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John Dee was known as this queen's 'Merlin'. Who was the queen?

Queen Elizabeth I. The magus Dee (1527-1608) was known to have practised astrology and necromancy, alledgedy summoning spirits on several occasions. Though he had a huge library of occult books, it is believed some of his ideas on mathematics may have later influenced the sciences of astronomy, navigation and even optics. He was also something of a spy; a predecessor to James Bond, he signed his letters to Queen Elizabeth I with the secret code 007.

As early as the first century AD, practitioners of magic have used arcane books full of precise rituals to safely summon dark forces for their own purposes. What are these tomes known as?

Grimoires. Possibly the most famous of grimoires, 'The Key of Solomon,' was copied and added to over the centuries until the 14th century when Pope Innocent VI ordered them all to be destroyed. Most practices in grimoires are now seen as ridiculous, but some dabblers still seek them out even today. The Necronomicon is the famous invention of H.P Lovecraft. The other two are just made up.

Matthew Hopkins (died 1647) was the most famous of the witch-hunters operating during the height of the various witch trails occuring around Europe in the 17th century. With his partner John Stearne and their four assistants, how many victims' deaths is he thought to have caused with his dubious witch-finding methods between 1645 and 1646?

230. His dubious witch-finding methods included seeking out single women, women with familiars (i.e., pets that would have demonic traits attributed to them), women with unusual birthmarks or deformities, by sticking pins into them to see if blood flowed or seeing if a weighted victim would survive being thrown into a deep body of water - essentally any odious torment that took his fancy.

Someone practising rhabdomancy is MOST famous for finding which of the following?

Water. Rhabdomancy is much better known as dowsing. Although it is best known for uncovering undiscovered sources of subterranean water, it has been used to find all manner of substances. It is most often achieved with forked sticks; the term 'dowsing rod' is believed to come from two old Cornish words 'dewsys' meaning 'goddess' and 'rhodi' meaning 'twig.' Ley lines are the alignment of ancient mysterious sites that stretch across continents.

A 'Faustian' deal is one where a person sells their soul to a demon or to the devil in exchange for power. The real life Faust - Dr Georg (later Johann) Faust (1480-1540) - was a noted magican, alchemist, and soothsayer. Legend has it he summoned the devil Mephistopheles, who offered Faust his services in exchange for Faust's soul. How long did the two agree Mephistopheles would offer his services to Faust before claiming is soul?

24 years. It is said that as his 'contract' drew to a close in its 23rd year, Dr Faust tried to renege. When Mephistopheles assured him the Devil would soon becoming for his soul, Dr Faust delved headlong into hedonism, including having some of the most beautiful women in the world brought to him for his pleasure. Historical records carry no definitive cause of death for Dr Faust of Wittenberg.

The most famous of all wizards is undoubtedly Merlin. It is generally accepted by scholars that the Merlin of legend was based upon a man living in the fifth century, who in the subsequent centuries has had many supernatural traits attributed to him. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

He had a limited ability to travel to the past and near future. It is believed the real Merlin, if he existed, would have been a real bard or prophet - 'Merlin' is a Latinized verson of the Welsh name 'Myrddin.' An influential 12th-century Welsh monk, Geoffery of Monmouth, wrote extensively about the 5th-century Merlin and is believed to invented many of the supernatural aspects later attributed to the legendary version of Merlin. It is said the Merlin's father was either a nincubus or the Devil himself. Merlin, however, chose to give up all his infernal powers except spellcasting and prophecy and pursue enlightenment. The Merlin of legend was well-known for using his powers to meddle with the hearts of men and women. One of his 'glamours' helped King Uther seduce Igraine - resulting in the birth of King Arthur. The legendary Merlin was also said to possess the ability to appear and disappear at will, in the guise of young, middle-aged, or elderly version of himself. Although unable to travel through time, it was said Merlin was virtually omnisicient and was a powerful prophet.

Grigory Yefimovich Rusputin (1872-1916) was the famous healer and prophet that served as confidant to the then Russian royal family; supposedly, he even managed to prophise his death and the death of the royal family by two years. What did it take to kill the huge Russian, and in which order?

Attempted poisoning, gunshot, gunshot, beating with an iron bar, and finally bound and pushed through a hole in a frozen River Neva. When his body was finally retrived from under the ice of the frozen Neva River, the hand Rasputin had managed to free from its binding had three fingers raised, apparently in a holy sign. There is debate as to whether he was indeed poisoned or not - some sources stating that his recovered body had no trace of poison. Alexis, the Tsar and Tsarina's only son, suffered from haemophilia, and it was said Rasputin's ministrations eased his suffering.

In which unusual way would an aborignal 'medicine man' (or 'woman') place a curse on someone?

Point at a person with a bone. Traditionally in Australian aboriginal society, one's health is generally maintained through positive thinking; thus it is believed that negative thinking firstly attacks one's spirit, which then manifests as physical symptoms, such as illness. In extreme cases, it is believed it could cause death. The victim of 'bone-pointing' would therefore become ill or even die because they believed it would happen! The special bone used in the casting of such a curse is usually taken from an emu or kangaroo. On April 20, 2004 a female medicine woman assisting a group of aborignal protesters 'pointed the bone' at then Australian Prime Minister John Howard in protest of his decision to scrap an aboriginal government program.

The infamous modern wizard Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) - known variously as 'The Beast of the Apocalypse,' 'The Most Wicked Man in the World,' and 'The Beast Whose Number is 666' - was said to have had a guardian angel called Aiwass. This spirit alledgedly appeared to Crowley and dictated what would become his most famous philosophy. What was this philosophy?

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law". Crowley certainly took this philosophy to heart - he indulged in all manner of drugs, torture, and sexual depravities in addition to his occultism. It was said he was able to make himself invisible to enemies by creating a blank spot in the minds of those attempting to view him, that he could control a person's movements, and that he could summon astral vampires and demons. He was once also a member of the infamous Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Incidentally, he was also featured on the cover of the Beatles' 1967 "Sgt. Pepper" album. "That is not dead which can eternal lie / And with strange aeons even death may die" was of course written by H.P. Lovecraft.

Finally to Erich Weiss - much better known as Harry Houdini. Unlike the others in this quiz, he was actually more of an anti-magician. Like his namesake, the French illusionist Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, he was a scrupulous sceptic, and offered large rewards to anyone offering evidence of true supernatural occurences that he could not reproduce by natural means. He exposed many fraudulent mediums and magicians; thus, in many ways, Houdini marked the end of magic. How did he die?

Abdominal complications. Houdini died of peritonitis resulting from appendicitis - peritonitis being an irritation of the peritoneum (the membrane lining the wall of the abdomen and abdominal organs). Houdini was in fact surprised with a punch from an overeager fan, but it is believed the punch did not contribute to his death. He did also jump into San Francisco Bay locked to a ball and chain, but that stunt was one of his many successful ones. The 1953 movie 'Houdini,' starring Tony Curtis, led to one of the most persistant misconception about Houdini dying while trying to escape the famous Chinese Water Torture Cell. Perhaps appropriate for a hunter of the supernatural, he died on Halloween at 1:26 P.M. 1926. Houdini made a pact with his wife, Bess, that after his death, he would send the pre-arranged message "Rosabelle believe" from beyond the grave. At first, she said that she had received the message - making news worldwide - but later retracted her statement.