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The Necromancer (ネクロマンサー Nekuromansā?) is an enemy in the Castlevania series. He is an evil magic user who made a deal with the Devil, allowing him to summon monsters one after another.

Origins[]

Necromancer - 01

Engraving of occultists John Dee and Edward Kelley "in the act of invoking the spirit of a deceased person"; from Astrology (1806) by Ebenezer Sibly.

The word "necromancer" is a portmanteau of nekrós (dead) and -mancy + -er (a practitioner of divination), giving the definition "Death Sorcerer". Early necromancy most likely evolved from shamanism, which calls upon spirits such as the ghosts of ancestors.

Necromancy was prevalent throughout Western antiquity with records of its practice in Babylon, Egypt, Greece and Rome. In his Geographica, Strabo refers to necyomanteis, or "diviners by the dead", as the foremost practitioners of divination among the people of Persia, and it is believed to have also been widespread among the people of Chaldea, Etruria and Babylonia.

The oldest literary account of necromancy is found in Homer's Odyssey. Under the direction of Circe, a powerful sorceress, Odysseus travels to the underworld in order to gain insight about his impending voyage home by raising the spirits of the dead through the use of spells which Circe has taught him. The Odyssey's passages contain many descriptive references to necromantic rituals: rites must be performed around a pit with fire during nocturnal hours and Odysseus has to follow a specific recipe, which includes the blood of sacrificial animals, to concoct a libation for the ghosts to drink while he recites prayers to both the ghosts and gods of the underworld.

Description[]

Necromancers are wizards with the power to raise the dead. They usually have a frail complexion and are indeed physically weak, so instead of engaging the player directly, they generally try to keep distance from them and employ magical arts to revive and summon infinite hordes of undead, which are mainly comprised by Zombies and/or Skeletons. These reanimated corpses will either rise up from the ground or be magically teleported in place, appearing in random spots across the screen, and will slowly shamble toward the player, although they can usually be put down with just a few strikes, with the main threat they pose being in potentially crowding the room if allowed to.

A trait seen on all necromancers that have appeared in the series is that they all wear hooded robes. Some of these garments feature elaborated designs, implying that the person belongs to a sect; and in some cases they do, mainly pertaining to a group of occultists known as the Followers of Darkness, which seek the resurrection of Count Dracula.

Of all the necromancers that have appeared in the series, the dark priest Shaft is without a doubt the most famous of all, who in 1792 successfully resurrected Dracula and pledged as his loyal servant in the vampire's plan to conquer the land, which also included hindering the threat that the Belmont Clan posed against them by abducting a maiden called Annette, the fiancée of Richter Belmont, the current heir to the legendary Vampire Killer whip. Other maidens were abducted as well, with one of them, called Maria Renard, having strong –although still latent– magical powers, which Shaft immediately discovered and attempted to awake in order to make them his own. However, Richter arrived just in time to save her from this fate and thus the dark priest inadvertently added another powerful enemy against his and his master's cause.

During all this struggle, Shaft was eventually defeated by Richter, although this would not be the last that would be seen of him, as, being a necromancer, he successfully managed to come back from the dead twice in the form of a ghost.

Appearances[]

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood/Castlevania: Symphony of the Night[]

See: Shaft

Castlevania: Dracula X[]

See: Ghost

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon[]

Necromancer - Circle of the Moon - 01

The Necromancer appears as a boss in this game, but this time he also plays a similar role to a low-level Death and Shaft combined (even though the former does appear later in the game as a boss, although with no involvement in the storyline whatsoever). He is one of Dracula's minions, and presumably high enough in rank to have detailed knowledge on his master's revival. His primary form is that of a cloaked being similar to Shaft's ghost, although his true form is eventually revealed to be a winged skeletal demon. He taunts Nathan Graves at the beginning of the match by informing him that Morris Baldwin is now within Dracula's grasp and that they intended to drain his soul during the full moon to restore his master's power.

The first phase of the battle has the Necromancer surrounding himself with six orbs that spin around his body, while he flies all across the room in an attempt to bump into Nathan. As he flies around, he'll send out the orbs as projectiles: three first, sent forth one after another, and then the remaining three in the same manner. He'll also periodically cast a square-shaped energy shield in front of him, although Nathan's attacks –both melee and ranged– will still be able to pass through it and damage him (likely being just an aesthetic animation for when he's about to summon more orbs). Every once in a while, he'll stop in midair and start summoning Zombies to aid him in battle, moment at which he is the most vulnerable.

