Real Life Sorcerers Or Innovative Geniuses?

Before we had modern science to explain things like chemistry or advanced math, folks often assumed that anyone doing something impressive must have signed a contract with a supernatural power. You'd be surprised how many famous names were once whispered about in dark corners as potential dealers in the dark arts. With that in mind, here are 20 historical figures who were thought to be sorcerers.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

1. Roger Bacon

Many people believed Bacon must have had access to incredible knowledge because he foresaw the invention of flying machines and motorized ships. Legend says his fellow scholars were convinced he owned a brass head that could talk because of how “magical” his discoveries were. He was jailed for several years because the church was threatened by his views on “natural magic.”

Leinad-Z~commonswiki on Wikimedia

2. Johann Georg Faust

You've probably heard of the legend of Faust selling his soul to the devil, but there was a real man who inspired all those stories. He was a wandering alchemist and magician in 16th-century Germany who claimed he could perform miracles and held high-stakes supernatural powers. When he died in a massive explosion during an experiment, the locals were certain that the devil had simply come to collect his debt.

Bain News Service, publisher on Wikimedia

3. Nicolas Flamel

Nicolas Flamel isn’t famous for real-world magic, but for being featured in modern fantasy novels. In reality, he was a successful scribe from 14th-century France who was praised for finding the Philosopher’s Stone centuries after he passed. Some claimed to see him walking around after his passing because he attained immortality.

Balthasar Moncornet on Wikimedia

4. Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa

Agrippa was a Renaissance scholar who wrote extensively about the occult and defended the idea that magic was a legitimate way to understand God. He was often seen traveling with a large black dog thought to be a demon. Even though he was a respected physician and lawyer, his writings on "hidden philosophy" ensured his reputation as a powerful warlock would endure forever.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

5. John Dee

As the personal advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, John Dee spent his days blending mathematics, astronomy, and the summoning of angels. He used "scrying stones" to communicate with spirits and tried to map out a celestial language that he believed would reveal the secrets of the universe. It’s no wonder the public viewed him as a royal sorcerer.

File Upload Bot (Magnus Manske) on Wikimedia

6. Maria the Jewess

Credit as the first true alchemist goes to Maria the Jewess, who actually created a lot of modern chemistry equipment. She was an Egyptian woman from around the 1st century who could change substances in ways that baffled her peers. She was thought to practice real magic by many people.

Mvp~commonswiki on Wikimedia

7. Michael Scot

Michael Scot was a scholar from the 13th century who kept proving people right when they said he was a wizard. It was rumored he could eat freshly picked fruit from all over the world because he had spirits bring it to him. People in the Middle Ages were convinced that Scot turned a coven of witches into stone.

en:Giacomo Conti (artist) ( 1813 – 1888) on Wikimedia

8. Gerbert of Aurillac

It isn't every day that a Pope gets accused of being a wizard, but Gerbert, who became Pope Sylvester II, was definitely an exception. He was obsessed with Islamic science and introduced the abacus and Arabic numerals to Europe, which looked like dark magic to the uneducated masses. Rumors suggested he built a mechanical head that could answer any question.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

9. Aleister Crowley

Crowley took the "wickedest man in the world" title and ran with it during the early 20th century, intentionally cultivating a persona as a dark magician. He founded his own religious philosophy called Thelema. There, he performed elaborate rituals that he claimed could alter reality through the power of the will.

Aleister Crowley on Wikimedia

10. Pythagoras

You probably remember his theorem from math class, but the ancient Greeks actually viewed Pythagoras as a semi-divine figure with supernatural abilities. He led a secretive cult that believed numbers were the literal building blocks of the universe and that souls moved between bodies after passing. His followers claimed he could calm storms and talk to animals.

Allan Gluck on Wikimedia

11. Saint Cyprian of Antioch

Christian saint and martyr Cyprian was thought to be the greatest sorcerer alive before he converted to Christianity. Legend says he traveled far and wide to become an expert in every form of magic except for one. That one magical power was able to defeat him, leading St. Cyprian to become a priest instead.

The original uploader was Bwag at German Wikipedia. on Wikimedia

12. Mother Shipton

Mother Shipton was born in a cave during the 15th century and became a prophetic leader among the English. Many of her predictions of future events were eerily accurate, and she had a reputation for odd physical deformities. Rumor spread that she was a witch who made a deal with the devil.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

13. Robert Boyle

We often call him the father of modern chemistry, but Boyle was deeply invested in the hunt for the Philosopher's Stone and the transmutation of base metals into gold. He lived in a time when science and magic were still tangled together, and he kept many of his experiments secret to avoid being accused of practicing illicit sorcery.

Fæ on Wikimedia

14. Paracelsus

This Swiss physician revolutionized medicine by using chemicals and minerals instead of traditional herbs, but he was also a dedicated student of the occult. He claimed to have created a "homunculus," or a tiny human, in a jar using alchemical processes and a lot of patience. His aggressive personality and strange methods earned him many enemies who were more than happy to call him a dangerous warlock.

After Quinten Metsys on Wikimedia

15. Lady Alice Kyteler

As the first person in Ireland to be condemned as a witch, Alice was a wealthy noblewoman who outlived four husbands and accumulated a massive fortune. Her enemies claimed she used magical ointments and held secret meetings with a demon named Robin Artisson to secure her wealth. While she eventually fled the country to escape execution, her story remains famous.

British Library on Unsplash

16. Abraham of Wurzburg

Abraham of Wurzburg is said to have written one of the most influential grimoires in modern magic. The book, Abramelin, details a six-month-long ritual to contact your angel. He supposedly learned the secrets from an Egyptian holy man who lived in the desert and used them to perform magic.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo on Wikimedia

17. Apollonius of Tyana

Appearing to be a historical version of Jesus, Apollonius was a philosopher from the first century. He healed the sick, raised the felled, and vanished before he could be sentenced by enemies. He was a traveler who visited much of the known world, teaching about human souls.

Fæ on Wikimedia

18. Jacques de Molay

The last Grand Master of the Knights Templar faced accusations of practicing dark magic and spitting on the cross during his infamous trial in 1314. King Philip IV of France used these claims of sorcery to dismantle the wealthy order and seize their assets. Before he was burned at the stake, de Molay allegedly cursed the King and the Pope, both of whom died within the year.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

19. Grigori Rasputin

No list of suspected sorcerers is complete without the "Mad Monk," who somehow managed to stop the bleeding of the Russian Tsar’s hemophiliac son. His intense, piercing gaze and seemingly unkillable nature led many to believe he was using dark Siberian magic to control the royal family. Even the story of his attempted assassination only added to the myth that he possessed supernatural protection.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

20. Oliver Cromwell

While he might be known as a political leader, there was a persistent legend that Cromwell won the Battle of Worcester because he had made a pact with the devil. Folklore suggests he met a mysterious stranger in the woods on the morning of the fight to secure seven years of power in exchange for his soul. When a massive storm hit London on the night he died, many people were convinced it was the devil returning to claim what was his.

Robert Walker on Wikimedia