> the english words magic, mage and magician come from the latin term magus, through the greek , which is from the old persian magu. (|, magician). the old persian magu- is derived from the proto-indo-european meg-*magh (be able). the persian term may have led to the old sinitic *mag (mage or shaman). the old persian form seems to have permeated ancient semitic languages as the talmudic hebrew magosh, the aramaic amgusha (magician), and the chaldean maghdim (wisdom and philosophy); from the first century bce onwards, syrian magusai gained notoriety as magicians and soothsayers > magi: one of the six tribes that comprised the original medes. the magi were traditionally considered to be the seers and magicians for the median kings and even after the medes were defeated by the persians (559 bce) they retained their status as seers and advisors for the royal household; they also officiated at all sacrifices. when king xerxes was marching to invade greece, he built a pontoon bridge over the hellespont; as the persians were preparing to cross the bridge into europe (april 480 bce) there was a solar eclipse and the moon blocked out the sun; the magi informed xerxes that this was a symbol of his certain victory because the greeks worshiped the sun whereas the persians worshiped the moon; the magi were wrong and were beheaded for their mistake. the other five tribes of medes were: arizanti, budii, busae, paratakeni (parataceni) and strukhates (struchates) > in greek mythology, medus (ancient greek: ) or medeus/medeius ( or ) was an athenian prince as the son of king aegeus, thus a half-brother of the hero theseus. medus's mother was the colchian witch medea, daughter of king aetes. in some accounts, he was called polyxenus and his father was jason, thus a brother of eriopis
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