1.0The Escapisthttps://www.escapistmagazine.comAdam Gauntlett Legacy Authorhttps://www.escapistmagazine.com/author/karloff/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="E6SrDfCEOS"><a href="https://www.escapistmagazine.com/pages-of-power/">Pages of Power</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.escapistmagazine.com/pages-of-power/embed/#?secret=E6SrDfCEOS" width="600" height="338" title="“Pages of Power” — The Escapist" data-secret="E6SrDfCEOS" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(c,d){"use strict";var e=!1,o=!1;if(d.querySelector)if(c.addEventListener)e=!0;if(c.wp=c.wp||{},c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage);else if(c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if(!t);else if(!(t.secret||t.message||t.value));else if(/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret));else{for(var r,s,a,i=d.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),n=d.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),l=0;l<n.length;l++)n[l].style.display="none";for(l=0;l<i.length;l++)if(r=i[l],e.source!==r.contentWindow);else{if(r.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message){if(1e3<(s=parseInt(t.value,10)))s=1e3;else if(~~s<200)s=200;r.height=s}if("link"===t.message)if(s=d.createElement("a"),a=d.createElement("a"),s.href=r.getAttribute("src"),a.href=t.value,!o.test(a.protocol));else if(a.host===s.host)if(d.activeElement===r)c.top.location.href=t.value}}},e)c.addEventListener("message",c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),d.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",t,!1),c.addEventListener("load",t,!1);function t(){if(o);else{o=!0;for(var e,t,r,s=-1!==navigator.appVersion.indexOf("MSIE 10"),a=!!navigator.userAgent.match(/Trident.*rv:11\./),i=d.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),n=0;n<i.length;n++){if(!(r=(t=i[n]).getAttribute("data-secret")))r=Math.random().toString(36).substr(2,10),t.src+="#?secret="+r,t.setAttribute("data-secret",r);if(s||a)(e=t.cloneNode(!0)).removeAttribute("security"),t.parentNode.replaceChild(e,t);t.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:r},"*")}}}}(window,document); </script> According to Pliny the Elder, the first magical books were written by Osthanes, a Persian astrologer who accompanied Xerxes on his failed campaign to conquer Greece, and who left them behind in the retreat. However, all cultures capable of writing, whether on papyrus, clay, or bark, used that skill to record their own magical traditions; when they met other cultures, they traded. These books became known as grimoires, volumes of conjurations and spells, and their history is as old as civilization itself. In fiction, one of the most potent grimoires is the Necronomicon, invented by horror author H.P. Lovecraft and […]http://cdn.themis-media.com/media/global/images/library/deriv/52/52051.png