Persona 3 Reload: What early religious practice was the origin of magic?

On June 17 (6/17) in Persona 3 Reload, you have a magic lesson with Mr. Edogawa, and he asks you a question about the origin of magic. It’s a bit easier than any of the questions you had to answer in April and May, but still pretty tough.

Mr. Edogawa begins the lesson by uttering a demon summoning spell, “Palas Aron Azinomas,” before launching into a lecture on the background of magic. He tells you how primitive religions were created at the dawn of civilization and then… I’m sorry, I got bored and hit the FFWD button. He bangs on about witches and paganism before springing an on-the-spot question on you (whatever your name is).

What early religious practice was the origin of magic in Persona 3 Reload?

So, Mr. Edogawa has already explained how magic originated in primitive religious practices, but he hasn’t identified any specific practices by name. So, when he asks you what early religious practice was the origin of magic, he’s wondering if you already know something he hasn’t taught you yet. Your three possible answers are:

• Totemism
• Animism
• Shamanism

Now, I don’t like to brag, but I knew the answer to this one and didn’t need to Google it, or guess, or phone a friend, or anything like that. I’m a bit of a shaman myself, you see. When I’m not writing handy guides and unimpressed reviews of Persona 3 Reload for Dot Esports, I’ll often be found dancing naked around a fire, speaking in tongues and summoning ancient spirits. It’s important to have a hobby.

Anyway, yes. Shamanism was the origin of magic, and so the answer is “Shamanism.” Answer correctly and your classmates will swoon in awe of your encyclopedic knowledge, and you’ll earn an incremental amount of Charm.

The topics of shamanism and magic don’t come up in your final exams, so this is one of those class questions you can immediately forget about. Unless, that is, you actually want to learn more about shamanism, in which case, read on.

The earliest known evidence of shamanism is in 17,000-year-old paintings in the Cave of Lascaux in France. One of the paintings depicts a man with a bird’s head, and experts believe he’s supposed to be a shaman. It’s amazing to think that without Monsieur Birdhead, there’d be no David Blaine, no David Copperfield, no Siegfried and Roy. Anyway, that’s enough educational material for one day. Class dismissed!