how do you feel about sex-fueled magic in a fantasy setting?

nyalathotep

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Witches use mana, the life energy that allows the body to function, in order to conduct magic. There are certain spells that require a blend of male and female energies in order to work, or demand a larger amount of life energy the witch possesses herself. A man can share this energy with witches in order to fuel powerful spells that they otherwise couldn't perform on their own. This is done by creating a metaphysical connection through their physical forms, where a certain amount of this energy is transferred from the male. The witch collects energy generated through copulation up until release, which then severs this connection to each other. The witch then absorbs this energy and combines it with her own to later add power to a spell. The boost gained from this will dissipate after a period of time, and must be used quickly. Unlike regular sex between people, this is considered to be a sacred act between two individuals due to the purpose behind it and its implications. As a result, it is heavily ritualized and linked to religious rites and traditions, and is normally done between people who have some kind of relationship or are emotionally linked in some way, or religious functionaries.

How do you feel about this? Is it a legitimate reason to put sex in a fantasy setting? creepy or not creepy?
 

D. E. Wyatt

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Sex magic is something that pops up all the time in real-world mythology, and there's a LOT of fun you can have with it (not THAT kind of fun :p )as regards to the society practicing it.

Consider Germanic/Norse paganism: Seiðr in some cases required the spellcaster to receive energy via sex from a partner. Without going into details on the mechanics I'm sure you can see where I'm going with the "receiving" bit, but suffice to say, seiðr was considered a woman's profession, and it was a GRAVE insult for a man to be accused of practicing it. The Norse even had a specific insult to go with it — ergi (literally, "unmanly") — and calling a man that was grounds for a duel (more fun there: if the accused refused to issue a challenge to a duel, then he was indeed considered ergi with all the social stigma that entailed. If he challenged his accuser and the accuser failed to show, the accuser could be outlawed for making false accusations). And just to play with things even further, Odin HIMSELF was a practitioner of seiðr, and in fact was one of the patron deities of magic. But I'm sure most mortals wouldn't go around accusing the All-Father of being ergi.

So that's something else to think about: How does your society view? You say it's normally done between people with a relationship of some sort, but what do they think about the practice outside of that? If there's a religious connotation, what does your church or whatever think about laypersons performing it outside their control? Does it matter whether the practitioner is a man or woman? Or is it considered unacceptable for one gender to work magic?

I don't think there's any real issue to having it as all, as it's a concept that's older than dirt.
 
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Chris P

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As someone who is not well versed in the mythology of sex magic like you describe (as D. E. Wyatt said, these ideas have been around for literal millennia), it gets an eye roll from me, to be honest, unless it's done very well. Too often, it comes across as naughty for naughty's sake or as a cheap shot shock value. Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code comes to mind, where the entire point of the sex rituals (even if Christian sex cults have probably always existed) was to contrast the secret societies with the prudishness of the orthodox sects. To me, they didn't add anything to the mystery to be solved or moved the plot along. As well, even in story societies the claim to venerate female energy, what you describe actually has the male as the holder of the energy, and the female is relatively powerless without the male bestowing the power to her.

However, what you describe sounds fairly consistent within the world you created for your story. Go for it and see what happens. :)
 

Arcs

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I agree with Michael.

I'll add: mechanically described sexual interaction belongs in erotica.
 

themindstream

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Kushiel's Dart and its subsequent series entries center around sex and it's supernatural aspects and is not marketed as erotica (though it walks the line IMO). It is not strictly sex magic but it is a useful benchmark.

An actual erotica writer would be able to explain this better but as best I know, the line is drawn at the intent of the story. If showing off the sex is the whole point, it's erotica. If the sex gets you to other interesting things in the plot it is...less likely to be erotica depending on the detail and frequency of the sex.
 

nyalathotep

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It plays into the mythology of the religion. God originally started of as a perfect deity, but had to reincarnate himself into a mortal form for reasons lost to history. this mortal form was unable to hold all of its divine essence, so it was forced to split further into two beings of male and female. These were the progenitors of our race, each containing half of gods original divine essence. We, as human beings, are smaller pieces of our original deity, and god in a sense is the human race in its entirety. This ritual is symbolic of that original union, which is why it is considered a sacred act and plays into the religion.
 

D. E. Wyatt

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It plays into the mythology of the religion. God originally started of as a perfect deity, but had to reincarnate himself into a mortal form for reasons lost to history. this mortal form was unable to hold all of its divine essence, so it was forced to split further into two beings of male and female. These were the progenitors of our race, each containing half of gods original divine essence. We, as human beings, are smaller pieces of our original deity, and god in a sense is the human race in its entirety. This ritual is symbolic of that original union, which is why it is considered a sacred act and plays into the religion.

