Magic in the Bartimaeus trilogy

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Magic in The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud is created by 2 entities, the magician and the magical entity coming from the Other Place.

Apprentices are given up by their parents to undergo magical training with a qualified magician. In return, the parents get a large sum of money as compensation. Apprentices are then trained in all manner of magical arts. They have rigorous physical as well as mental training. Swimming lessons are must as well as History, Music, Art, Languages as well as tuition in the edicts of magic.

Contents

[edit] Magical Entity Classes

The most commonly summoned magical entities exist in 5 basic types, listed in increasing order of power:

  • Imps
  • Foliots
  • Djinn
  • Afrits
  • Marids

There are many magical beings below imps---for example "mites," small magical bugs---and other beings who are stronger than marids---these are not really classified into levels, however, and magicians rarely use them, because they are in one case not very useful, on the other level too powerful to control. Elementals are also mentioned in the books, most notably their usage in elemental spheres, but their actual nature is unexplained and it is largely unclear what classification they come under, if they come under the 5 types at all. However, Bartimaeus mentions that spirits like him, who are beings of fire and air, are harmed by the elemental earth and Honorius is almost completely powerless in water, so the existence of water and earth elementals implies that they are a different form of spirit than the 5 conventional types.

In total there are thirteen thousand and forty-six classified types of spirit, and according to the magician Petronius there are forty-five thousand unclassified, although Zavattini believes there to be forty-eight thousand.

[edit] Lesser Spirits

Below and at level with Imps, there are:

  • Goblin-Imps
  • Homunculi
  • Lamias
  • Messenger Imps
  • Mites
Lesser Frilled Green Hornetwing Mites
Greater Frilled Green Hornetwing Mites
  • Moulers
  • Natterjack Implings
  • Scarlet Vexations
  • Shadow Stalkers
  • Sprites
  • Stygian Implets
  • Vigilance/Search Sphere Imps
  • Will-O'-The-Wisps

[edit] Djinn Sub-class

The various subclasses of the djinn are:

  • Cockatrices- Spirit with a deadly gaze, like the original Basilisk, so that one must wear mirrored glasses and place mirrors around the pentacle, with its instructions in a bowl to safely control it. Mr Lovelace quizzed Nathaniel on them during their first meeting.
  • Demi-Afrits- Supposedly potent spirits that are close to, but not at, an Afrits level; at least four were present at the Piccadilly Raid.
  • Ghuls- fond of human flesh, sentries at Heddlam Hall, fought in the Siege Of Prague.
  • Horlas- powerful djinn that cause illness and despair in humans and sap other spirits' essence; were sentries at the Tower Of London and were part of the guard that protected the PM and Mr Fry, fought in the Siege Of Prague.
  • Inccubi- seductive male djinn; though not specifically mentioned, the existence of succubi seems to indicate their existence.
  • Krels- tall, thin, reddish djinn, were used as sentries at Mr Lovelace's house.
  • Reviler- mentioned only once on p.230 "Nathaniel" as a threat for his "failed" summoning of a djinni in The Amulet Of Samarkand.
  • Tracker Djinn- Djinn that have the ability to bring their masters' Astral Form through another spirits' Astral Cord, allowing them to see who its master is, tracked Nathaniel by Mr Underwood, and tracked Mart in the Westminster Raid).
  • Succubi- seductive female djinn.
  • Triloids- three-legged yellow sentry djinn, were used as sentries at Mr Lovelace's house.
  • Uttukus- particularly unintelligent djinn, used as entries at the Tower Of London, fought in the Battle Of Al-Arish.

[edit] Greater Spirits

Similarly, above marids exist entities of terrible power which few magicians dare bother. Examples of these would be:

  • Nouda
  • Ramuthra

[edit] Notable Spirits

Main article: Characters of the Bartimaeus trilogy

[edit] Notable Foliots

  • Simpkin, the personal assistant to Sholto Pinn. His head literally swells along with his ego. He enjoys working for Sholto Pinn since he has such a cushiony job, only involving assisting his master with filing and cleaning and is rewarded for his work. Bartimaeus (along with most other spirits) is disgusted by Simpkin's loyalty to his master, especially when Simpkin becomes angry when Bartimaeus wrecks the store and hurts Sholto.

