Blood Magic

[Dante DiBenedetto]

Blood Magic, as opposed to only Ritual Blood Magic, is something that has been something of an interest for me the last several years. My first run into it was playing the video game Dragon Age. I found the concept intriguing, and in many ways almost the antithesis of my second favorite grim school of magic -- Necromancy.

It struck me that many cultures at one time or another had rituals from both; the spilling of blood, or the communing with the dead. Sometimes it's even a combination of the two. It seemed as if the significance of blood and death were a universal message that transcended time and culture. Because of that, I wanted to write a book that focused on them both, with Blood Magic being at the forefront, as Necromancy has been done quite thoroughly.

My main concept, or theme, has been this: Blood is life. Life is power. Power corrupts.

I've also been doing my best to avoid cheesy videogame-style casting, such as "Blood Bolt" or "Blood Shield", due to how impractical something like that would be, should it actually be composed of blood. It's also been a challenge to seperate it as not solely a reagent to power spells, though it can, in some cases, especially if it comes from magical creatures.

Due to these self-imposed restrictions, it's actually opened some very interesting doors. It's even led to some effective synergies with tangible, earthly weapons. Since this is a contemporary piece, I'll let your imaginations do the math.

I'm curious what your exposure to Blood Magic has been in pieces of literature, not simply limited to blood rituals, or spells bolstered by blood. I heard Mercedes Lackey tends to use blood mages, but I've yet to read her works. I'd like to know, for your sake and mine, what worked and what didn't, from what you've read so far.

I'd also like to know if you have any suggestions or other input regarding the subject.

 

[HareBrain]

Just a couple of thoughts that might help you (and I tend to overthink magic, so ignore if they don't).

Why does blood=life? It's true this was an ancient belief, but you're writing in a contemporary world (unless I've misread part of your post) when medical science would have advanced past that point. I can see that the belief might still have power (because primitives lurk not too far below our civilised facade), but I would expect the magic power to come from the belief rather than the substance itself.

 

[skynes]

I've been asking questions to myself on the subject of blood magic, and talking with a friend about it to see what we could conjure up (u see wut I did thar?).

One thought that came up was pathogens, the use of blood magic to inflict disease and sickness upon people. But also to remove sickness. As blood carries both germs and white blood cells, blood magic could be used to cure as well as to cause harm.

We also thought of something more vampiric, the use of blood to sustain yourself when you're past the point where your body could self-repair. That one was playing on what you said of blood being life. We thought of potentially using it to inflict the same wounds you have onto your enemy, whilst healing your own, though reflecting damage is a bit of a stretch.

One thing I'm still trying to figure out is, in one world my friend and I have concocted, is that all magic comes from other planes, each plane representing an element like fire or water, but also a concept, like law, blades, chaos, and dreams. Each mage summons this force in the form of a spell or a sentient entity that's a resident of that plane.

I'm trying to figure out what a blood elemental would be like.

 

[Dante DiBenedetto]

Why does blood=life? It's true this was an ancient belief, but you're writing in a contemporary world (unless I've misread part of your post) when medical science would have advanced past that point. I can see that the belief might still have power (because primitives lurk not too far below our civilised facade), but I would expect the magic power to come from the belief rather than the substance itself.

There's actually something of a scientific slant to it. A body can survive some very traumatic events, but total exsanguination is always lethal; even if it is temporarily lethal (See: Russian Mad Scientists ). Simply put, without blood, there is no life -- not for creatures at least. Even the few creatures that don't have blood, in the classic sense, do have similar systems throughout their bodies.

I've been asking questions to myself on the subject of blood magic, and talking with a friend about it to see what we could conjure up (u see wut I did thar?).

One thought that came up was pathogens, the use of blood magic to inflict disease and sickness upon people. But also to remove sickness. As blood carries both germs and white blood cells, blood magic could be used to cure as well as to cause harm.

We also thought of something more vampiric, the use of blood to sustain yourself when you're past the point where your body could self-repair. That one was playing on what you said of blood being life. We thought of potentially using it to inflict the same wounds you have onto your enemy, whilst healing your own, though reflecting damage is a bit of a stretch.

One thing I'm still trying to figure out is, in one world my friend and I have concocted, is that all magic comes from other planes, each plane representing an element like fire or water, but also a concept, like law, blades, chaos, and dreams. Each mage summons this force in the form of a spell or a sentient entity that's a resident of that plane.

I'm trying to figure out what a blood elemental would be like.

It's an interesting point on vampirism. It is a subject that comes up in the book, but is certainly not the focus. Blood Magic and vampirism are, without a doubt, related.

The tricky thing is maintaining balance: Blood in, blood out. How powerful a spell is would be proportionate to how much blood is used (to a limit), and the type of blood used. I have to avoid a mage constantly casting spells by using their own blood, unless they have a death wish. It also brings up the very real possibility of an enemy's blood being used against them -- notably, say, an open wound.

