The Book of Magic Read Online Free PDF

they each take turns having a bite—or he would eat the loaf himself.) Impressed, Pluton invited Merlin to learn about bread baking—which, the young man soon discovered, was a useful way to learn about life.
    "Know your ingredients." That was Pluton's first rule. It guided Merlin in preparing his first heart bread—and in stopping the thievery of a girl named Nimue . And it led the young wizard to comprehend the power of Naming, one of the Seven Songs of Wizardry . In doing so, Merlin found the sword that he would carry throughout his Lost Years , a sword that he would not part with until much later—when he would place it in a stone for young King Arthur of Camelot .
    Rhiannon (Rhia)
    … She gave her brother his name: Merlin.
    Rhia's childhood changed abruptly when, as an infant, she was lost in the Druma Wood of Lost Fincayra . Adopted by a great oak tree named Arbassa , Rhia learned to speak the languages of trees, rivers, and stones. And she learned, as well, the importance of simply listening. When, at the age of twelve, she met her lost brother, she joined him at the Dance of the Giants and ultimately helped him to banish Rhita Gawr from their world. She also gave her brother his new name: Merlin . In their adventures to come, she would give him something even more important—a kind of feminine wisdom that would enable him to inspire many worlds.
    Together with her mother, Elen , Rhia created the Society of the Whole to guide the peoples of Avalon . The Society (whose priestesses and priests were called Drumadians, in honor of Druma Wood) was founded on two fundamental principles. The first principle was that all creatures should live together in harmony and mutual respect; the second, that people should work to protect the Great Tree, which sustains all forms of life. After Elen's death, Rhia became High Priestess of the Society. After a remarkable voyage with Merlin and Lleu of the One Ear into the inner depths of the Great Tree (in the Year of Avalon 131), Rhia introduced her followers to élano , a source of unfathomable power.
    During the struggles of the War of Storms, Rhia grew disillusioned by the increasing arrogance and rigidity of the Drumadians. Finally, after trying unsuccessfully to return the Society to its spiritual roots, she resigned as High Priestess. She departed abruptly, to the grief of her closest friends. What ultimately became of her remains a mystery. It is said that not even Rhia's loyal maryth , the pinnacle sprite Nuic , or the wise Lady of the Lake knew just where she went. She may have traveled to mortal Earth to rejoin Merlin. Or perhaps she simply wandered alone through Avalon, unrecognized, and at her death, unmourned.
    Seven Songs of Wizardry
    Desperately hoping to save the life of his mother, Elen , the young wizard Merlin traveled from the Shore of the Speaking Shells to the great tree Arbassa to find these magical runes. As he struggled to decipher them, he heard in his mind the voice of Tuatha , who declared:
    The Seven Songs of Wizardry,
One melody and many,
May guide ye to the Otherworld,
Though hope ye have not any.
    At last, Merlin discovered that these songs revealed the essence of wizardry: The soul of each song held the wisdom he most needed. (The Seven Songs, by virtue of their magic, are different for every person who reads them. They provide the essential truths each person requires to become a wizard.)
    Merlin had been warned that he must master all seven before attempting to find the secret pathway to the Otherworld —his only hope of saving his mother. Alas, he disregarded that warning. And so, although he learned a little about the powers of Changing, Binding, Protecting, Naming, Leaping, Eliminating, and Seeing—he needed the help of Rhia to learn the most important lesson of all.
    Shim
    Though he stood only as high as a man's knee, smaller than even the smallest dwarf, Shim always insisted that he was really a giant. Of course, no one believed him. Then, at