halfbloodhillmods | EGYPTIAN GLOSSARY

Ba - one of the five aspects of the Egyptian soul. The ba represents an individual's personality and continues to live on after one's body has died. One's ba often travels into the Duat while sleeping, which can result in visions. It can also travel through time and space, and often takes on the shape of a bird with a human head. Sadie Kane calls it a "chicken person". The type of bird varies by individual, and represents one's personality.

Bau - an evil spirit. These are plague spirits born of the goddess Sekhmet.

Brooklyn House - the Kane family mansion, as well as the location of the Twenty-First Nome. This is the base of operations and training ground for mortals with the blood of the pharaohs to train in the Path of the Gods. It is, obviously, located in Brooklyn. Khufu (baboon) and Philip of Macedonia (shabti crocodile) live here as well. It is likely that if godlings were to appear in camp, Khufu and Philip of Macedonia might follow.

Blood of the Pharaohs - the royal bloodline dating back to Ancient Egypt. Those who possess the royal bloodline are extremely powerful and are favored by the gods as hosts. A list of pharaohs is contained on a papyrus scroll called The Blood of the Pharoahs. One copy is kept in the library of Brooklyn House, which includes the name Kane written in hieroglyphs. Those with the blood of the pharaohs are currently being persecurted by the House of Life for following the Path of the Gods. Current known lines are those descended from Ramses the Great, Narmer, Akhenaten, and Tutankhamun.

Cleopatra's Needle - large obelisks located in London, Manhattan, and Paris. These obelisks are great for opening portals.

Demon Days - the last five days in a year; these are considered especially bad luck in Ancient Egypt. It is also impossible to create portals on these days, which means magicians are required to travel by other means. Gods of magic like Thoth and Isis can still open portals - as well as godlings who are fully merged with them. The Demon Days begin at susnet on the 26th, and were created during the Age of the Gods by Geb and Nut, so that they could defy Ra and have children of their own (they were forbidden to have children because it was prophesied their children would overthrow Ra - which they did). Osiris was born on December 27th, Horus on the 28th, Set on the 29th, Isis on the 30th, and Nephthys on the 31st. The gods born on these days are especially powerful on their birthdays.

Duat - the spirit world of Egyptian gods and magic. The Duat exists beneath the surface of the "waking world", i.e. mortal realm, like "lava beneath the earth's crust. Through the Duat, one can travel great distances in a short amount of time. Gods that are defeated or killed in the mortal realm return to the Duat, much weaker and deeper than when they first escaped. Magicians often store items in the Duat. It is broken into several layers: the Abyss, the River of Night, the Land of the Dead, and the Land of Demons.

Execration - dark magic, wherein one destroys a small representation of the target in order to completely erase that target. For gods, it merely banishes them deep into the Duat. This spell requires using the target's secret name. However, execration can also be performed in reverse to restore a being. For example, Bes was restored his sanity through this reverse execration.

Godling - also known as a Host - is a mortal who is hosting a god. Egyptian gods require a link to the mortal realm or else they are capable of being banished back to the Duat. Godlings have various degrees of posession: some are completely controlled by the god and take on their favored appearance, while others are only influenced and maintain their personal appearance. The amount of control depends on the host. Godlings can be animals and objects, but gods prefer humans. In Ancient Egypt it was common for gods to possess humans and live out their lifetimes - the most common example being Horus, who frequently used pharaohs as hosts.

The House of Life, or Per Ankh - an organization of Egyptian magicians, founded by Thoth, the god of learning. In Ancient times, each temple in Egypt had a branch called the House of Life. It survived the fall of Egypt, but was forced underground. In modern times, the organization is global and operates out of three-hundred and sixty Nomes worldwide, such as Egypt, operated out of Heliopolis (the First Nome), and in New York, operated out of Brooklyn (the Twenty-First Nome). Young magicians begin their training no later than ten years of age, and are assigned to their Nome at the age of thirteen, after spending three years training in the First Nome. There, they protect the world and keep an eye on rogue monsters, Demons, and gods. The Chief Lector of the House of Life resides in Heliopolis.

Ib - the heart (thought, will, and intention), one of the five parts of the Egyptian soul. This is a collection of good and bad deeds. One's ib is measured against the feather of truth on the scales of justice in Osiris' throne room. If it is pure, the soul goes on to paradise. If not, Ammit the Devourer will eat it.

Ka - one of the five aspects of the Egyptian soul. It is the life force that leaves the body when you die. Descendants of Akenhaton who use magic find that it drains their ka, and slowly kills them. This is their curse.

Khopesh - a "sickle-sword" found in Ancient Egypt. Commonly used by guards of the pharaoh in Ancient Egypt. Works well with combat magic.

Magicians, or shesh - those with magical powers, trained in the methods of Egyptian mythology and magic. They are often members of the House of Life. While in the first three years of training, a magicians specialty is determined. They do not learn magic through study, but rather through the practice of magic. Wands and staffs are essential for practicing magicians. Wands are used for defense, and staffs for offense. Staffs can be replaced by objects better suited to one's specialty (ex: khopeshes are better suited for combat magic). Magicians often also carry twine, paper, an ink set, a ball of wax, and a shabti. Magicians wear clothing made from plants, such as cotton, because clothing from animals interferes with their magic. Tattoos on the tongue with the symbol of Ma'at can help magicians speak the words more clearly. It is important to use a special headrest of ivory engraved with hieroglyphs to prevent one's ba from entering the Duat as they sleep. Egyptian hieroglyphs are the preferred language for spells, though hieroglyphs for something that is alive must be kept incomplete, lest the glyph comes to life. Magicians have limited reservoirs of magic. Specialties of Egyptian magic include, but are not limited to: hieroglyphic spells/divine words, elemental magic, storm magic, combat magic, death magic, necromancy, charm maker (sau), statuary, healer (sunu), and animal charmer.