Pathogens, or foreign elements, as well as sickness and life are systems I've covered and will continue to cover throughout the book. This is especially pertinent in regards to the more vampiric element, and even the protagonist himself. He's not a blood mage (yet) but has two different problems with his own blood; both in terms of the magical and physical elements.

To answer your question regarding a blood element, I would say it would be less about blood being an element and more about Life being a power, or source (like the antithesis of a plane of Death) and that Blood would be the vessel of life. Interesting question, nonetheless.

 

[skynes]

It's an interesting point on vampirism. It is a subject that comes up in the book, but is certainly not the focus. Blood Magic and vampirism are, without a doubt, related.

The tricky thing is maintaining balance: Blood in, blood out. How powerful a spell is would be proportionate to how much blood is used (to a limit), and the type of blood used. I have to avoid a mage constantly casting spells by using their own blood, unless they have a death wish. It also brings up the very real possibility of an enemy's blood being used against them -- notably, say, an open wound.

Immediate first thought: Blood Mages are melee combatants that use bladed weapons, they cut then use the blood of the enemy to fuel their spells.

Hmm, there was a Naruto character named Hidan who used a many bladed scythe for that same reason, it wasn't to deal damage, it was just to cause bleeding.

Pathogens, or foreign elements, as well as sickness and life are systems I've covered and will continue to cover throughout the book. This is especially pertinent in regards to the more vampiric element, and even the protagonist himself. He's not a blood mage (yet) but has two different problems with his own blood; both in terms of the magical and physical elements.

Never considered the effect of differing blood types/ailments on the magic. That's one more to think about.

Would blood poisoning make damage spells more effective, but healing ineffective?

I think there's enough material on blood magic alone for a whole novel xD

To answer your question regarding a blood element, I would say it would be less about blood being an element and more about Life being a power, or source (like the antithesis of a plane of Death) and that Blood would be the vessel of life. Interesting question, nonetheless.

Elemental, as in like a living, sentient entity. A golem of blood. Would would it look like? What would it desire? What powers would it have?

 

[Dante DiBenedetto]

Immediate first thought: Blood Mages are melee combatants that use bladed weapons, they cut then use the blood of the enemy to fuel their spells.

Hmm, there was a Naruto character named Hidan who used a many bladed scythe for that same reason, it wasn't to deal damage, it was just to cause bleeding.

Precisely. The main blood mage in the story always carries a small blade on his person for exactly this reason, yet it is serrated, not a razor's edge. This is to cause immediately blood being spilled as opposed to a delay. There's also projectiles to consider -- guns first and foremost. It allows you to attack from a range, and a non lethal hit could still be ultimately lethal. Buckshot would be the preferred method of maiming.

Would blood poisoning make damage spells more effective, but healing ineffective?

Thank you. This is something I haven't actually considered. I think the answer to that would be, it would only be practical if the character had built a resistance to the poison. It of course could be easily used as a means of a potentially suicidal sacrifice if one knew that their enemy intended to drain them, vampirically.

Elemental, as in like a living, sentient entity. A golem of blood. Would would it look like? What would it desire? What powers would it have?

I think a golem, or creature of the plain of Life (following my theme as blood being the vessel for life, and Life being the actual element) would have to be composed of either blood, or fueled by it. The golem could possibly be composed of flesh, or possibly even a machine. The main point would be that Blood was its link to the plane of life. You could even argue that a corpse alone could be used as a golem, and an effective one at that, so long as its circulatory system was in tact. It would essentially blend in completely without contrast to its normal living counterparts. That's actually a strange concept I haven't heard of in regards to re-animation, or at least not in that exact way. As far as what it would desire, is not the desire of a golem the wishes of its master? An unchained golem, I would imagine, would seek out blood to fuel its own powers. That's a scary thought, and an entirely new twist of what could be considered a vampire of sorts.

I'd also like to add that since necromancy is the opposite of blood magic, the prime enemy of the blood mage is the unliving -- the bloodless. Liches, skeletons, heavily decayed ghouls, etc. Essentially, if it does not bleed, it forces the caster to use their own blood to defend themselves.

 

[skynes]

Precisely. The main blood mage in the story always carries a small blade on his person for exactly this reason, yet it is serrated, not a razor's edge. This is to cause immediately blood being spilled as opposed to a delay. There's also projectiles to consider -- guns first and foremost. It allows you to attack from a range, and a non lethal hit could still be ultimately lethal. Buckshot would be the preferred method of maiming.

Oof, wide range blind attack, doesn't matter what it hits, if it bleeds the magic can affect it. Very nasty and very dangerous enemy.

Thank you. This is something I haven't actually considered. I think the answer to that would be, it would only be practical if the character had built a resistance to the poison. It of course could be easily used as a means of a potentially suicidal sacrifice if one knew that their enemy intended to drain them, vampirically.

Poison the vampires food supply by feeding the humans a slow acting toxin.

