Magi
:''For other uses of Magi and Magus, see
Magi (disambiguation)The
Magi (singular
Magus, from Latin, via
Greek μάγος ;
Old English:
Mage; from
Old Persian maguš) was a tribe from ancient
Media, who - prior to the absorbtion of the Medes into the
Persian Empire in 550 BC - were responsible for religious and funerary practices. Later they accepted the
Zoroastrian religion, however, not without changing the original message of its founder,
Zarathustra (Zoroaster), to what is today known as "
Zurvanism", which would become the predominant form of Zoroastrianism during the
Sassanid era (226â€"650 AD). No traces of Zurvanism exist beyond the 10th century AD.
The best known Magi are the "
Wise Men from the East" in the
Bible, whose graves
Marco Polo claimed to have seen in what is today the district of Saveh, in
Tehran,
Iran. In English, the term may refer to a
shaman,
sorcerer, or
wizard; it is the origin of the English words
magic and magician.
Persian
The Greek word is attested from the
5th century BC (
Ancient Greek) as a direct loan from
Old Persian maguš. The Persian word is a
u-stem adjective from an
Indo-Iranian root
*magh "powerful, rich" also continued in
Sanskrit magha "gift, wealth",
magha-vant "generous" (a name of
Indra).
Avestan has
maga,
magauuan, probably with the meanings "sacrifice" and "sacrificer". The
PIE root (
*magh-) appears to have expressed power or ability, continued e.g. in
Attic Greek mekhos (cf.
mechanics) and in
Germanic magan (English
may),
magts (English
might, the expression "might and magic" thus being a
figura etymologica). The original significance of the name for the Median priests thus seems to have been "the powerful".
Modern Persian Mobed is derived from an
Old Persian compound
magu-pati "lord priest".
Greek use of magos
While in
Herodotus,
magos refers to the priestly caste and tribe of the
Medes (1.101) said to be able to interpret dreams (7.37), it could also be used for any enchanter or wizard, and especially to charlatans or quacks (see also
goetia), especially by philosophers such as
Heraclitus who took a sceptical view of the art of an enchanter, and in comic literature (
Lucian's
Lucios or the Ass). In
Hellenism,
magos started to be used as an adjective, meaning "magical", as in
magas techne "ars magica" (e.g. used by
Philostratus).
English language
The plural
Magi entered the English language in ca.
1200, referring to
the Magi mentioned in , the singular being attested only considerably later, in the late
14th century, when it was borrowed from
Old French in the meaning
magician together with
magic.
According to
Herodotus i. 101, which lists the names of the six tribes or castes of the
Medes, the Magi were a hereditary caste of priests. They were highly influencial in Median society until the unification of the Median and
Persian Empires in
550 BC, after which their power was curtailed by
Cyrus the Great and by Cyrus' son
Cambyses II. The Magi revolted against Cambyses and set up a rival claimant to the throne, one of their own, who took the name of
Smerdis. Smerdis and his forces were defeated by the Persians under
Darius I. The Magi continued to exist in unified Persia, but their influence was limited after this and other political setbacks, and it was not until the
Sassanid era (226â€"650 AD) that they would again achieve prominence.
The
Book of Jeremiah (39:3, 39:13) gives a title
rab mag "chief magus" to the head of the Magi,
Nergal Sharezar (
Septuagint,
Vulgate and
KJV mistranslate
Rabmag as a separate character). It's also believed by Christians that the Jewish prophet Daniel was "rab mag" and entrusted a Messianic vision (to be announced in due time by a "star") to a secret sect of the Magi for its eventual fulfillment (Daniel 4:9; 5: 11).
In India there is a community termed
Maga,
Bhojaka or
Shakadvipi Brahmins. Their major centers are in Rajasthan in Western India and near Gaya in Bihar. According to
Bhavishya Purana and other texts, they were invited to settle in Punjab to conduct the worship of Lord Sun (
Mitra or
Surya in Sanskrit). Bhavishya Purana explicitly associates them to the rituals of the (now extinct)
Zurvanite brand of Zoroastrianism.
The members of the community still worship in Sun temples in India. They are also heriditary priests in several
Jain temples in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Bhojakas are mentioned in the copperplates of the
Kadamba dynasty (4-6th cent) as managers of
Jain institutions.
Images of Lord Sun in India are shown wearing a central asian dress, complete with boots. The term "Mihir" in India is regarded to represent the Maga influence.
*
The Majoos (Urdu)
*
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
*
The Chaldean MagiThe Complete Online Library of Ancient Sources.