Now I REALLY want to know about people in the setting who engage in sex magic outside of the religious context. I don't know if you planned to explore sex heretics, (that sounds like a metal band) but you may have just created a plot point for it, lol!
 

jmurray2112

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It plays into the mythology of the religion. God originally started of as a perfect deity, but had to reincarnate himself into a mortal form for reasons lost to history. this mortal form was unable to hold all of its divine essence, so it was forced to split further into two beings of male and female. These were the progenitors of our race, each containing half of gods original divine essence. We, as human beings, are smaller pieces of our original deity, and god in a sense is the human race in its entirety. This ritual is symbolic of that original union, which is why it is considered a sacred act and plays into the religion.

Why bother with the religion part of it? Your God/god is inept, and has to be reduced "for reasons lost to history" not once, but twice. It seems that the participants should carry it on their own merit. God/god can't both structure/abandon a reality unless you specify that it does. If you do, you should give a reason.
 

Cobalt Jade

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I'd be OK with. A lot of Storm Constatine's writing is based around sex as sacrament, sex as fuel for magic. I admit I get tired of the male/female dichotomy she gets going though... male = fire, light, air, etc female = water, dark, waffles, etc.

What about other pairings? Is gay sex also a catalyst? What about group sex, or masturbation?
 

themindstream

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Why bother with the religion part of it? Your God/god is inept, and has to be reduced "for reasons lost to history" not once, but twice. It seems that the participants should carry it on their own merit. God/god can't both structure/abandon a reality unless you specify that it does. If you do, you should give a reason.

Religious people gonna religion and religion is complicated. Many aspects of Judaeo-Christian religion are "lost to history" outside of their account in the relevant scripture. Many aspects of any religion are self-contradictory or seem to make no sense.

What isn't clear to us is whether, in-universe, the mythology has any truth to it. Fantasy worlds have the option of making the gods objectively real and manifest. But having the religion be an article of faith with ambiguous or unverifiable truth is also an option.

We also haven't been told whether the history is important to the story (I'm guessing "not very"). But it is worth considering that if the motivation for the characters in the myth is ambiguous, it's likely to be the subject of theological debate for the characters in the world and perhaps a subject of art and literature as well.
 

Brightdreamer

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I'd be OK with. A lot of Storm Constatine's writing is based around sex as sacrament, sex as fuel for magic. I admit I get tired of the male/female dichotomy she gets going though... male = fire, light, air, etc female = water, dark, waffles, etc.

What about other pairings? Is gay sex also a catalyst? What about group sex, or masturbation?

Definitely questions that need answering, if sex is your main magic battery. Is it the climax (meaning masturbation would also be a magic catalyst), the fertility potential (meaning postmenopausal or non-ovulating women and sterile or impotent males would be out, as would sexual activities that don't result in sperm near a womb), or simply the "mingling of energies" or psychic "friction" of two (or more?) living bodies joining together? (This might hinge on whether the beliefs surrounding sex magic in your world are real/factual or simply culturally enforced; for instance, the church tells people only straight binary sex is powerful because "God split into two beings" and to join in any other fashion is blasphemy/demonic, but is that the truth, or is that just scripture used to legitimize homophobia?)
 

kuwisdelu

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There are certain spells that require a blend of male and female energies in order to work, or demand a larger amount of life energy the witch possesses herself. A man can share this energy with witches in order to fuel powerful spells that they otherwise couldn't perform on their own.

I like the general idea, but this bit sounds rather cis-heteronormative. Are all witches women? Does powerful magic need men? What about sex magic with multiple women or multiple men or people who aren't either?
 

BeautifulRoses

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A couple of questions.

Why is it framed as the man donating energy to the woman? Can it not happen the other way round?

Does it have to be consentual sex for it to work?

If you do the ritual over and over in quick succession, do you keep getting stronger and stronger or is there some limit?

What happens if the woman gets pregnant?

Which part of the ritual causes the effect? Do the people in the setting ever try to isolate which part?
 

Jinnambex

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If you are looking for fun examples of sex magic, read up on Terry Mancour's Spellmonger series. The first book, Spellmonger (which I thought was a fairly decent book in its own right) is actually fairly focused on sex magic. One of the main characters is an expert in the field actually, and specializes in the art. In that universe, the idea is that death magic is really powerful, but the opposite of that is equally true, life magic or the making of life releases tons of energy. So having sex and casting the spells increases the power tremendously. Also, giving birth releases a ton of power too!
 

