History Main / BloodMagic

* ''Literature/EgilsSaga'': When Egil suspects that the horn of ale offered to him by Atloy-Bard is poisoned, he [[PalmBloodletting cuts the palm of his hand]], carves runes into the drinking-horn, and smears the runes with his own blood. The horn breaks and the ale spills. Seemingly the blood was needed to activate the power of the runes to magically expose the poison.

* ''Literature/EgilsSaga'': When Egil suspects that the horn of ale offered to him by Atloy-Bard is poisoned, he cuts the palm of his hand, carves runes into the drinking-horn, and smears the runes with his own blood. The horn breaks and the ale spills. Seemingly the blood was needed to activate the power of the runes to magically expose the poison.

* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': In ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics'' #834, ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} had been shot in the throat and nearly drowned in a death trap courtesy of [[spoiler:the Joker]] ([[VillainBall don't ask]] why he didn't just shoot her in the head). She avoided bleeding to death by using her blood to write out a healing incantation, made extra-strong by its medium.

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* Not a major example, but in one ''Franchise/{{Batman}} Detective'' storyline, ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} had been shot in the throat and nearly drowned in a death trap courtesy of [[spoiler:the Joker]] ([[VillainBall don't ask]] why he didn't just shoot her in the head). She avoided bleeding to death by using her blood to write out a healing incantation, made extra-strong by its medium.
* [[ComicBook/DoomPatrol Willoughby Kipling]] points out that the easiest and most blood-efficient way to do this is with a papercut on the page of the spellbook you're using.
* This is how Atrocitus created the Central Power Battery for his [[Franchise/GreenLantern Red Lantern Corps]]. In addition, he is capable of scrying through arcane blood rites.
* In ''ComicBook/HexWives'', the witches' magic is based on blood. The more blood that is spilled, the more powerful the magic becomes. It doesn't matter whose blood- theirs, their enemy's, a farm animal's. Even squishing a cockroach provides a minor boost.
* ''ComicBook/RedHoodAndTheOutlaws'': Red Hood's All-Swords get extra power from his blood. Or, something like that. It hasn't been explained yet.
** Minor opponent December Graystone previously used the name "Blood Mage", and continues to use his blood to cast spells.
* In ''ComicBook/{{The Sandman|1989}}: A Game of You'', menstrual blood is used to power a spell to send the characters into Barbie's dream and come back alive ([[spoiler:mostly]]). The spell is repeated with blood from a cut palm in ''Death: Time of Your Life''.
* The ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' villain Brother Blood leads a cult who focuses magic through bloodletting (yes, he's a little different from [[LighterAndSofter the cartoon version]]). One of his best-known acts was resurrecting Raven to be his bride (it was basically the writers' way of bringing her back to coincide with the success of the [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitans cartoon]]).
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': When ComicBook/WonderGirl and Ferdiand accompany Diana into the underworld to confront Hades at Athena's bidding the Erinyes trap them both and start draining their blood into bowls, though the one with Cassie has a freak out when a taste of her blood reveals her parentage and begs for forgiveness only to be dispatched by Ares.

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* Nico Minoru from ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' can only summon her Staff of One when she is bleeding. Menstrual blood also works in this case. It also allows her to circumvent one of the restrictions the spell has ([[spoiler:reviving the dead]]) during ''ComicBook/AvengersArena'' after she sheds enough.

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* Blood magic was forbidden in the backstory of ''The Blood Queen'' as a compromise by the high kings of man so they wouldn't have to exterminate the MageSpecies. The main character herself and several other dark wizards still use it in secret, however.
* ComicBook/ConanTheBarbarian once battled a witch who used a particularly nasty curse triggered by blood. Only a single drop of spilled blood was necessary to cause her victims to age rapidly and die within seconds, leaving behind a withered corpse. The only protection against the curse were magic talismans owned by three brothers who were the witch's enemies.
* [[LadyOfBlackMagic The Queen of Witches]] from ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' has a thing for blood:

* Another parody happens in ''ComicBook/LenoreTheCuteLittleDeadGirl'', when she pricks her finger and spills a drop of blood on a doll. It turns out to be a vampire that was cursed to be an inanimate plaything, and her blood broke the curse. Unfortunately, he realizes he's still in a doll's body because the curse didn't break properly; she'd been embalmed.
* The BigBad in ''ComicBook/RobynHood: The Curse'' is a {{Mayincatec}} sorcerer who works his spells through the use of blood magic.
* The ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'' universe features demons that need blood to power their various devices.
* ''[[ComicBook/VampireTheMasqueradeVault Vampire: The Masquerade: Winter's Teeth]]'' has this as an ability of Primogen Calder Wendt. Since he's a Tremere, fans of the game should know that this is to be expected. However, he uses it ''very'' casually and often for his own amusement.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Earthdawn}}''. Blood charms are used to seal Blood Oaths and gain magical benefits. They usually last AYearAndADay.

