View source for Octagram

'''Octagrams''' are essential in the repertoire of [[Wizards]], demonologists and practitioners of [[Magic]] - but ''not'' [[Witches]]. They smack too much of "jommetry" to witches. They are complex sigils drawn on the floor, often in glowing chalk, wherein the [[7a]] points are conjoined. Within the confines of these octagrams, huge powers can be unleashed with relative safety. [[Demons]], other [[Supernatural Entities]] and even [[Death]] can be summoned and contained. Normally.

Others have occasionally been forced into octagrams - [[Albert]] when he was trying to defeat Death, [[Mort]] and [[Susan Sto-Helit]] when they have been Doing the Duty ''for'' Death, an [[Auditors|Auditor]] when they were trying to eradicate Death, and even [[Rincewind]] once, summoned into [[Eric|Eric's]] octagram.

He then found to his cost what many demons have found through the centuries: that curse and flail as you may, the power of an octagram is too great to supersede: trying to cross the boundaries sends a powerful shock through the attempter. Death alone is seemingly immune. He can't ''not'' be summoned, but he does sometimes disconcert the wizards by appearing outside the octagram, as if proving a point. After all, some day he will summon ''everyone'' with even less chance of resistance.

See also [[Magic circle|Magic Circles]]. And {{wp|Octagram|here}} for more about octagrams on [[Roundworld]].

==Annotation, or at least an interesting coincidence==

In the second film of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy, ''The Two Towers'', the wizard Saruman is seen to keep his farseeing crystal, the  ''palantir'', confined inside an ornate ceremonial octagram. A shout-out to the Discworld? 

[[Category:Discworld concepts]]