Unpolished

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Related research:
https://www.google.com/search?client=tablet-android-verizon&ei=f_70W8HlK5K50PEP0pONgAI&q=syme+gen+Lichtenberg&oq=syme+gen+Lichtenberg&gs_l=mobile-gws-wiz-serp.12..33i160.62991.66559..68832...0.0..0.199.355.0j2......0....1j2.........33i299.dqvoHdHRQHE

Minor spoilers:
In the Syme Gen universe humans have been split, roughly into vampires and power sources. To answer an above question the, "rape," equivalent doesn't provide as much power and in almost all cases kills the, "battery." This wouldn't be true for a really well trained arch vampire. A really well trained battery can't be raped, can appear empty or overflowing with power and can kill vampires trying to recharge.
 

rwhegwood

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It is not the sort of thing I would read or ever want to read. It is not an appropriate subject for entertainment as far as I am concerned. If it gets more explicit than Rhett Butler heading up the stairs I'm a very difficult sell..not even really comfortable with that. When I see such things in stuff I read now I flip past it till the interesting part of the story starts again.

So no, such an idea does not appeal to me as a reader.
 

Lehssner

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I disagree that it belongs in erotica. If you can't imagine sex being used in writing without its aim being to get the reader off then maybe you just have a dirty mind :tongue . I think its silly to call it inappropriate, just a natural part of life. I find it absurd that killing and violence are often considered more appropriate entertainment than sex. If I pick up an SFF book I don't want to be reading erotica but the way you want to use it is in no way erotica. I don't need graphic descriptions but a magic based on the way two people interact with each other is entirely legitimate. It could be a cool mechanic without being creepy as long as not everything revolves around the process. Partners with a powerful emotional connection could maybe produce more powerful spells? Definitely has potential I feel. Like with any magic system I feel the plot shouldn't revolve around it. It should feel like a human story rather than an exploration of a mechanic. If you go ahead with it I would definitely give it a read!

Might've rambled a bit, kinda lost track of my point but I hope it helps!
 

WilkinsonMJ

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I think it's an interesting idea, as mentioned sex for magic has been a worry of the faithful almost as long as they've written scriptures. That said, if you're not going for the erotica route then I think you need to explore it in a mature and compelling way if it's to come off as a interesting take on the genre instead of a sleazy piece of exploitation media. As also mentioned, consider every facet of it if you can such as how other-than-hetero relationships work because there is as much variation among sexual partners and attitudes as there is in any facet of human society.
 

BeautifulRoses

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A man can share this energy with witches in order to fuel powerful spells that they otherwise couldn't perform on their own

Imagine the man telling the witch, you want the power to win battles? You have to have ritual sex with me. Creeps me out.
 
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frimble3

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Imagine the aged crone (yes, a cruel stereotype, but go with it for a minute) saying to the fat old king "You want the power to win battles? You have to have ritual sex with me."
There's more to ritual sex magic than young folks frolicking.
 

WriteMinded

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Witches use mana, the life energy that allows the body to function, in order to conduct magic. There are certain spells that require a blend of male and female energies in order to work, or demand a larger amount of life energy the witch possesses herself. A man can share this energy with witches in order to fuel powerful spells that they otherwise couldn't perform on their own. This is done by creating a metaphysical connection through their physical forms, where a certain amount of this energy is transferred from the male. The witch collects energy generated through copulation up until release, which then severs this connection to each other. The witch then absorbs this energy and combines it with her own to later add power to a spell. The boost gained from this will dissipate after a period of time, and must be used quickly. Unlike regular sex between people, this is considered to be a sacred act between two individuals due to the purpose behind it and its implications. As a result, it is heavily ritualized and linked to religious rites and traditions, and is normally done between people who have some kind of relationship or are emotionally linked in some way, or religious functionaries.

How do you feel about this? Is it a legitimate reason to put sex in a fantasy setting? creepy or not creepy?
This isn't a new idea. I prefer sex magic to sacrifice magic.
 

A.P.M.

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Not creepy, and it's been done a lot in previous works, but it's going to make your book automatically a bit more risque.
 

Charke

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Sort of a side note. Dune used sex as a weapon through some of the later books. Its a really interesting take on the topic without being blatant erotica. It's not magic, but it's right next to it.

- Mark Charke