Word Etymology - Magi

If you have ever read Biblical accounts of Jesus birth and the very brief accounts of his younger years you will remember the Magi (see Matthew Chapter 2 verses 1-12). These very mysterious men show up to worship him. But who were they? Where did they come from? The Bible isn't the only place we see Magi either. If you liked the movie "The Mummy" you will remember that the Magi were the group of warrior clerics that watched over the tomb of the High Priest Imhotep, making sure nothing gets out. This only adds to the confusion... Who are these guys for real?


The exact origins of the word Magi are hard to determine but the actual word "Magi" is Latin from around 1200 A.D. however the word can be traced back further to the Greek word "magos" and even further back to Old Persian "magush." All of these words are associated with the same type of person, a well educated person usually of some type of religious caste. They are associated both with "normal" practices such as teaching religious material, philosophy, medicine, and in some instances mathematics. However they are also associated with some more "unusual" practices such as astrology, dream interpretation, soothsaying, and sorcery. It is thought that the Old Persian word 'magush' comes from the word 'magh' which means "to be able, to have power."


What it means to storytelling: I once heard a magician say that he was not really a magician, but rather a storyteller who pretended to be a magician. As storytellers we are on some level magicians or Magi, we do normal things such as entertain and teach but we also do strange things such as create false realities, alternate endings, and emotions that may not have been present in our audience before. We are well educated and we have some level of power to create. This comes with a great deal of responsibility for us all.


Use your 'magh' wisely ;v)