After his first form is defeated, the second phase begins, in which he ditches his hooded ghostly appearance and instead takes the form of a winged skeletal demon (not unlike the other elemental demons that appear in the game). He forsakes the energy orbs from the first phase and instead flies all across the room at great speed, once again in an attempt of bumping into Nathan. Every once in a while, he will encapsulate himself within a green magical barrier, which renders him completely impervious to attack, and start bouncing all across the room for a short time. He will also periodically stop and summon enemies during this phase, although they'll be Skeletons this time around; again, he is the most vulnerable during this part.

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness[]

Necromancers are first encountered at the Eneomaos Machine Tower. They wear a plague doctor mask in this incarnation. They summon Skeleton-type enemies and are capable of teleporting. They commonly drop Red Steel, and rarely, Spirit of Fuji.

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia[]

Necromancers in this game can be encountered in Ruvas Forest. They have no attacks of their own, but are shown to cast the Fidelis Caries spell to summon Zombies to fight for them. Stealing the Fidelis Caries glyph will allow Shanoa to summon zombies of her own.

Due to the Necromancer's ability to infinitely cast this spell, Fidelis Caries is notoriously easy to level up to its maximum level. This glyph is especially useful against Brachyura, the boss of the Lighthouse, as it allows Shanoa to summon up to three Zombies at the same time which will be walking over and damaging the boss throughout the whole encounter.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow/Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate[]

Main article: Necromancer (Lords of Shadow)

Other appearances[]

Castlevania (animated series)[]

A necromancer –referred to as the "Vampire Magician"– appears in the Season 4 episode "Murder Wakes It Up". He is seen controlling a group of skeleton warriors which are fighting Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades in a dead forest at night. At one point, the continuous attacks from the skeletal enemies make Sypha lose her balance and she falls all the way to the ground, although during her trip down she catches a glimpse of a cloaked man who appears to be involved in the battle somehow. Unfortunately, she is unable to do anything about it and barely manages to break her fall using her magic; and when she finally reaches the ground, she falls unconscious. The magician sees her, stands up and starts walking menacingly toward her, when suddenly Trevor descends from the treetops swinging by his trusty Morning Star whip and slays the foe, and with him the magical link to the skeletons, making them all to crumble into a pile of bones.

It's worth mentioning that the cloak the Vampire Magician wears is very similar to those used by other necromancers from the games, being purple colored and with some decorations along it. In addition, the orbs that float around him are reminiscent of those of the Necromancer from Circle of the Moon.[1] Furthermore, necromancers (such as Shaft) are often associated with magical orbs, whether they appear around the wizard himself or are employed by them during combat.

In one of the same season's later episodes, the vampire warrior Dragan is seen in command of four other necromancers –referred under production as: Castsper, Duster Buster, Hell Doll and Stitchy Witchy–. These minions are put in charge of preparing the Rebis, an artificially made corpse that would serve as a vessel to contain both Dracula and Lisa's souls when they're brought back from Hell. They are then seen carrying the body to the castle to commence the ritual for this end.

Named necromancers[]

Enemy Data[]

Enemy Data: Necromancer
Image Name - Game
Description
Statistics Items Location Notes
ShaftShaft DXC
(RoB/DXC)
Shaft  - Rondo of Blood [ edit ]
' HP: 92
Exp: 4000
6. Ceremonial Room
ShaftghoShaft Ghost DXC
(RoB/DXC)
Shaft Ghost  [alt] - Rondo of Blood [ edit ]
' HP: 92
Exp: 3500
7. Clocktower
Allies: Dead Warg, Dead Wyvern (Fireball)
Dx-cloaked Ghost  - Dracula X [ edit ]
' 4'. Caves
Shaft-bub 145. Shaft (jpn) - Symphony of the Night [ edit ]
Dark Priest of Dracula. Strong: Poison (immune)
Level: 88
HP: 1,300
Exp: n/a
Reverse Castle Center
Necromancer Necromancer (jpn) - Circle of the Moon [ edit ]
' Strong: Darkness
HP: 500
Exp: 2,500
Atk: 200
Def: 250
Audience Room
Necro2 Necromancer [Second Form] (jpn) - Circle of the Moon [ edit ]
' Guard: Tackle
Audience Room
COD-077 77. Necromancer Lv.31  - Curse of Darkness [ edit ]
An evil magic user who made a deal with the devil, allowing him to summon monsters one after another. Strong: Fire
Weak: Earth
Level: 31
HP: 245
Exp: 114
Common Drop: Red Steel
Rare Drop: Spirit of Fuji
Steal: $100
Eneomaos Machine Tower
COD-087 87. Necromancer Lv.35  - Curse of Darkness [ edit ]
An evil magic user who made a deal with the devil, allowing him to summon monsters one after another. Strong: Fire
Weak: Earth
Level: 35
HP: 272
Exp: 146
Common Drop: Red Steel
Rare Drop: Spirit of Fuji
Steal: $100
Aiolon Ruins
OOE-Necromancer 12. Necromancer (jpn) - Order of Ecclesia [ edit ]
Uses black magic to animate and control corpses. Weak: Stone
HP: 22
Exp: 7
Skill Pt: 1
Atk: 13
Steal: Fidelis Caries
Ruvas Forest
DarkMonster Necromancer  - see also here - Lords of Shadow [ edit ]
Necromancy is the most evil of all the schools of magic and can only be performed by the followers of the Dark Lord of the Dead. (...) Strong: Fairy ×3
Weak: Dagger, Light Fairy ×2, Holy Water, Crystal ×2
Size: Medium
Difficulty: High
Necromancer's Abyss ×2
MoFNecromancer Necromancer  - Mirror of Fate [ edit ]
The Necromancer's mission is to seize Trevor's powerful combat cross for its master, Zobek, Lord of the Dead. Having been promised the return of its soul for successful delivery of the weapon, the Necromancer is a dangerous foe intent on completing its task, no matter what. Strong: Oil Flask
Difficulty: 4/5
HP: 900
Exp: 750
Courtyard

