: The original purpose of necromancy was "sciomancy"—summoning shades to answer questions about the future.
At its core, necromancy centers on the belief that the dead retain agency and can act as mediators between the physical and spiritual realms. Necromancy
: Modern folk necromancy focuses on "trafficking" with spirits through ritual offerings, incense (suffumigation), and specific ritual speech or vocalizations. Necromancy
Historically, necromancy has been both a scholarly pursuit and a forbidden rite. A Necromancer's Manual of the Fifteenth Century (review) Necromancy