History Main / RitualMagic

* Literature/TheBible occasionally has a section where God (or a prophet) instructs someone to do a specific action. Examples include Moses striking the rock for water[[note]]wherein God became angry because He had told Moses to ''speak'' to the rock, not hit it[[/note]], and Joash shooting arrows to strike the ground to ensure defeat of Syria. [[note]][[Literature/BooksOfKings 2 Kings 13:14-19]] -- Elisha chastised the King for only shooting three times, where shooting five or six times would have resulted in defeating Syria.[[/note]] Probably the most famous example is how the walls of Jericho were knocked down by following God's instructions to perform a complex ritual that involved marching around the walls for seven days and then [[MakeMeWannaShout shouting]].

** ''Literature/TheChangeling'': The little girls make up their rituals on the spot. Baby Josie, who may be a ChildMage, serves as their talisman and oracle. Ivy usually takes the lead in these ceremonies, but Martha finds that she has a knack for setting up the altar.

* ''Manga/FullMetalAlchemist'': {{Alchemy|IsMagic}} is the discipline of transmuting any matter into another matter, as long as the mass remains the same. It normally requires [[GeometricMagic inscribing a ritual circle]] which bounds that specific alchemical transmutation to it. Those who use alchemy in combat usually inscribe the relevant circles on items they carry around. Those who have seen the Gate, or are holding a [[AmplifierArtifact Philosopher's Stone]], can skip the ritual, basically because they're doing it in their own heads. Its application is so old by now that most people just consider it an advanced type of science and alchemists as combined scientists, researchers, spec-ops and military officers.

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17010707390.48400300 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.

One of the oldest conceptions of magic is Ritual Magic, a method of casting spells based on the performance of [[MagicalIncantation specific words]], [[MagicalGesture gestures, actions]] and [[EyeOfNewt offerings]] at [[MagicPrerequisite specific places and times]]. Magic isn't a question of [[TrainingTheGiftOfMagic talent]], [[EnlightenmentSuperpowers spiritual enlightenment]], or [[MagicAndPowers a power]] you're [[SuperpowerfulGenetics born with]]. It's something that anyone can learn, even (perhaps dangerously) a {{Muggle}}. This puts Ritual Magic closer to technology than other forms of FunctionalMagic; it works because of knowledge that has been collected about the natural world and used in a certain way, and witches and wizards are essentially "engineers" of magic. This concept of magic is OlderThanDirt, going back to the earliest prehistoric forms of religion.

Stories that feature Ritual Magic can certainly have characters who know more rituals and are better at casting them be perceived to be powerful wizards, but much like arts and sports, ''anyone'' can potentially learn and master Ritual Magic. This is why [[TheSmartGuy intelligence]] is a {{justified|Trope}} trait of ritualists, and why
HardWorkHardlyWorks is usually {{averted|Trope}}.

If the setting also has magicians who get their magic from innate powers, you can expect both natural magicians and ritualists to engage in [[SmugSuper smug]] FantasticRacism over their UnequalRites. Of course, if someone with innate magic [[TheRedMage were to learn ritual magic]], the results would be... ''[[YinYangBomb interesting]].'' In settings with multiple coexisting forms of FunctionalMagic, it could be considered a kind of "leveler" for the playing field, giving even the non-magical a chance to "wield" comparable forces to those born into a MageSpecies. Even if their powers [[PVPBalanced aren't quite up to par]], it keeps everyone on their toes.

Most worlds use a little of both when they create their system, perhaps requiring a mix of raw magical talent and mental acuity. Interestingly, there is a notable shift as you move from one side of the scale to the other. On one end, you are likely to find {{Magitek}} as the studious "magic engineers" research new rituals and their applications, and the general populace using said inventions in DungeonPunk. On the other, purely innate magic setting you have (usually) fewer mages with various ages and personalities, and are much more likely to have trained other skills as well (eg. [[MagicKnight being a good physical fighter)]] since having their magic come naturally allows them to devote more effort to other things.

See TrainingTheGiftOfMagic for situations where characters with innate magic still need some kind of special education, and maybe have to use some minor rituals to focus it. In such settings, complex rituals may be one way that people lacking the gift of innate magic can still gain some degree of magical power. Beware the ImperfectRitual, where due to carelessness or sabotage, a flaw in the process leads to an undesired result.

Super-trope of HermeticMagic.

