Necromancers are wizards with the power to raise the dead. The word "necromancer" is a portmanteau of nekrós (dead) and -mancy + -er (a practitioner of divination), giving the definition "Death Sorcerer". The dark priest Shaft is the most well known necromancer in Castlevania. Some necromancers are also ghosts.
Origins
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's 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.
Appearances
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood / Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
- See Shaft.
Castlevania: Dracula X
- See Ghost.
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
The Necromancer plays a similar role to a low-level Death. He taunts Nathan at the beginning of the match and seems to have knowledge of Dracula's plans.
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
The Necromancer is first encountered at Eneomaos Machine Tower. He summons skeleton-type enemies and is capable of teleporting. If you beat enough of these, you might get a rare material from one. He wears a plague doctor mask.
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.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow / Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate
Enemy Data
| Enemy Data: Necromancer | |||||
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| Image | Name - Game Description |
Statistics | Items | Location | Notes |
  (RoB/DXC) |
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| ' | HP: 92 Exp: 4000 |
6. Ceremonial Room |
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  (RoB/DXC) |
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| ' | HP: 92 Exp: 3500 |
7. Clocktower |
Allies: Dead Warg, Dead Wyvern (Fireball) | ||
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| ' | 4'. Caves |
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| Dark Priest of Dracula. | Strong: Poison (immune) Level: 88 HP: 1,300 Exp: n/a |
Reverse Castle Center |
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| ' | Strong: Darkness HP: 500 Exp: 2,500 Atk: 200 Def: 250 |
Audience Room |
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| ' | Guard: Tackle |
Audience Room |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Uses black magic to animate and control corpses. | Weak: Stone HP: 22 Exp: 7 Skill Pt: 1 Atk: 13 |
Steal: Fidelis Caries |
Ruvas Forest |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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Item Data
| Item Data: Necromancer | ||||||||
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| Image | Name - Game Type - Users Description |
Attributes / Consume | Statistics / Sell | Found | Notes | |||
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Summon zombies that fight to the death. | Attrib: Strike Consume: 80 MP |
ATK +2 |
Steal: Necromancer |
Effect: Summons Zombies. | ||||