Speaking of practice, if you read up on wandlore, you'll learn that ivory was often included in the various forms of Egyptian foci (the generic name for any tool that allowed witches and wizards to focus their magic) as well as other general magical artifacts. However, for this lesson, I'll condense the available information. To practice heka freely, one had to be "pure." It was a legal requirement for members of the priesthood to carry around objects of ivory (amulets, clappers, etc.) to signify their purity and thus their suitability and ability to command the gods. These amulets were what we would today consider early wands, however, they were often circular, and were far less powerful. Luckily, we have the added benefits of wand cores and magical woods to enhance our abilities in today's modern magical world.
I would like to take a moment and make a quick distinction. The magic of the foci themselves was less powerful, yes, but that says nothing about the magical ability of these individuals. If any of you keep up with news regarding the excavation of historical artifacts, tombs, and palaces, you've likely noticed that such excavations are extremely dangerous. This is due to the potent nature of ancient magic, and the sheer force that ancient witches and wizards used in their spells and other magical expressions. Hieroglyphs are an excellent example of this, and you will see why in just a moment.
Now, before we continue, I've invited a special guest to explain the rudiments of script-based spellcraft for you, one of the many types of magic in Egypt.
Hieroglyphs
It may surprise you to know that hieroglyphics are a topic we cover in my class. But "runes" in the loosest sense simply means "a mark or letter of mysterious or magical significance" and hieroglyphics undoubtedly fall into this category. As your professor mentioned, the script-based enchantments (from here on, referred to simply as "runes" or "hieroglyphs") of Egyptian tombs are formidably strong even after 3,000 to 5,000 years have passed. How is this possible with the Egyptians' subpar ivory wands?
When using both traditional Scandinavian runes and hieroglyphics, the power of the runes has little to do with the power of the individual casting the spell or their wand. Instead, the ability to concentrate and the inherent power of the runes come into play. Now, as you have not yet taken my class, you are not aware of this, but runic magic (or indeed any script imbued with an enchantment) is incredibly potent and remarkably long-lasting. The reasons for this are numerous.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Firstly, when dealing with runes, one must remember that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. What this means is when combined, runes reinforce themselves and complement each other in the enchantment. Moreover, items that are inscribed with activated runes and then enchanted with further, complementary spells enhance their effects. Lastly, runic magic is different from traditional charm's effects. It does not fade; once enchanted, the runic magic is permanent. That does not mean it is impossible to lift, however. Other spells can disrupt them, they can be purposefully deactivated, the object upon which the runes are inscribed could be destroyed, etc -- but they do not weaken on their own.[1]
