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The archeology of magic

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
I want to invent a word, or at least use a good one invented by someone else. In my world, magic has been around a long time, and naturally things change over time, so there will eventually be people who study the history of magic, even before there were written records.

That's the archeology of magic. The terms I've cobbled together are awfully clunky
thaumatology
archeothaumatry
archeomagica

I found this one from a book title, "materia magica" which is more elegant, but which does not quite imply "study of." Ideally, the word could change gracefully, the way archeology can become archeologist.

All ideas welcome!
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
I appreciate the votes. I hesitated on that one because there's no "archaic" piece of the word. Thaumatology could simply be the study of current magical practices, more in the vein of anthropology.

Maybe archeothaumatology? Woof!
 

Svrtnsse

Staff
Article Team
I appreciate the votes. I hesitated on that one because there's no "archaic" piece of the word. Thaumatology could simply be the study of current magical practices, more in the vein of anthropology.

Maybe archeothaumatology? Woof!

Archeothaumatology is a bit of a mouthful, isn't it? Not to mention I had to try several times to get it right.

You could still use it though. It's not unthinkable that the study of the history of magic is separated into several different fields, where thaumatology, archeothaumatology, arcanautology, thaumarcanautology, and archeothaumosophy are different disciplines.

You could also have professors within each field argue about which is the most relevant.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
Thanks. That all fits in with my own strange alt-timelines. I am keeping the spirit (I should probably say stereotype) of each of Europe's own historical eras, so there is definitely a place, roughly 2600 to 2700 AUC (1850 to 1950) where there would be that sort of heavy pedantry coupled with genuine scholarship. I envision a fervent boom in archeo-thaumatology, with both adventurers and scholars realizing there must be uncounted treasures to be found. It's another reason why I'd love to get a genuinely usable word, in case I wind up writing a story involving the field.

PS, I do like your other terms, especially because it would give me archeothaumasophistry. :)
 
You could drop a syllable and make it archaeothaumtology. Rolls off my tongue a little easier.

Maybe arcathaumatology, which keeps the syllable dropped above, but shortens the prefix.

You could also consider using pre- or paleo- as a prefix. Prethaumatology. Paleothaumtology.

Or maybe go with archarcanology. :)
 

Gryphos

Auror
I like archeothaumatology. Yes, it's a mouthful, but there's opportunities for humour there, with characters being unable to spit it out in a hurry, muddling it, etc.
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
A shorter word: paleomancy (assuming it accurately describes what is going on; implies a practice of the art to me).

More obscure: paleohermetica

Paleomagikos?

Maybe I'm too stuck on paleo.
 
I appreciate the votes. I hesitated on that one because there's no "archaic" piece of the word. Thaumatology could simply be the study of current magical practices, more in the vein of anthropology.

Maybe archeothaumatology? Woof!

Go with that! I like that it's a mouthful. Makes it sound uppity and erudite.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
You could also consider using pre- or paleo- as a prefix. Prethaumatology. Paleothaumtology.

For some reason, paleothaumatology (can't drop that vowel without mutilating the word) sounds a little smoother than archaeothaumatology. Thanks for that one; will put it in the list.

Archarcanaology. *chortle*
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
Thanks Steerpike, but it's not the practice of a magical art but rather the science of examining artifacts related to the practice of magic in ancient times. So anything-mancy won't work.

I do rather like paleohermetica, or even archaeohermetics. Maybe to designate the supposed practice of magic prior to the historically documented use of magic (Altearth has a rather clear dividing line).
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
Thanks, Dragon. I don't really want it to sound erudite, nor humorous (Gryphos), but those are more votes for the word. I don't intend to use it in any prominent sort of way, so I don't mind the reader tripping over it, if s/he encounters it only a couple of times.
 
Hi,

How about something like Arcano-historiography? Or something wrapped around the term antiquarian? (Can't think of a word using the term that includes an -ology or study of term).

Cheers, Greg.
 
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