep Spell (Kane Chronicles)
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[]
- Main article: 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 initiates 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.
Surveillance Magic[]
- Main article: 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 and briefly Percy Jackson while hosting Nekhbet.
Telekinesis[]
- Main article: 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. Carter is generally seen channeling his telekinesis through objects like his khopesh or Ra's crook and flail, but can use the ability without such objects. Augmented by the power of Horus, Carter's telekinesis is strong enough to part the Nile and vaporize water demons in one massive blast. 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[]
- Main article: Duat Travel
Skilled magicians can travel through the Duat and arrive at their destination in the mortal world in a short span of time. Amos can travel from London to Brooklyn, New York in a couple of hours. Although to journey through long distances, a traveling 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. In The Crown of Ptolemy, Sadie was able to transform Hindenburg from amulet to camel form while she was in kite form, showing the ability to perform some magic while transformed.
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. Carter was also able to turn Amos Kane into a hamster when near-exhaustion from battling Set and without the power of Horus helping him. However, Amos was weak himself and when he became resistant, Carter had to let him turn back.
Scrying[]
A magician learns to scry as an initiate. Scrying involves a spell with a bowl of oil to see other faraway places and keep in touch with other magicians around the world. 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[]
- Main article: 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[]
- Main article: Execration
This magic is very powerful and destructive. Execrating someone erases the being completely from existence, 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 completely, 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 referred 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 succeed 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[]
- Main article: 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.
Other Forms of Magic[]
Combat Magic[]
- Main article: Combat Magic
This form of magic is used to summon a holographic shell around oneself and it increases strength and one's senses to a deadly extent. People with skill in swordplay usually follow this magic. It is not necessary to summon the full avatar, as followers of the Path of Horus have been shown to use the Fist of Horus, by summoning the fist of the avatar. If the power of a god is channeled to use Combat Magic, the battle avatar has a resistance to magic. It is seen that Combat Magic is also the practice of summoning weapons.
Statuary Magic[]
- Main article: Statuary Magic
This form of magic is used to create perfect shabtis or transporting armies. Chief Lector Iskandar could do this type of magic. Both Carter and Sadie Kane have displayed a limited ability to do this. Brooklyn House initiate Walt Stone was more proficient, able to create a shabti of Apophis that could be used in an execration without endangering Brooklyn House and a shabti of Bes to capture his sheut on the fly.
Divination[]
- Main article: Divination
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 possessed 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.
Animal Charming[]
- Main article: Animal Charming
This form of magic is used to summon, control or talk to, transform and shapeshift into an animal. While there are few known charmers, many magicians attempt to follow this path. Initiates that follow the Path of a God occasionally have the ability to charm specific animals. Some animal charming magicians only bond with certain types of animals, for example reptiles or sea creatures, but animal charmers all have the powers to bond with all sorts of animals. However, some following the Path of the Gods as mentioned above may only be able to bond and charm with one or two animals that are unique to a certain god.
Necromancy[]
- Main article: Necromancy (Kane Chronicles)
This form of magic is used to raise the dead. Necromancers can summon skeletons, ghosts and mummies; all of which are undead. The spirits that they summon can attack people, defend people, answer questions, or even haunt in dreams. These creatures can also heal by sacrificing themselves. If powerful enough, the user can make the corpse tell the future.
Death Magic[]
- Main article: Death Magic
This form of magic can turn objects into dust and rubble. Death Magic can be used to send living victims to the Underworld. Death Magic is the opposite of Necromancy. The power of this magic is gray. A wand can be used for channeling the magic in to the form of a grey bolt.
Healing Magic[]
- Main article: Healing Magic
This form of magic is used to heal people. Healers can cure all sorts of diseases and wounds. Healers can also control famine, plague, and bau.
Music[]
According to Thoth, music is a form of magic that Elvis Presley used to become a world famous magician.