- "Darhk's idol, the type of magic that he's using, I've seen it take good people and turn them dark, soulless, almost inhuman."
- —Oliver Queen[src]
Dark magic, also known as the dark arts, is the practice of performing magic by drawing upon the more dark aspects of the universe; such as the demons of Hell or Satan. This art of sorcery is the conceptual opposite of the Light of the Soul (which is also known as light magic and it is it's only weakness that can counteract it) and is usually intended for malignant purposes.
Overview[]
Dark magic works through channeling the negative aspects of the universe, usually for nefarious purposes. It can be combated by Light of the Soul, though which magic is stronger depends on the quantity of soul power siphoned by a dark mage, the strength of conviction of a light mage, and the inner predisposition of a user of light magic to darkness. Usually, those, whose souls are in turmoil, without a beacon of hope in their lives lose themselves to dark magic.
Almost all dark magic rituals are connected to the pacts of Satan, the First of the Fallen, as he was the one who masterminded dark magic, who apparently is the one who gives magical power to dark magic users and can use this magic to bind demons to human souls, or even directly bind humans to Hell. Dark magic heavily benefited from Nexus chambers, which allowed to amplify power and gather souls. One such chamber under Star City allowed Damien Darhk to gather souls from the dead people of Havenrock.
Souls generally are the greatest resource for a dark mage, leading to Felix Faust's devising of a unique ritual that separates a soul from a body, once considered to be the unobtainable "Holy Grail of black magic".[1][2][3]
Incantation[]
Incantations may vary depending on the purpose of the spell. For example, certain spellcasters, like Damien Darhk, use incantations to amplify the Khushu Idol's powers, while others, like Baron Reiter, do not use such incantations. Known spells are cast in Latin.
Kanjigar Septum Vohnostrum (cast by Damien Darhk)
Eripe animam, flere sanguine venire ad me, et ponam te in somnum (cast by Felix Faust)
Et stabit de domino vestro, aliquis. Et stabit de domino vestro. Audite vocem meam (cast by Felix Faust)
Exorcizámos te, ómnis immúnde spíritus, ómnis satánic potéstas, ómnis infernális adversárii... in nómine et virtúte Dómini nóstri Jésu (dispelling; cast by John Constantine in the name of God, while drawing on the dark magic inside Willie Cole's acetate)
History[]
Earth-1[]
Esrin Fortuna demonstrates primordial dark magic to Oliver Queen.
According to Esrin Fortuna, dark and light magic are primordial energies, connected to different aspects of the universe, therefore despite not normally being associated with those who use it, God is nevertheless the creator of dark magic. Satan would eventually mastermind and develop it as a way to get revenge on God for his banishment, as all his dark magic spells are designed to corrupt or damn human souls, as they are considered the purest expression of God's love.
Due to this, Manny has said that many of its rituals are connected to and powered by the First of the Fallen and one cannot use both the Devil's and God's magic, although mages like Esrin and John Constantine demonstrate differently, as both were capable of using Light of the Soul and Dark magic. Additionally, God's magical power seems to hold a unique but extremely potent connection to dark magic and can be used to dispel dark magic spells performed by Satan himself as, when Constantine used an incantation in Jesus Christ's name to banish an acetate containing the voice of Satan, he explained that the spell called on the disk's own dark magic to plunge it into Hell.[1][2]
Dark magic is connected to various cultures, such as the makers of the Khushu Idol, or the creators of Nexus chambers on Lian Yu. Its study was a matter of interest for many immortals throughout history, as they tried to master magic akin to demons, along with a spell that would allow forceful separation of soul from body without a contract, with only Felix Faust succeeding.[3] Organization like the Brujeria worked to expand the powers of dark mages and Satan through the Rising Darkness: a process that increased the activities of dark powers throughout the world in 2014.[4] Opportunists like Baron Reiter of the Shadowspire or Damien Darhk of H.I.V.E. would seek out artifacts of dark magic, like the Khushu Idol to outfit themselves with their powers. While others, like Felix Faust, learned the dark arts through study. Throughout time, the cultists of Mallus called on their dark "god's" powers, allowing it to possess them and project its power.[5]
Earth-38[]
Dark magic is known as the source of the Curse of the Banshee, which gave females of the Smythe Clan, such as Sinead and Siobhan Smythe, extraordinary powers at the expense of pain over their soul and negative effect on sanity.[6] Additionally, according to Supergirl, certain peculiarities of the Worldkillers, such as the existence of a "Dark Valley" parallel dimension in which either their, or their "human" identities, reside suggest that they are a result of the use of dark magic by legendary Kryptonian witches, mentioned in the Book of Rao as intent on bringing the reign of darkness.[7]
Earth-Prime[]
After the crisis, events from both Earths 1 and 38 were merged into Earth-Prime.[8] The known dark magic practitioners in the new earth are Damien Darhk and the Kryptonian witches.[9][10]
Known spells and effects[]
Dark spells were often connected to artifacts such as the Icon of Pazuzu.
- Blood rituals
- Curse of the Banshee
- Demonic powers:
- Harun-El application:
- Icon of Pazuzu application:
- Khushu Idol application:
- Soul separating spell
- Possession
- Resurrection
Known users[]
Entities[]
Certain powers were connected to innate physiology of entities such as demons.
- God (Primordial creator; dispelling)
- Lucifer Morningstar
- Satan
- Various demons and malevolent lesser deities:
Spellcasters[]
- John Constantine
- Children of Juru
- Jindah Kol Rozz (deceased)
- Selena
- Vita
- Ayala
- Felra
- Unnamed members
- Damien Darhk (deceased)
- Nora Darhk
- Felix Faust (deceased)
- Esrin Fortuna
- Baron Reiter (deceased)
- Vandal Savage (deceased)
- Shtriga
- "Chad Stephens" (deceased)
- Sinead
- Siobhan Smythe
- Taiana Venediktov (deceased)
- Lannis Cadogan's wife
Known affected[]
- Damien Darhk (resurrection)
- Ghouls (cursed)
- Kuasa (resurrection)
- Oliver Queen (siphoned)
- Thea Queen (unsuccessfully)
- Sinead (cursed)
- Siobhan Smythe (cursed)
- Worldkillers (augmented)
Behind the scenes[]
- In mythology, black magic or dark magic has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes.