Le Matin des Magiciens
Encyclopedia
The Morning of the Magicians was first published as Le Matin des magiciens. Written by Louis Pauwels
and Jacques Bergier
in 1960, it became a best seller, first in French
, then translated into English
in 1963 as The Dawn of Magic, and later released in the United States
as The Morning of the Magicians. A German
edition was published with the title Aufbruch ins dritte Jahrtausend (Departure into the third Millennium).
In a generalized and wide ranging overview of the occult
, the book speculates on a variety of Forteana, mysticism
and conspiracy theories such as secret societies, ancient prophesies, alchemical transmutation, a giant race that once ruled the Earth, and the Nazca Lines
. It also includes speculations such as Nazi occultism and supernatural phenomena
conspiracy theory that the Vril Society and the Thule Society
were the philosophical precursors to the NSDAP Nazi party.
The book has been credited with playing a significant role in bringing these kinds of ideas into the popular culture, spurring a revival of interest in the occult during the 1960s and 70s, and being a forerunner to the popularization of New Age
ideas. In a 2004 article in Skeptic Magazine, Jason Colavito said that the book was substantially inspired by the horror fiction of H. P. Lovecraft
, and was a central influence for Erich von Däniken
's books on ancient astronauts
. Notably short on references or sources, the book has also come under criticism.
Louis Pauwels
Louis Pauwels was a French journalist and writer.- Biography :Louis Pauwels was a teacher at Athis-Mons from 1939 to 1945 , Louis Pauwels wrote in many monthly literary French magazines as early as 1946 until the...
and Jacques Bergier
Jacques Bergier
Jacques Bergier , was a chemical engineer, member of the French-resistance, spy, journalist and writer...
in 1960, it became a best seller, first in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, then translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in 1963 as The Dawn of Magic, and later released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as The Morning of the Magicians. A German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
edition was published with the title Aufbruch ins dritte Jahrtausend (Departure into the third Millennium).
In a generalized and wide ranging overview of the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
, the book speculates on a variety of Forteana, mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
and conspiracy theories such as secret societies, ancient prophesies, alchemical transmutation, a giant race that once ruled the Earth, and the Nazca Lines
Nazca Lines
The Nazca Lines are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. They were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The high, arid plateau stretches more than between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the Pampas de Jumana about 400 km south of Lima...
. It also includes speculations such as Nazi occultism and supernatural phenomena
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
conspiracy theory that the Vril Society and the Thule Society
Thule Society
The Thule Society , originally the Studiengruppe für germanisches Altertum , was a German occultist and völkisch group in Munich, named after a mythical northern country from Greek legend...
were the philosophical precursors to the NSDAP Nazi party.
The book has been credited with playing a significant role in bringing these kinds of ideas into the popular culture, spurring a revival of interest in the occult during the 1960s and 70s, and being a forerunner to the popularization of New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
ideas. In a 2004 article in Skeptic Magazine, Jason Colavito said that the book was substantially inspired by the horror fiction of H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, and was a central influence for Erich von Däniken
Erich von Däniken
Erich Anton Paul von Däniken is a Swiss author best known for his controversial claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, in books such as Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968...
's books on ancient astronauts
Ancient astronauts
Some writers have proposed that intelligent extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth in antiquity or prehistory and made contact with humans. Such visitors are called ancient astronauts or ancient aliens. Proponents suggest that this contact influenced the development of human cultures,...
. Notably short on references or sources, the book has also come under criticism.
See also
- Planète (review)
- The Nine Unknown
- FulcanelliFulcanelliFulcanelli is almost certainly a pseudonym assumed, during the early 20th century, by a French alchemist and esoteric author, whose identity is still debated. The name Fulcanelli seems to be a play on words: Vulcan the ancient Roman god of fire plus El, a Canaanite name for God and so the Sacred Fire...
- Nazi UFOsNazi UFOsIn science fiction, conspiracy theory, and underground comic books, stories or claims circulate linking UFOs to Nazi Germany. These German UFO theories describe supposedly successful attempts to develop advanced aircraft or spacecraft prior to and during World War II, and further claim the...
- VrilVrilVril, the Power of the Coming Race is a 1871 science fiction novel by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, originally printed as The Coming Race. Many early readers believed that its account of a superior subterranean master race and the energy-form called "Vril" was accurate, to the extent that some theosophists...
- Fantastic realism (literature)Fantastic realism (literature)Fantastic Realism was a self-described movement introduced in 1960 in The Morning of the Magicians , subtitled "Introduction to Fantastic Realism" by Jacques Bergier and Louis Pauwels. The two authors published the Planète magazine from 1961 to 1972...