---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Black magic, the magic of the primeval…"
description: "\"“Black magic, the magic of the primeval chaos, blots out or transmogrifies the true form of things. At the stroke of twelve the princess must flee the ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/loren-eiseley-3848_biology_black-magic-the-magic-of-the-primeval-ch_332146.jpg"
---

#  Black magic, the magic of the primeval chaos, blots out or…

![“Black magic, the magic of the primeval chaos, blots out or transmogrifies the true form of things. At the stroke of twelve the princess must flee the banquet or risk discovery in the rags of a kitchen wench; coach reverts to pumpkin. Instability lies at the heart of the world. With uncanny…” quote by Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/loren-eiseley-3848_biology_black-magic-the-magic-of-the-primeval-ch_332146.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/loren-eiseley-3848_biology_black-magic-the-magic-of-the-primeval-ch_332146.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/loren-eiseley-3848_biology_black-magic-the-magic-of-the-primeval-ch_332146.jpg)

> ““Black magic, the magic of the primeval chaos, blots out or transmogrifies the true form of things. At the stroke of twelve the princess must flee the banquet or risk discovery in the rags of a kitchen wench; coach reverts to pumpkin. Instability lies at the heart of the world. With uncanny foresight folklore has long toyed symbolically with what the nineteenth century was to proclaim a reality - namely, that form is an illusion of the time dimension, that the magic flight of the pursued hero or heroine through frogskin and wolf coat has been, and will continue to be, the flight of all men.””

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Chaos and magic distort reality, suggesting that form is fleeting and the hero’s transformative journey reflects humanity’s perpetual quest for change.

**In simple terms:** Chaos hides true forms; heroes transform to survive.

Key Takeaway

Embrace change as a constant.

Themes

mythology chaos transformation illusion hero’s journey

Mood

mysterious inspirational

Type

mythic philosophical

When to use this quote

- storytelling
- creative writing
- cultural analysis
- personal growth

Key Concepts

philosophy literature metaphor time identity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does chaos shape your life?
- What transformations have you undergone?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may oversimplify complex realities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Biology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/) [Black magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-magic/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Pagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pagan/) [Transformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transformation/)

## Related quotes

> [Can the magic of flight ever be carried by words? I think not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parfit/can-the-magic-of-flight-ever-be-carried-by-words-i-think-not/)

Michael Parfit

> [“Your business isn't magic; it's engineered. Stop treating it like an accident.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-born/your-business-isn-t-magic-it-s-engineered-stop-treating-it-like-an/)

[Greg Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-born/)

> [“The evolutionists, piercing beneath the show of momentary stability, discovered, hidden in rudimentary organs, the discarded rubbish of the past. They detected the reptile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-evolutionists-piercing-beneath-the-show-of-momentary-stability/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [“The second school of magic is called Omega magic. This magic is too powerful to be wielded by a novice. For this reason, any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mchugh/the-second-school-of-magic-is-called-omega-magic-this-magic-is-too/)

[Steve McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-mchugh/)

> [Love is like magic but sometimes magic is an illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahmiiz-abader/love-is-like-magic-but-sometimes-magic-is-an-illusion/)

[Tahmiiz Abader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahmiiz-abader/)

> [“with pen i create magic magic is an illusion illusion is your love your love inks my pen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-mittal/with-pen-i-create-magic-magic-is-an-illusion-illusion-is-your-love/)

S Mittal

> [“The real magic - the magic we'd lived with all our lives, my mother's magic of charms and cantrips, of salt by the door…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/the-real-magic-the-magic-we-d-lived-with-all-our-lives-my-mother-s/)

[Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/)

> [“Magic is magic except to the magician.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-bradley/magic-is-magic-except-to-the-magician/)

[Don Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-bradley/)

> [From an early age, my initiative took many forms - teaching myself magic so I could do magic shows, buying wholesale goods and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lubetzky/from-an-early-age-my-initiative-took-many-forms-teaching-myself-magic/)

[Daniel Lubetzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lubetzky/)

> [You don't get into magic...Magic gets into you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blaine/you-don-t-get-into-magic-magic-gets-into-you/)

[David Blaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blaine/)

> [What's the main thing that makes magic magic? The fact that no one believes that it's possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/what-s-the-main-thing-that-makes-magic-magic-the-fact-that-no-one/)

[Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/)

> [Love can sometimes be magic. But magic can sometimes... just be an illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-can-sometimes-be-magic-but-magic-can-sometimes-just-be-an/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Stories Jane, are magic and magic will always carry you to wonderful places, even at the worst of times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-alexander/stories-jane-are-magic-and-magic-will-always-carry-you-to-wonderful/)

[D.L. Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-l-alexander/)

> [I believe that the combination of pencil and memory creates a kind of practical magic, and magic is dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-believe-that-the-combination-of-pencil-and-memory-creates-a-kind-of/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“It was like magic, but so much of magic is about misdirection, whereas so much of redemption is straightforward and ordinary, piercing true and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/it-was-like-magic-but-so-much-of-magic-is-about-misdirection-whereas/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

## More by Loren Eiseley

> [“Taking a final pleasure in what the wind can neither proclaim nor destroy, I am a student of nightfall, I claim no other profession.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/taking-a-final-pleasure-in-what-the-wind-can-neither-proclaim-nor/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [We are one of many appearances of the thing called Life; we are not its perfect image, for it has no perfect image except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/we-are-one-of-many-appearances-of-the-thing-called-life-we-are-not/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [Perhaps a creature of so much ingenuity and deep memory is almost bound to grow alienated from his world, his fellows, and the objects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/perhaps-a-creature-of-so-much-ingenuity-and-deep-memory-is-almost/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [“The best way to be resurrected is to be forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-best-way-to-be-resurrected-is-to-be-forgotten/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [To have dragons one must have change; that is the first principle of dragon lore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/to-have-dragons-one-must-have-change-that-is-the-first-principle-of/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [It is frequently the tragedy of the great artist, as it is of the great scientist, that he frightens the ordinary man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/it-is-frequently-the-tragedy-of-the-great-artist-as-it-is-of-the/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [Every time we walk along a beach some ancient urge disturbs us so that we find ourselves shedding shoes and garments or scavenging among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/every-time-we-walk-along-a-beach-some-ancient-urge-disturbs-us-so/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [The future is neither ahead nor behind, on one side or another. Nor is it dark or light. It is contained within ourselves; its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-future-is-neither-ahead-nor-behind-on-one-side-or-another-nor-is/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [Out of the choked Devonian waters emerged sight and sound and the music that rolls invisible through the composer's brain. They are there still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/out-of-the-choked-devonian-waters-emerged-sight-and-sound-and-the/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [One could not pluck a flower without troubling a star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/one-could-not-pluck-a-flower-without-troubling-a-star/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [“I once saw, on a flower pot in my own living room, the efforts of a field mouse to build a remembered field. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/i-once-saw-on-a-flower-pot-in-my-own-living-room-the-efforts-of-a/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [Lights come and go in the night sky. Men, troubled at last by the things they build, may toss in their sleep and dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/lights-come-and-go-in-the-night-sky-men-troubled-at-last-by-the/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [The secret, if one may paraphrase a savage vocabulary, lies in the egg of night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-secret-if-one-may-paraphrase-a-savage-vocabulary-lies-in-the-egg/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [Without the gift of flowers and the infinite diversity of their fruits, man and bird, if they had continued to exist at all, would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/without-the-gift-of-flowers-and-the-infinite-diversity-of-their/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [The iron did not remember the blood it had once moved within, the phosphorous had forgot the savage brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-iron-did-not-remember-the-blood-it-had-once-moved-within-the/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

[Explore all 121 Loren Eiseley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

## More Biology quotes

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [“Genetics is a science full of gods, Mr. Sanchez.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-luiselli/genetics-is-a-science-full-of-gods-mr-sanchez/)

[Valeria Luiselli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-luiselli/)

> [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/)

[Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/)

> [Evolution happens in jumps, very rapidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/evolution-happens-in-jumps-very-rapidly/)

[Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/)

> [“Toshiaki learned that all living organisms were governed by their DNA. He was impressed by perfection of this system.Why did existence have the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideaki-sena/toshiaki-learned-that-all-living-organisms-were-governed-by-their-dna/)

Hideaki Sena

> [I'm all about evolution. I'm the first person to judge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/i-m-all-about-evolution-i-m-the-first-person-to-judge-myself/)

[The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/)

> [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/)

[Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/)

> [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/)

[Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/)

> [“A note of caution: epigenetics is also on the verge of transforming into a dangerous idea. Epigenetic modifications of genes can potentially superpose historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/a-note-of-caution-epigenetics-is-also-on-the-verge-of-transforming/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/)

[Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/)

> [We are coming to a place where the road ends. From here on out, we will be making the road as we walk it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-atlee/we-are-coming-to-a-place-where-the-road-ends-from-here-on-out-we-will/)

Tom Atlee

> [I've always been interested in medicine and was pleased when my brother became a doctor. But after thinking seriously about that field, I realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-medicine-and-was-pleased-when-my/)

[Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/)

> [Evolution... is the most powerful and the most comprehensive idea that has ever arisen on Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/evolution-is-the-most-powerful-and-the-most-comprehensive-idea-that/)

[Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/)

> [History employs evolution to structure biological events in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/history-employs-evolution-to-structure-biological-events-in-time/)

[Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/)

[Browse all 3,034 Biology quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Black magic, the magic of the primeval chaos, blots out or transmogrifies the true form of things. At the stroke of twelve the princess must flee the banquet or risk discovery in the rags of a kitchen wench; coach reverts to pumpkin. Instability lies at the heart of the world. With uncanny foresight folklore has long toyed symbolically with what the nineteenth century was to proclaim a reality - namely, that form is an illusion of the time dimension, that the magic flight of the pursued hero or heroine through frogskin and wolf coat has been, and will continue to be, the flight of all men.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Loren Eiseley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/black-magic-the-magic-of-the-primeval-chaos-blots-out-or/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Biology"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/black-magic-the-magic-of-the-primeval-chaos-blots-out-or/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/loren-eiseley-3848_biology_black-magic-the-magic-of-the-primeval-ch_332146.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/loren-eiseley-3848_biology_black-magic-the-magic-of-the-primeval-ch_332146.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/loren-eiseley-3848_biology_black-magic-the-magic-of-the-primeval-ch_332146.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Black magic, the magic of the primeval chaos, blots out or transmogrifies the true form of things. At the…” — Loren Eiseley",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Loren Eiseley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Black magic, the magic of the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/black-magic-the-magic-of-the-primeval-chaos-blots-out-or/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/black-magic-the-magic-of-the-primeval-chaos-blots-out-or/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