** Some -- but not all -- spellcasting classes in 5E have the ritual casting ability. This allows them to cast spells with the ritual tag as rituals, which takes 10 minutes longer (ensuring no in-combat use) and can't use a higher spell slot but also doesn't consume a spell slot. Ritual spells are almost-exclusively utility spells, mostly Divination spells.

* Demon summoning in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTensei'' games generally require some sort of ritual. The rituals themselves aren't seen very often, because an ordinary computer or smartphone with the [[PostModernMagik Demon Summoning Program]] can emulate the rituals.

* Literature/TheBible occasionally has a section where God (or a prophet) instructs someone to do a specific action. Examples include Moses striking the rock for water[[note]]wherein God became angry because he had told Moses to ''speak'' to the rock, not hit it[[/note]], and Joash shooting arrows to strike the ground to ensure defeat of Syria. [[note]]2 Kings 13:14-19 -- Elisha chastised the King for only shooting three times, where shooting five or six times would have resulted in defeating Syria.[[/note]] Probably the most famous example is how the walls of Jericho were knocked down by following God's instructions to perform a complex ritual that involved marching around the walls for seven days and then [[MakeMeWannaShout shouting]].

* Literature/TheBible occasionally has a section where God (or a prophet) instructs someone to do a specific action. Examples include Moses striking the rock for water,[[note]]wherein God became angry because he had told Moses to ''speak'' to the rock, not hit it,[[/note]] and Joash shooting arrows to strike the ground to ensure defeat of Syria. [[note]]2 Kings 13:14-19 - Elisha chastised the King for only shooting three times, where shooting 5 or 6 times would have resulted in defeating Syria.[[/note]] Probably the most famous example is how the walls of Jericho were knocked down by following God's instructions to perform a complex ritual that involved marching around the walls for seven days and then [[MakeMeWannaShout shouting]].

* In ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'', most spells can be cast on a whim, but more powerful, [[spoiler: rule breaking BloodMagic resurrection requires a very complex and sinister magic circle to be drawn, a large source of flesh and blood as well as reciting incantations in an odd tongue.]]
* The ''Manga/{{Magico}}'' universe has a booming ritual magic economy. And the titular ritual of magico is also a prime example.
* [[AlchemyIsMagic Alchemy]] in ''Manga/FullMetalAlchemist'' is the discipline of transmuting any matter into another matter, as long as the mass remains the same. It normally requires [[GeometricMagic inscribing a ritual circle]] which bounds that specific alchemical transmutation to it. Those who use alchemy in combat usually inscribe the relevant circles on items they carry around. Those who have seen the Gate, or are holding a [[AmplifierArtifact Philosopher's Stone]], can skip the ritual, basically because they're doing it in their own heads. Its application is so old by now that most people just consider it an advanced type of science and alchemists as combined scientists, researchers, spec-ops and military officers.

* Magic in ''Comicbook/TheAutumnlandsToothAndClaw'' is very complex. Spells can be be combined and prepared, but it takes a great amount of training to be able to master even the simplest of spells. The most difficult spells involve a lot of gesturing, incantations, and components like crystals.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', the red panda spirit Mei and all of her female relatives above a certain age possess can be sealed into a talisman via ritual magic.

* ''Literature/TheBible'' occasionally has a section where God (or a prophet) instructs someone to do a specific action. Examples include Moses striking the rock for water,[[note]]wherein God became angry because he had told Moses to ''speak'' to the rock, not hit it,[[/note]] and Joash shooting arrows to strike the ground to ensure defeat of Syria. [[note]]2 Kings 13:14-19 - Elisha chastised the King for only shooting three times, where shooting 5 or 6 times would have resulted in defeating Syria.[[/note]] Probably the most famous example is how the walls of Jericho were knocked down by following God's instructions to perform a complex ritual that involved marching around the walls for seven days and then [[MakeMeWannaShout shouting]].

* In ''Literature/LeMorteDArthur'', a certain priest "conjures on a book" to force a demon to reveal secrets about a certain deceased knight.