Combat magic - the ability to summon a holographhic shell around oneself. This magic also increases strength and senses significantly. Those skilled in swordplay usually follow this Path. Summoning the full avatar is not necessary to perform combat magic (ex: those following the Path of Horus have been known to use the Fist of Horus by first summing the fist of the avatar). The best paths for combat magic are Horus, Bast, Sobek, and Set.

Death magic - the ability to turn objects to dust or rubble, as well as send victims to the underworld. This magic is very dangerous, and requires intense concentration. Death magic is the opposite of necromancy. The Paths of Anubis and Osiris can be harnessed to do death magic.

Elemental magic - magic that controls the elements (fire, water, wind, and earth). The Paths of Isis and Thoth can be used to perform elemental magic. Lightning magic requires chaos magic and therefore the Path of Set must be followed. Other paths for elemental magic are: Shu, Geb, Nephthys, and Hapi).

Hieroglyphic spells/Divine Words - typical Egyptian spellcasting. They are written on papyrus and can be used with other equipment. If spoken, they are called Divine Words and don't need papyrus to be cast. To speak Divine Words, the Paths of Isis and Thoth should be followed. Examples of Divine Words are:
A'max "Burn"
Drowah "Boundary"
Fah "Release"
Ha-di "Destroy"
Hapi, u-ha ey pwah "Hapi, arise and attack"
Ha-tep "Be at peace"
Ha-wi "Strike"
Heh-sieh "Turn back"
Heqat (Summons a staff)
Hi-nehm "Join together"
Isfet "Chaos"
L'mun "Hide"
Ma'at "Restore order"
Maw "Water"
Med-wah "Speak"
N'dah "Protect"
Sa-hei "Bring down"
Sa-per "Miss"
Se-kebeb "Make cold"
Tas "Bind"
W'peh "Open"

Storm magic - part of elemental magic. Storm magic is chaotic, and therefore requires either the Paths of Set or Apophis to channel. It includes lightning, hurricanes, tornadoes, and heavy winds.

Necromancy - the ability to summon and control the undead. Rogue spirits can also be called through this magic, which is quite dangerous as the magician in control can be misled by them. The Paths of Anubis and Osiris can be channeled to utilize necromancy.

Charm making - ability to make protective amulets and charms. One who utilizes this magic is called a sau.

Statuary magic - magic involving shabti and figurines.

Healing magic - magic that can heal the sick, but also can control sickness. For example, healers (also known as sunu) can control famine, plague, and bau. Healers traditionally follow the Path of Sekhmet.

Animal charming - magic that can control animals - both normal and magical. Animal charmers can also communicate and summon these creatures.

Nome - one of the three-hundred and sixty provinces of the world, as divided by the House of Life.

Obelisk - a tall, narrow, four-sided monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top. It represents a frozen ray of sunlight, especially from the sun god, Ra. Like pyramids, obelisks are good conduits for creating portals. Examples of obelisks are Cleopatra's Needle, Luxor obelisk, and the Washington Monument.

Pharaoh - the kings and queens who ruled Dynastic Egypt. Those descended from the pharaohs make excellent hosts for gods. Carter Kane is currently pharaoh, and his throne is located in the House of Life in the First Nome.

Portal - a magical gateway between locations. They can only appear at auspicious moments, such as high noon, sunrise, a god's birthday, or an alignment. Though gods do not need to worry about auspicious moments, magicians do, and often memorize these moments. Those trained by Sadie Kane will believe auspicious moments are happening at all times of the day, and thus portals can be opened almost at any moment. Objects naturally inclined to be gateways are obelisks, pyramids, and items with significance in Ancient Egypt. Objects require a twelve hour cool-down before either the portal of origin or destination can be re-used. Objects need not be from Ancient Egypt to be used; if they are representations of Ancient Egyptian ideas, they can also be utilized. If a portal is opened with only a country in mind, the default location is the default portal for that country. In America, this is the Washington Monument. Portals cannot be used by ordinary magicians during the Demon days.

The Path of the Gods - a specialty that fell out of practice after the fall of Egypt, but is currently being revived by the Kanes. In Ancient Egypt, all members of the House of Life followed the Path. Some only called upon the power of the gods on occasion, while others sought to become the 'Eye' of the god - a perfect union between god and magician. This is risky, because if done improperly, the host can die or be driven mad. These tragedies are evidenced in history by King Tutankhamun and Cleopatra VII. Known Eyes are Walt Hays and Julius Kane, and in the past, Sadie and Carter Kane.

Secret name, or ren - one of the five aspects of the Egyptian soul. The secret name states the true nature of a person's soul and is only shared in times of great need, or as a gesture of deep trust. Revealing one's secret name to another means the holder gains power over the owner of the secret name. A secret name, however, cannot be revealed by anyone other than its owner or the one closest to his or her heart.

Shabti - servants made out of clay or wax. The Egyptian term means "answerer". Shabti often serve as decoys, companions, librarians, and informants. They are also sometimes used to perform its duties for its master in the afterlife. Shabti should not be made complete or perfect; if they are, they will come to life and can possibly kill their master. They can use magic.

Sheut - a person's shadow, and one of the five parts of the Egyptian soul. It is the mark you leave on the world. One cannot be without a sheut, for if you have no effect on the world, you cannot exist. It can also act as a "backup" of the human soul. Gods often hide their sheuts away from themselves.