A Guided Tour through the Untamed Territories of Magic

Book 1 of the Great Wizards of History Trilogy

The history of wizardry comes alive with dozens of unique portraits capturing the most remarkable and infamous practitioners of magic and alchemy. Combining up-to-date historical scholarship and his own keen interpretations of primary texts, Guy Ogilvy develops a fascinating saga of magical thought and practice.

The story begins with the prehistoric culture of the Lion Man and moves on to Orpheus and the great figures of myth. Discover the unparalleled influence of Pythagoras and the pre-Socratics as they experience the mysterious glories of Apollo's touch. Behold the leading alchemists of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance as they carry forth the surviving wisdom of the ancients, working their unique magic even as powerful social and political forces align against them.

Magic is a vital element of history. The Great Wizards of Antiquity weaves together the loose threads of magic to form a comprehensive tapestry, challenging the ideas brought forth by peddlers of the mundane and returning a sense of enchantment to its rightful place in the human spirit.

In this book, you will discover the beliefs and teachings of sorcerers, healers, philosophers, alchemists, and mythological figures, including:

The Lion Man

Animal magic & the modern mind

Orpheus

Incantations & the magic of music

Dionysus

Wild rites & the gift of wine

Pythagoras

Metempsychosis & the wisdom of the cave dwellers

Pherekydes

Open secrets & the immortality of souls

The Pythia

The oracle at Delphi & ecstatic prophecy

Epimenides

Sacred caves & the unknown gods

Abaris

The golden arrow & the Hyperborean Apollo

Zalmoxis

Thrace & the Celtic connection

Hermotimus

Astral travel & the preeminence of psyche

Aristeas

The form of a raven & the wonders of Apollo

Parmenides

The man who knows & the nightmare ride to hell

Empedocles

Bronze sandals & the four elements

Zosimos

Transmutation & inner purification

J?bir ibn ?ayy?n

Islamic alchemy & the theory of balance

Jan Baptista Van Helmont

The stranger & the projecting powder

The Comte de Saint-Germain

Universal medicine & the elixir of life

Paracelsus

Legendary cures & the open book of nature

James Price

The Royal Society & the Philosopher's Stone