* In ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'', the entirety of magic is based on saying the right words and using the right symbols, and although it is draining beyond the sheer physical act, anyone can do it. This is a fact the magicians are keen for people not to pick up on, and exaggerate the risks and difficulty as well as discouraging higher education among non-magicians to make it less apparent.
* Magic in ''Literature/TheElricSaga'' is mostly ritualistic in nature. Essentially, doing a spell means summoning a supernatural creature with the desired power through a ritual, and having it perform the task for you.
* This is also the most common form of magic in the Franchise/CthulhuMythos, and is usually implied to be in fact highly sophisticated science unrecognizable to humans.
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/BeyondTheBlackRiver", Balthus and the other captive deduce they are to be [[HumanSacrifice Human Sacrifices]] as part of Zogar's ritual. A ritual is also used to resurrect Xaltotun in ''Literature/TheHourOfTheDragon''.
* In ''Angelology'', the nuns of St. Rose use a ritual to summon an angel in their defense when attacked by Gibborim.
* [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Canim Ritualists]] of ''Literature/CodexAlera'' do this. The precise mechanics by which it works are never explored (the Ritualists are a secretive bunch who aren't about to share their secrets with just anyone), but the ritual shedding of [[BloodMagic blood]] (their own or someone else's) is essential, and sometimes they use incantations as well.
* Literature/JakubWedrowycz uses complex rituals to perform his exorcisms. He also knows some other ones, such as the ritual that opens a gate to {{Hell}}.
* In the Literature/{{the Dresden|Files}}verse:

* There is a big difference between sorcery and wizardry in ''Literature/TheWitchWatch''. Wizardry seems to be a natural ability but sorcery depends mainly on laying out the correct magic circle with the right words and well-mapped spacing
* In ''Literature/TheChangeover'', the main character undergoes this sort of magic, combined with a VisionQuest, in order to facilitate her transformation, or [[TitleDrop changeover]] into a witch.
* In Creator/AndreNorton's ''Literature/DreadCompanion'', Bartare's magic requires items, words, and rituals.
* In J.R. Lowell's 1972 ''Literature/DaughterOfDarkness'' little Willie Connolly casts spells by adapting rituals and chants based on her readings in anthropology. She believes herself to be the type with innate magic who applies it through ritual; her uncle Jonathan, also an anthropologist, is likely an ordinary man who just uses rituals he's learned (to try to stop her, and he almost succeeds).
* The little girls in Zilpha Keatley Snyder's ''Literature/TheChangeling'' make up their rituals on the spot. Baby Josie, who may be a ChildMage, serves as their talisman and oracle. Ivy usually takes the lead in these ceremonies, but Martha finds that she has a knack for setting up the altar.
* In Snyder's earlier work ''[[Literature/TheStanleyFamily The Headless Cupid]]'', Amanda is teaching her step-siblings the basics of ritual magic. The Stanleys are the closest thing Snyder ever created to a sitcom family, and the way the children handle her "initiation rites" doesn't always meet her "mysterious and dignified" standards... meanwhile she's repeatedly freaked out by little Blair's actual psychic ability.

* Ritual magic is the subject of the horror anthology ''Literature/ThatHoodooVoodooThatYouDo'' by Creator/RagnarokPublications. Each tale generally has one of the casters using magic he doesn't quite fully understand the symbolism of and dealing the subsequent consequences either cosmic or horrific.
* A MaybeMagicMaybeMundane example in ''Literature/CyberJolyDrim'', where the Internet is ruled by leveyan satanists, who apparently do rituals.
* In ''[[Literature/EddieLaCrosse The Sword-Edged Blonde]]'', Queen Rhiannon's apparent infanticide is presumed to have been an example of this. [[spoiler:In fact, there was no infanticide and no ritual — Eddie notes quite quickly that the "runes" which were used don't have the same characteristics of real ones he's seen, and suspects that any proper cultist would think they were gibberish.]]
* In ''Literature/ChildrenOfTheBlackSun'', rituals are one of the ways mages can gather magic to themselves for later use (and the ability to use such rituals distinguishes "real" mages from mere Sensitives, who have magical ability but can't gather enough raw power to actually do things). Blood-Mages are a kind of ritual user who specialise in sourcing magic from pain, and one of them tried to enslave the protagonist (who can do that naturally) as a personal power supply.
* In ''Literature/ShamanBlues'', shamans have to perform rituals, complete with GeometricMagic, glyphs and candles, for some of their abilities to work, although Witkacy's teacher claims that it's just MagicFeather and after practice, those trinkets aren't necessary.
* The horror thrillers of Creator/DennisWheatley are based around ritual magicians of both orientations; ''Literature/TheDevilRidesOut'' is about magician versus magician, backed by their respective "Higher Intelligences", getting up to things from within occult circles and performing Rites.

