Ancient Rituals and Thanksgiving: Unearthing the Truth about its Pagan Origins

The pagan origins of the Thanksgiving celebration can be traced back to ancient harvest festivals that were celebrated by various cultures around the world. These festivals were held to give thanks for a successful harvest and to appease the gods for future bountiful harvests. In ancient Greece, the festival of Thesmophoria was celebrated in honor of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, and included feasts, processions, and offerings. Similarly, the Roman festival of Ceres, also dedicated to the goddess of agriculture, involved feasting, games, and the offering of fruits and grains. Even in ancient China, the Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated to give thanks for the harvest and included the sharing of a special meal with family and friends. The Thanksgiving celebration as we know it today in the United States has its roots in the early 17th century when English pilgrims, who were influenced by their European traditions and customs, held a feast to give thanks for their first successful harvest in the New World.

The most common source of magic used on the Boiling Isles, witches and biped demons can cast spells through a sac of magic bile attached to their hearts. Each bile sac contains different magic phlegms that can be mixed together to create different spells, and thanks to this natural magic reservoir, witches and biped demons can cast a variety of spells just by drawing a spell circle. Because bile sacs contain magic, bile sac users can continue to use magic even in places where there is no other natural source of magic present, such as the Human Realm. [1] However, as the magic is coming from a biological medium, the emotions can be connected to magic. If the user is experiencing intense emotions, the effects are similar to adrenaline, where the stronger emotions make the magic stronger but more chaotic, to the point their magic becomes uncontrollable. [2] Using magic while experiencing these strong emotions will cause the user's eyes to glow. [3] [4]

While it is implied that these are the only four possible glyphs, there are infinitely many ways to combine the existing glyphs to create more complex spells. In the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire film, Voldemort wandlessly knocked Harry to the ground, deflected Harry s Disarming Charm by waving his hand, and magically lifted Harry from the ground with one hand, apparently applying force to the latter s face whilst forcing him to his feet.

, : Target opponent exiles cards from the top of their library until they exile an instant or sorcery card. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then put the exiled cards that weren’t cast this way on the bottom of that library in a random order.

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Notes and Rules Information for Chaos Wand:

• The opponent stops exiling cards as soon as they exile any instant or sorcery card. You don't choose which card type to look for. (2018-07-13)
• If the opponent exiles their entire library without exiling an instant or sorcery card, that player stops exiling cards, and the exiled cards are put into their library in a random order. (2018-07-13)
• If you don't cast the exiled instant or sorcery card, it's put on the bottom of that library with the other cards. (2018-07-13)

• If you wish to cast the exiled card, you must cast it while Chaos Wand's ability is resolving. You can't cast it later in the turn. A spell cast this way may be cast at a time you normally wouldn't be able to cast a spell of that type, but other restrictions (such as “Cast this spell only during combat”) are enforced. (2018-07-13)
• If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, such as that of Tormenting Voice, those must be paid to cast the card. (2018-07-13)
• If the exiled card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost. (2018-07-13)

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Edit from comments: This is also a good explanation of why non-magicians would be on a battlefield at all, since it would otherwise just turn into who has more/better magicians. Non-magicians are present on the battlefield to protect their magicians' tear(s) and to disrupt the tears of enemy magicians.

, : Target opponent exiles cards from the top of their library until they exile an instant or sorcery card. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then put the exiled cards that weren’t cast this way on the bottom of that library in a random order.

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• TCGplayer articles about this card
• TCGplayer decks with this card
• Search MTGTop8 for this card
• Moxfield decks with this card
• Card analysis on EDHREC
• Card stats on Cube Cobra
• Open on Scryfall Tagger

Buy This Card

• Buy on TCGplayer .23
• Buy on Cardmarket €0.17
• Buy on Cardhoarder

Images and Data

• Download PNG image (1.55 MB)
• Download art crop (66.44 KB)
• Copy-pasteable text
• Copy-pasteable JSON
• View on Gatherer
• Report card issue

Notes and Rules Information for Chaos Wand:

• The opponent stops exiling cards as soon as they exile any instant or sorcery card. You don't choose which card type to look for. (2018-07-13)
• If the opponent exiles their entire library without exiling an instant or sorcery card, that player stops exiling cards, and the exiled cards are put into their library in a random order. (2018-07-13)
• If you don't cast the exiled instant or sorcery card, it's put on the bottom of that library with the other cards. (2018-07-13)

• If you wish to cast the exiled card, you must cast it while Chaos Wand's ability is resolving. You can't cast it later in the turn. A spell cast this way may be cast at a time you normally wouldn't be able to cast a spell of that type, but other restrictions (such as “Cast this spell only during combat”) are enforced. (2018-07-13)
• If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, such as that of Tormenting Voice, those must be paid to cast the card. (2018-07-13)
• If the exiled card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost. (2018-07-13)

Cards

Scryfall

• Slack & Discord Bots
• Site FAQs & Help
• Scryfall Blog
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Developers

• API Documentation
• Card Objects
• Card Imagery
• Bulk Data
• API Changelog

More

Portions of Scryfall are unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. The literal and graphical information presented on this site about Magic: The Gathering, including card images and mana symbols, is copyright Wizards of the Coast, LLC. Scryfall is not produced by or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.

The Slack, Discord, Cash App, PayPal, and Patreon logos are copyright their respective owners. Scryfall is not produced by or endorsed by these services.

Card prices and promotional offers represent daily estimates and/or market values provided by our affiliates. Absolutely no guarantee is made for any price information. See stores for final prices and details.

All other content © 2023 Scryfall, LLC.

The Thanksgiving celebration as we know it today in the United States has its roots in the early 17th century when English pilgrims, who were influenced by their European traditions and customs, held a feast to give thanks for their first successful harvest in the New World. This feast, known as the "First Thanksgiving," has been romanticized and is often associated with the peaceful coexistence between the pilgrims and the Native Americans. However, it is important to note that Thanksgiving did not become an official national holiday until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a day of "thanksgiving and praise" to be celebrated on the last Thursday of November.

Wandless spell

A wandless spell is a spell which is performed without the use of a wand. This form of magic can be particularly volatile, and can only be used effectively by powerful and disciplined wizards and witches. Sometimes, specific hand gestures focus the power of the spell and guide it to the target.

Although Thanksgiving has become a deeply ingrained cultural tradition in the United States, its pagan origins remind us that the act of giving thanks and expressing gratitude for the bounties of life is a universal human practice that transcends religious and cultural boundaries. The Thanksgiving celebration serves as a reminder to appreciate the blessings in our lives and to come together with loved ones to share a meal and express gratitude..

Reviews for "Thanksgiving: Tracing the Thread Back to Pre-Christian Paganism"

- Emily - 1 star - The pagan origins of the Thanksgiving celebration is a complete fabrication and lacks any evidence to support its claims. The author presents a skewed interpretation of historical events and cherry-picks information to fit their narrative. It's disappointing that this book perpetuates misconceptions and misleads readers with false information.

- Mike - 2 stars - I was hoping to learn more about the true origins of Thanksgiving, but this book was a letdown. The author's argument is weak and lacks substantial evidence. They seem more focused on discrediting the holiday rather than providing a balanced perspective. I was left feeling frustrated and unsatisfied with the book's content.

- Sarah - 1 star - I found "The pagan origins of the Thanksgiving celebration" to be a complete waste of time. The author makes baseless claims and fails to provide any legitimate sources or scholarly research to support their arguments. It seems like nothing more than a conspiracy theory in book form. I would not recommend wasting your time or money on this book.

Pilgrims and Pagans: Discovering the Shared Traditions of Thanksgiving