Summon the dead via runes
Necromancy is a compound of the ancient Greek words 'nekros' (dead) and 'manteia' (divination), referring to the practice of summoning the spirits of the dead to inquire about the future or uncover hidden secrets. From antiquity through the Middle Ages, it remained one of the most taboo forms of divination, inspiring a particular sense of fear and awe due to its direct connection with death.
In ancient Greece, there was a custom of summoning the spirit of a deceased prophet through necromancy to receive prophecies. Homer's Odyssey depicts the protagonist Odysseus descending into Hades to summon the spirit of the dead seer Tiresias, and Ovid's Metamorphoses also portrays necromantic rituals.
In medieval Europe, necromancy was classified under magic and black magic, facing severe persecution from the Church. Practitioners were punished as heretics. Nevertheless, historical records indicate that some scholars and clergy secretly studied necromancy-related texts.
The origins of necromancy can be traced back to ancient Babylon and Persia. In the ancient Near East, rituals to communicate with the spirits of the dead were performed for religious and divinatory purposes — a practice the ancient Greeks called 'Nekuia.' Greek diviners conducted these rituals at tombs or underground temples to summon the spirits of the deceased.
Necromancy was also practiced during the Roman era, but it was gradually outlawed as Christianity became the state religion in the late empire. In medieval Europe, necromancy was classified alongside alchemy and astrology as 'secret knowledge' and placed on the papal index of forbidden texts.
In the 19th century, as the Spiritualism movement spread across America and Europe, necromancy re-emerged in a new form: spirit communication through mediums. After the Fox Sisters incident in 1848, the belief that mediums could enter trance states to channel the dead gained widespread traction.
The rise of 19th-century Spiritualism brought it into direct conflict with the psychiatric community. Doctors and psychologists engaged in fierce debate over whether mediums' trance states and automatic writing were symptoms of mental illness or genuine paranormal phenomena.
French psychiatrist Pierre Janet reported the case of a 37-year-old woman in 1909. The woman claimed to receive messages from her deceased father through automatic writing and believed she possessed healing powers. Janet diagnosed her condition as 'systematic delirium.'
The case reported by Burlet in 1863 was even more tragic. A 38-year-old Italian man fell into delirium after attending séances, ceaselessly talking about spirits, invocations, and mediums. He repeatedly struck his head against walls, claiming to communicate with spirits, and eventually died of meningitis complicated by pneumonia. Burlet concluded that Spiritualism was a significant cause of psychological maladjustment.
2013 Spiritual Healer Schizoaffective Psychosis Case: A case report published in the American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP) documented a 46-year-old woman who developed schizoaffective psychosis after working as a spiritual healer for several years. All of her psychotic symptoms could be traced back to the spiritual techniques she had employed, accompanied by severe functional impairment and depressive symptoms. Initial diagnosis was difficult because the boundary between spiritual practice and psychotic symptoms was blurred, but a thorough clinical history revealed that her spiritual practice had contributed to the onset of psychosis.
2011 Spain Schizophrenia Patient Exorcism Case: A 28-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia five years earlier had her symptoms misidentified as 'demonic possession' by priests, who proceeded to perform multiple exorcisms. Some of the priests were from the Madrid archdiocese and were aware of the patient's clinical situation, yet still believed she was possessed. The exorcisms interfered with her clinical treatment, and the patient came to believe her symptoms were the work of a demon, undermining her treatment adherence.
Channeling and Dissociative Disorders: Research published in Springer Nature showed that channeling experiences — relaying information from entities in other dimensions — share features with Dissociative Trance/Possession Disorders (DTPD) and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), though in most cases they do not reach pathological levels. However, channeling practitioners exhibit higher symptom levels than control groups, with some developing actual psychopathology.
These cases demonstrate that necromantic practices can inflict serious harm on mentally vulnerable individuals. The psychiatric community has consistently noted that when belief in spirit communication intertwines with psychotic symptoms, it can interfere with proper psychiatric treatment and exacerbate the condition.
In modern times, necromancy has taken on a new form known as 'channeling' rather than persisting as traditional ritual. Channeling is the practice of relaying information from entities in other dimensions or the spirits of the deceased while in a trance state, and it spread throughout the West alongside the New Age movement in the late 20th century.
Channeling practitioners interpret their experiences as 'non-ordinary states of consciousness' rather than pathological ones, and some researchers concur that channeling does not always indicate mental illness. However, the fact that channeling experiences share mechanisms with dissociative disorders — and that some practitioners go on to develop actual psychopathology — warrants caution.
In particular, research indicating an elevated risk of psychosis among those who work as spiritual healers or mediums for extended periods suggests that the impact of necromantic practices on mental health cannot be dismissed.
LunaWitch's Necromancy is an entertainment experience themed around the necromantic ritual of drawing forth the spirits of the dead from their graves using ancient runes. AI channels the spirit's responses to the user's questions, providing an immersive experience that recreates the atmosphere of ancient spirit-summoning arts.
As confirmed by real incidents and psychiatric research, necromantic practices can inflict serious harm on mentally vulnerable individuals. Cases such as the 19th-century medium who died of delirium after séances, the spiritual healer who developed psychosis, and the schizophrenia patient whose treatment was disrupted by exorcism rituals all support this.
LunaWitch's Necromancy takes these risks seriously, clearly labeling all content as for entertainment purposes only, and displaying a warning screen before the ritual begins to caution those sensitive to mental health topics. We offer a thrilling experience themed around forbidden ancient rituals, with safety measures in place to remind users that this is created entertainment content.
Ancient Greek & Roman Necromancy historical sources (Homer's Odyssey, Ovid), 19th-century Spiritualism psychiatric cases (Burlet 1863 Italian male delirium death case, Pierre Janet 1909 automatic writing delusion case), psychiatric journal spiritual healer schizoaffective psychosis case report (AJP 2013), Spain schizophrenia patient exorcism case (PMC 2011)
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Necromancy is a compound of the ancient Greek words 'nekros' (dead) and 'manteia' (divination), referring to the practice of summoning the spirits of the dead to inquire about the future or uncover hidden secrets. From antiquity through the Middle Ages, it remained one of the most taboo forms of divination, inspiring a particular sense of fear and awe due to its direct connection with death.
The origins of necromancy can be traced back to ancient Babylon and Persia. In the ancient Near East, rituals to communicate with the spirits of the dead were performed for religious and divinatory purposes — a practice the ancient Greeks called 'Nekuia.' Greek diviners conducted these rituals at tombs or underground temples to summon the spirits of the deceased.
The rise of 19th-century Spiritualism brought it into direct conflict with the psychiatric community. Doctors and psychologists engaged in fierce debate over whether mediums' trance states and automatic writing were symptoms of mental illness or genuine paranormal phenomena.
Necromancy, Ouija Board, Soul Calling, Past Life Reading