* In ''Literature/TheMagiciansNephew'' Jadis says of Uncle Andrew "You are a little, peddling magician who works by rules and books" as opposed to someone like herself who has magic in her blood.
* In ''Literature/AWizardOfEarthsea'' it appears to be mixed, with some people having natural ability, but still having to study and learn many names of things in true speak in order to be able to control them.
* Wizard magic on the Literature/{{Discworld}} is ritual magic, although wizards also have some innate power that enables them to harness it properly. In theory, some wizard spells could be cast by anyone, but this is not widely known, partly because wizards keep it quiet, and partly because people who attempt it without a true magic user's ability to see what they're doing tend to end up dead. The dragon-summoning spell in ''Literature/GuardsGuards'' is a good example. While witches generally shape magic into the required effect by feel, some folkloric rituals count as witch magic, and the reason they don't normally work for most people is simply that the folklore version misses details (like the apple peel spell in ''Literature/WyrdSisters'').
* In the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' book ''A Light in the Mist'', Ashfur ''claims'' to his Dark Forest allies that in order to be able to take over a living cat's body, they need to perform a ritual where they pull out three of their whiskers and then close their eyes while he buries the whiskers at the barrier blocking [=StarClan=] and the Dark Forest. To their dismay, this isn't how possession actually works, and he'd only told them that for his own amusement.

* ''[[Series/Charmed1998 Charmed]]'' is more rooted in the TrainingTheGiftOfMagic trope, but still plays with this one with Witch Practitioners. While this aspect is more explored in the non-canonical novels, it's not contradicted in the show itself (in fact, it's strongly hinted to be the case). Witch Practitioner have an affinity for magic, but possess no internal source of power and have to rely on the BackgroundMagicField. They can access it in a PlaceOfPower and have to use rituals to do so. Even magical Witches, with an inner source of magic, need complex rituals to perform certain feats, and the Charmed Ones themselves, when they are BroughtDownToNormal by travelling to the past, need to perform rituals at an altar on All Hallow's Eve to access magic.
** However, this is averted in the case of outright [[{{Muggle}} muggles]]: you still have to possess magic or at least affinity in order for rituals and spells to work. When Phoebe's muggle friends cast a correct incantation with the right symbols and at the right time, it does not work; it only does when they play a recording of Phoebe saying the incantation.
* in ''Series/OnceUponATime'' a ritual is used to invoke the curse that sends the inhabitants of the Fairy Tale World to ors.
* In ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryCoven'' it's a staple of Marie Laveau's voodoo. The witches also use it though less often.

* The majority of spells in ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' are rituals. Being Call of Cthulhu; they are extremely costly and/or dangerous to do.

* ''TabletopGame/ResArcana'': The illustration of the Flaming Pit suggests that it's used for magical rituals — it consists of a flaming hole surrounded by a pentagram, skulls and candles. Its power lets you pay Life essences to gain Death and Elan.

** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'', the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Princes]] can only be ritualistically summoned on certain days, sometimes under specific circumstances (such as during a thunderstorm). [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness Later games would drop this mechanic]], allowing you to summon them at their shrines or start their quests through their servants. A few still require you to possess certain items or meet certain criteria before they will answer, however. (Such as [[MadGod Sheogorath]] requiring an odd assortment of items or [[NightmareFetishist Namira]] requiring you to be "ugly" (ie, lower your Personality Attribute) in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'').

* In ''Podcast/MetamorCity'' ritual spells can be performed by anyone, as they draw mana from the environment while mages use their own inner reserves (though they do use rituals for more complex spells). Artax runs a shop called "Spells 4 U" that specializes in ritual kits, and very strongly advises his customers to follow the directions exactly.
* In the ''Website/SCPFoundation'' due to its nature this is usually ''heavily'' averted (and even more discouraged while writing articles), since they are usually very resourceful in using technology and scientific experimentation to contain all types of anomalies ranging from just plain weird to downright terrifying and godlike, even if sometimes the lines between science and paranormal are blurred, by the time an article is written the containment procedures are clear, easily understood and clearly still scientific in nature. However, this hasn't stopped the trope from happening sometimes:

--> ''Rituals do not work because of some underlying laws, such as those that science operates on. Rituals work because they are rituals. They work because an arbitrary set of criteria has been met with exacting care. Belief that meeting these arbitrary criteria achieves a certain end assigns power to the ritual. The actions that were once meaningless now have been assigned Meaning through their repetition and application.''