Magic as the Agency of Things, Words, and Sounds

This essay reviews biases and confusions in applying the term “magic,” then turns to magic as the efficacious quality of ritual speech and as the agencies conveyed by materials in assemblage, with two historical examples of artifacts.

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Publication Details

Journal
West 86th
Published
2025-03-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1086/737598
Primary Topic
Historical Astronomy and Related Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Magic as the Agency of Things, Words, and Sounds

David Frankfurter
West 86th
Historical Astronomy and Related Studies
article

Magic as the Agency of Things, Words, and Sounds

David Frankfurter
article en

Abstract

This essay reviews biases and confusions in applying the term “magic,” then turns to magic as the efficacious quality of ritual speech and as the agencies conveyed by materials in assemblage, with two historical examples of artifacts.

West 86thVol. 32(1)
Boston University (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 87%
Historical Astronomy and Related Studies
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Magic as the Agency of Things, Words, and Sounds — David Frankfurter · West 86th (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS