ABSTRACT

After Zarathustra encounters the bleeding man he meets the magician "not far below" on the same path, which implies that the magician is slightly inferior to the bleeding man in terms of spirit and nobility. When Zarathustra meets the magician, the man is flailing on the ground in convulsions and moaning in pain. At first Zarathustra tries to help him by bringing him to his feet, but after the magician recites a lengthy poem to an "unknown god", the prophet apprehends he is not hurting but is faking. The prophet finally accepts the magician's confession, a "long silence" ensues between them, and then the prophet invites the magician to his cave for the evening festivities. Although the prophet does not openly declare the magician as an adversary, the magician, more than any other guest, comes closest to being Zarathustra's outright "enemy".