I think a golem, or creature of the plain of Life (following my theme as blood being the vessel for life, and Life being the actual element) would have to be composed of either blood, or fueled by it. The golem could possibly be composed of flesh, or possibly even a machine. The main point would be that Blood was its link to the plane of life. You could even argue that a corpse alone could be used as a golem, and an effective one at that, so long as its circulatory system was in tact. It would essentially blend in completely without contrast to its normal living counterparts. That's actually a strange concept I haven't heard of in regards to re-animation, or at least not in that exact way. As far as what it would desire, is not the desire of a golem the wishes of its master? An unchained golem, I would imagine, would seek out blood to fuel its own powers. That's a scary thought, and an entirely new twist of what could be considered a vampire of sorts.

I'd also like to add that since necromancy is the opposite of blood magic, the prime enemy of the blood mage is the unliving -- the bloodless. Liches, skeletons, heavily decayed ghouls, etc. Essentially, if it does not bleed, it forces the caster to use their own blood to defend themselves.

That was my stepping into my own created world a moment, in order to summon something from a plane, you need to make a contract with it. It gives you its services and you offer something in return. One creature I have, a dream entity, it wants to see the world on the other side of dreams, so it gives it services and power in order to see the real world. Another, a shadow elemental, its plane is about 'absence', absence of light being the main one, but its power allow the suppressing of all senses. So it's a bored entity from a world with no light, sounds or tastes. It wants the thrills of our plane.

A blood elemental... maybe wants to taste the various bloods of the world? Like a connoisseur of blood. That really could make an interesting vampire twist.

I really like that idea of using a corpse, the blood elemental uses it as a suit in order to move around and blend in. Might even be able to stave off decomposition by tricking the body into thinking it's still alive. Fresher would be better of course. Definitely never heard that one before.

 

[Brian G Turner]

It struck me that many cultures at one time or another had rituals from both; the spilling of blood, or the communing with the dead.

Indeed - a cursory look at Roman religion and Christianity especially will show the importance of the concept of blood sacrifice.

 

[Dante DiBenedetto]

A blood elemental... maybe wants to taste the various bloods of the world? Like a connoisseur of blood. That really could make an interesting vampire twist.

Hmm. My own take on it for your world would be this: It comes from a world composed of Life blood, it would want to experience, or cause death, by exsanguination -- it serves a dual purpose. It extracts blood from your enemies to power itself with it's native element, and the direct effect is witnessing/causing the extinguishing of life.

I really like that idea of using a corpse, the blood elemental uses it as a suit in order to move around and blend in. Might even be able to stave off decomposition by tricking the body into thinking it's still alive. Fresher would be better of course.

I actually think that not having the ability to stave off decomposition can build a very frightening, very real aspect of horror to your story. You know the golem won't stay in one body for very long, and it has to kill to remain in the plane of existence. If you actually wrote a main character, or main supporting character that was a blood golem, it would be something read with trepidation outside the context of warfare; someone's going to have to die. I can definitely see some serious assassin-like roles applied to a blood golem in that context.

Definitely never heard that one before.

I'm sure someone has done it before, and skinwalkers are nothing new, but it is a twist on an old stereotype that I may actually utilize. Currently, the main mage has at least one homenculus he has made, so a golem wouldn't be a stretch. It just boils down to, is it plot relevant or needed? Currently, no.

Death golems, on the other hand, are actually very plot pertinent. You could argue any sentient undead that does not possess the original body's conscious or that of an intruder, would essentially be this. And since a creature with no blood is the bane of the blood mage, not only are they a useful counter-balance, they're a very scary one as a prospective foe.

 

[Randy M.]

Besides the regular run of vampire fiction ("For the Blood is the Life" by F. Marion Crawford), there's the irregular vampire fiction of Tim Powers, The Stress of Her Regard. A really fine adventure/horror fantasy.


Randy M.

 

[Dante DiBenedetto]

I'm not looking for vampire fiction, unless it centers on Blood Magic (as a school of magic). There's a lot of ritual blood magic that's been done to death.

Have any of you read the Mercedes Lackey books with blood mages? I'm considering picking one up, but I'm not sure which one would be best as a reference.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Carol Berg has written a series of books about blood magic, her Collegia Magica trilogy, but it consists of bleeding those who have the power to work magic, in order to use their blood in spells of one's own. But while this blood magic is central to the plot it is only one element of the plot, and we don't see how the blood is used, only how it is (illegally, and quite horrifyingly in some instances) obtained, so I don't know if the books would be the kind of thing you are looking for. (Though they are very good books, and I would recommend them if you are looking for something good to read.)

 

[Randy M.]

I'm not looking for vampire fiction, unless it centers on Blood Magic (as a school of magic). There's a lot of ritual blood magic that's been done to death.

[...].

I don't think the Powers' title I mentioned is typical of anything. There's a lot of magic in it that requires blood, and it handles the vampire/lamia mythology quite neatly.


Randy M.