Item Data[]

Item Data: Necromancer
Image Name - Game
  Type - Users
Description
Attributes / Consume Statistics / Sell Found Notes
Tackle Icon Tackle - Circle of the Moon
  Magic Item - Nathan
[edit]
Forward + Special Move button makes the player charge. Some blocks can be destroyed with this move. Find: Audience Room
Guard: Necromancer
Effect: Allows Nathan to destroy stone blocks to access new areas.
Red Steel Red Steel - Curse of Darkness
  Material - Hector
[edit]
Red steel, made from solidified magma. Hard, good for armor and non-edged weapons. Sell: $45
Common Drop: Armored Sprinter Lv.33/44, Necromancer Lv.31/35, Undead Lord Lv.33/38/43, Harpy Lv.32/46
Spirit of Fuji Spirit of Fuji - Curse of Darkness
  Material - Hector
[edit]
A godly material from a distance mountain in the East. Prized for its use in many different weapons. Sell: $75
Find: Mortvia Aqueduct F1, Aiolon Ruins, Infinite Corridor 3F
Rare Drop: Dark Warlock Lv.17/42, Necromancer Lv.31/35, Wizard Lv.6/8
Steal: Lesser Demon Lv.13/23
$100 - Curse of Darkness
  Pick-Up - Hector
[edit]
Gold + 100
Find: Candelabras
Steal: Cockatrice Lv.6/46, Slogra Lv.14/37/45, Phantom Sword Lv.15, Ghoul Lv.27/42/75, White Gravial Lv.27/43, Frost Demon Lv.28/38/43, Death Ripper Lv.29/40/75, Rapid Sniper Lv.31/40, Necromancer Lv.31/35, Armored Sprinter Lv.33/44, Wight Lv.35/36
Fidelis Caries Icon Fidelis Caries (Fide Zombie) - Order of Ecclesia
  Back Glyph - Shanoa
[edit]
Summon zombies that fight to the death. Attrib: Strike
Consume: 80 MP
ATK +2
Steal: Necromancer
Effect: Summons Zombies.

Gallery[]

Artworks[]

Screenshots[]

Trivia[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. Adam Deats later confirmed that the Vampire Magician was in fact based on the Necromancer from Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. - @AdamDeats (May 23, 2021)
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Characters
Protagonist

Nathan Graves

Supporting cast

Morris BaldwinHugh Baldwin

Antagonists

CamillaDracula

Bosses

CerberusNecromancerIron GolemAdramelechDragon ZombieDeath

Areas

Sealed RoomCatacombAbyss StairwayAudience RoomTriumph HallwayOuter WallMachine TowerEternal CorridorChapel TowerUnderground GalleryUnderground WarehouseUnderground WaterwayObservation TowerCeremonial RoomBattle Arena

Music

AwakeProof of BloodFate to DespairCastlevania: Circle of the Moon and Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance Original Soundtrack

Guides

NTT Pub Official GuideShinkigensha Official Guide

Archives

BestiaryInventoryIn-Game FormulaMagician ModeFighter ModeShooter ModeThief Mode

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Necromancy. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with the Castlevania Wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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