* In the ''Literature/TortallUniverse'', many spells take a few drops of the spellcaster's blood.
** The Bazhir tribes in ''Literature/SongOfTheLioness'' have a spiritual leader known as the Voice of the Tribes, who all adults are magically linked to. Becoming the Voice involves mingling blood with the previous Voice by cutting both's arms and binding them together. Alanna also fuses her broken sword Lightning with Roger's crystal sword in a ritual that involves cutting her forearm, and muses that she's vain enough to not like acquiring fresh scars but has accepted that that's just going to be a part of her life.
** In the fourth book of ''Literature/TheImmortals'' Ozorne uses his own blood [[spoiler: to create BlobMonster spies known as darkings. If they had been created in the mortal realms they would have been innately loyal to him, but because he worked in the Divine Realms he keeps them in line through torture, and they start to turn on him after [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe Daine shows them kindness]]. When a pair try to help Daine in her final battle against him, though, he's able to turn them back into blood.]] Darkings as a species survive to be part of the ''Literature/TricksterDuology'' and ''Literature/TortallAndOtherLands''.

Frequently a part of any ritualistic BloodBath. When it's the blood itself doing the damage, you have BloodyMurder. When the magic is used to extend the user's lifespan, it's LifeDrinker. When it's used to create life, it's FertileBlood. When it's used to heal, it's HealItWithBlood. {{Sworn Brother}}s who mingle their blood and gain some kind of connection that way sometimes qualify.

Frequently a part of any ritualistic BloodBath. When it's the blood itself doing the damage, you have BloodyMurder. When the magic is used to extend the user's lifespan, it's LifeDrinker. When it's used to create life, it's FertileBlood. When it's used to heal, it's HealItWithBlood.

-->'''Kintaro:''' "I'm sorry, Ranma, but all the signs point to this being a blood spell of some kind, and spells cast with blood are not only nefarious and unscrupulous in the extreme, but very hard to break."\\
'''Ranma:''' "A blood spell? What the heck is that?"\\
'''Kintaro:''' "Just what it sounds like. A spell cast with the blood of a living creature. The more powerful the creature, the more powerful the spell. From what I can see in your aura, I would guess that the blood used was at least human, or possibly even that of a magical animal or spirit beast."

* In Andy Hoare's Literature/WhiteScars novel ''Hunt for Voldorius'', the Alpha Legion uses it. The White Scars find bodies drained of blood.

** In Creator/JamesSwallow's Literature/BloodAngels novels ([[OurVampiresAreDifferent double of course]]):

* In the ''Series/GameOfThrones'' fanfic ''Fanfic/ThereAndBackAgain'', The Stranger explains to Jon Snow that everyone has magic in their blood; most normally have enough to keep them alive, but Jon, as the Prince who was Promised, is imbued with much more power, which was siphoned away from him by Bloodraven to Bran Stark and Daenerys Targaryen. Consequently, the ritual that Daenerys enacted to hatch her dragons does not require a HumanSacrifice; Jon needs only to cut his hand and spread the blood over the eggs as they sit over a fire to hatch the dragons. Contrast with Daenerys who had to sacrifice Mirri Maz Duur to hatch her dragons in canon.

* Anthony Ryan's ''Literature/DraconisMemoria'' plays with this trope using Dragon blood. While the spilling of the blood isn't significant in itself (aside from the rather adverse effects of coming into contact with it), certain individuals can partake in the blood to gain superhuman abilities. Drinking blood directly can be dangerous, but grant the strongest abilities, and each type of drake blood gives different abilities.. A product distilled from pure blood is produced that gives the powers without the slight risk of insanity. Drinking blood directly from the heart is lethal even to the so-called bloodblessed.
** Blood from the black drake gives the bloodblessed powerful telekinetic abilities.
** Blood from the green drake heightens the bloodblessed's abilities to superhuman levels and stimulates the healing process. Normal humans can drink small doses as medicine.
** Blood from the blue drake puts the bloodblessed in a state known as bluetrance, which can be used to view ones memories with photographical perfection and converse with other bloodblessed over any distance.
** Blood from the red drake gives the bloodblessed pyrokinesis, and has been used as a substitute for coal.
** [[spoiler:Drinking the blood of a white drake allows glimpses of the future, and seemingly works on non-bloodblessed as well]].

* Anthony Ryan's ''Draconis Memoria'' plays with this trope using Dragon blood. While the spilling of the blood isn't significant in itself (aside from the rather adverse effects of coming into contact with it), certain individuals can partake in the blood to gain superhuman abilities. Drinking blood directly can be dangerous, but grant the strongest abilities, and each type of drake blood gives different abilities.. A product distilled from pure blood is produced that gives the powers without the slight risk of insanity. Drinking blood directly from the heart is lethal even to the so-called bloodblessed.

[[caption-width-right:350:Not hard to learn, but it can cost you [[AnArmAndALeg an arm and a leg.]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Not hard to learn, but it can cost you an arm and a leg.]]

* ''Literature/ShatterTheSky'': Maren is bonded with the old mother dragon Naava through drinking her blood with her own shed into a fire near her.

* ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'': Several {{Necromancer}} skills [[ElementalBaggage create]] or take effect through [[GeoEffects blood surfaces]], such as a RainOfBlood that inflicts massive NonElemental damage and [[StatusInflictionAttack status ailments]], ghostly hands that do the same to any enemy standing in blood, and a spell that heals the target by absorbing nearby blood.

** ''Anime/InuYashaTheMovieFireOnTheMysticIsland'': The [[BigBadEnsemble Four War Gods]] create a [[CloningBlues clone]] of Kikyo using a sample of her blood.