[edit] Notable Djinn

  • Bartimaeus Of Uruk (also known as Rekhyt Of Alexandria, Necho Of Jeruselum, Sakar-Al-Jinni Of Al-Arish, N'Gorso The Mighty, The Serpent Of Silver Plumes) (who has spoken with Solomon)
  • Faquarl Of Sparta
  • Jabor
  • Shubit
  • Nemaides
  • Queezle
  • Ascobol
  • Affa
  • Penrenutet
  • Hodge
  • Mwamba
  • Cormocodran
  • Purip
  • Fritang
  • Nubbin
  • Asmoral the Resolute
  • Ianna

[edit] Notable Afrits

  • Honorius
  • Patterknife
  • Naeryan
  • Tchue

[edit] Essence

The basic form of the magical entities consists of a thing named essence, a flowing shapeless matter. While on earth, they have to create a physical body for themselves, which may be of any form they please. Maintaining this form pains them, and their essences weaken if summoned for a prolonged period. Their essences are also extremely vulnerable to silver and iron. These metals are often used to subdue spirits, such as when Bartimaeus chases Honorius (The Golem's Eye) and when Mandrake tries to threaten Bartimaeus with a silver-tipped spear (Ptolemy's Gate). It is to be noted that the Resistance often used silver throwing discs against spirits. The spirits are also vulnerable against rowan powder, rosemary, garlic, and a few other substances.

[edit] Summoning

To summon an entity, a magician requires to draw a pentacle. He also needs to take many precautionary measures to prevent any mishap (like escape of the entity which will likely result in the death of the magician at the hands of the entity). A number of herbs act as instruments to ward off entities. The magician then speaks a spell. The spell acts in the following manner: the magician's voice carries to the Other Place (takes nine seconds) where it wakes up the entity being called (takes seven seconds). The entity then has to answer the summons or risk tearing its essence apart. It then appears in an adjoining pentacle (takes three seconds).

Depending on the skill of the magician, there are limits to summoning ability. Some powerful magicians of summoning were:

[edit] Magical items

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] The Amulet of Samarkand

It is an immensely powerful amulet, that contains an unusually strong entity (enough so to ward off the power of Ramuthra, a being so terrible that it disrupts each of the planes) who can absorb any magical spell or creature that is of lesser strength than the trapped spirit residing in the Amulet. It is a passive defensive item. It was created 3,000 years ago in the Steppes of Central Asia as a gift to a princess. It is made of crushed gold in an oval shape and hangs on a gold chain. It depicts running horses. There is jade stone in the center where the spirit lived, and all magic is absorbed into it.

[edit] Gladstone's staff

Gladstone's staff is a powerful offensive weapon containing the power of at least two trapped marids. It was used by Gladstone, the most powerful magician of Britain, in his conquest of various countries across the world, thus building a world empire. The staff was destroyed by Nathaniel when he let the entities inside break free so that the magical shockwave would collapse the Crystal Palace, in which Nathaniel and Nouda were fighting, and destroy Nouda through the falling iron frame.

[edit] Golem's Eye

A magical, ornate stone eye made from hardened river mud, this allows a magician to see what the golem is seeing and to give the golem commands. The eye is used in conjunction with a golem's body and golem's scroll.

[edit] Golem's body

Golems were creatures shaped from mud and created by a spell that required the majority of the energy of the magician. They originally came from Czechoslovakia, especially Prague, where the great magician Loew (based on legendary Rabbi Loew of Prague) created one deep in the ghetto 400 years prior to the book "The Golem's Eye." They were used as a last-ditch defence against the British invasion of Prague. They were controlled by a golem's eye, a magical instrument that allowed the magician to see what the golem was seeing and thus direct it. One was used by Henry Duvall to destroy large parts of London. The body must be combined with a golem's eye and golem's scroll to make a golem. It is implied that golems draw power from a different (earthly) source than spirits.

[edit] Animating Parchment

A magical scroll inscribed with an ancient, secret Czech spell. The spell must be written with equal parts ink and blood, and a small square is made at the bottom, where the user of the golem signs his name. It is implied that whoever signs their name in that box is the only person able to control the golem. The golem's scroll is placed inside a golem's body, which animates the golem. When a golem's scroll is removed from a golem's mouth, the scroll disintegrates, and the golem returns to its owner to "die", or collapse into a pile of mud.

[edit] Seven-League Boots

These are magical talismans, allowing people to travel great distances in a few steps. They are activated by a single, magical command. They can be used to appear and disappear from numerous situations and scenes without leaving a trace. When Nathaniel retrieved them, they were part of his key plan to destroy Nouda and the other Hybrids. The pair that was worn by Verroq was destroyed (or at least unfindable) when Mandrake broke Gladstone's Staff's bonds.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

 v • d • e Bartimaeus Trilogy
Books The Amulet of Samarkand | The Golem's Eye | Ptolemy's Gate
Main characters Nathaniel | Bartimaeus | Kitty Jones
Other topics Magic in the Bartimaeus trilogy | Characters of the Bartimaeus trilogy
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