A magician, wizard, sorcerer or a person known under one of many other possible terms in fiction is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources. A magician, wizard, sorcerer or a person known under one of many other possible terms in fiction is someone who uses or practices magic Magic in Fiction is the endowing of Fictional characters or objects with magical powers. The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus (clandestine hidden secret referring to "knowledge of the hidden" ^[1] Magicians are common figures in works of fantasy, such as fantasy literature and role-playing games; they draw on a history of such people in mythology, legends, and folklore (see Magician (paranormal)). Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Fantasy literature is Fantasy in written form Historically speaking the majority of fantasy works have been literature A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" A legend ( Latin, legenda, "things to be read" is a Narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological A magician is a person skilled in the mysterious and hidden art of magic, the ability to attain objectives acquire knowledge or perform works of wonder using Supernatural Although occasional practitioners of sleight-of-hand appear in modern fantasy, they are usually simulating the magic that others perform -- or sometimes concealing their actual magic. Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation ("quick fingers" or léger de main (from the French for "lightness of hand"

Fantasy magicians have powers arising from their study, possibly based on innate talent, rather than having their magical abilities occur entirely spontaneously, or be granted by another source. (Other fantasy characters can use, or be, magic, but they have not generally acquired their powers by study. ) Still, most fantasy wizards are depicted as having a special gift which sets them apart from the vast majority of characters in fantasy worlds who are unable to learn magic. A fantasy world is a type of Imaginary world, part of a Fictional universe used in Fantasy novels and games

Wizards, magicians, and practitioners of magic by other titles have appeared in myths, folktales and literature throughout recorded history, and fantasy draws on this background. They commonly appear in fantasy as mentors and villains, as they did in older works, and more recently as heroes themselves. Although they are often portrayed as wielding great powers, their role in shaping the fantasy world they inhabit varies; much of fantasy literature writes of medieval worlds with wizards in a fairly limited role as guardians or advisors.

Fantasy

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Contents 1 Folklore sources 2 Character function 2.1 Appearance 2.2 Limits 3 Names and terminology 3.1 Gender-based titles 3.2 Types of magic 4 Traits of magicians 5 Education 6 Magical materials 7 Use of magic 8 Wizards, magicians, and others specific to a work 9 See also 10 Notes and references 11 Bibliography

Folklore sources

Historically, many writers who have written about fictional magicians, and many readers of such works, have believed that such magic is possible; in William Shakespeare's time, witches like the Weird Sisters in Macbeth and wizards like Prospero in The Tempest were widely considered to be real. William Shakespeare ( baptised Macbeth is among the best-known of William Shakespeare 's plays, and is his shortest tragedy, believed to have been written some time between The Tempest is a comedy written by William Shakespeare. It is generally dated to 1610-11 and accepted as the last play written solely by him although ^[2] Many figures now understood to be largely fictional, such as Merlin, were considered historical. The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ( MERLIN) is an Interferometer array of Radio telescopes spread across England and the Many historical figures, such as Virgil and Dr Faustus (Johann Georg Faust), acquired legends of being wizards. Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or Dr Johann Georg Faust (1466? &ndash c 1540 was an itinerant alchemist, Astrologer and magician of the German Renaissance.

Character function

In medieval chivalric romance, the wizard often appears as a wise old man and acts as a mentor. As a Literary genre of High culture, romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic Prose and verse Narrative The wise old man (also called sage or " Senex " is an Archetype as described by Carl Jung. MENTOR / The National Mentoring Partnership is an advocate and resource for Mentoring in the United States. ^[3] Other witches and magicians can appear as villains, as hostile to the hero as ogres and other monsters. ^[4]

Both these roles were taken up into fantasy. Wizards such as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter featured as mentors. Concept and creation Humphrey Carpenter in his 1977 biography relates that Tolkien owned a Postcard entitled Der Berggeist ("the mountain The Lord of the Rings is an epic Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore ^[5] Evil sorcerers, acting as villains, were so crucial to pulp fantasy that the genre that they appeared in was dubbed sword and sorcery. Sword and sorcery ( S&S) is a fantasy subgenre generally characterized by swashbuckling heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts ^[6]

Ursula K. LeGuin, considering the work that was to become A Wizard of Earthsea, noted that wizards were usually elderly or ageless, which she considered proper, but her own work stemmed from the question of how wizards learned their art, and thereby introduced to modern fantasy a new role: the wizard as the hero of the quest. Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (ˈɝsələ ˈkroʊbɚ ləˈgwɪn (born October 21, 1929) is an American author A Wizard of Earthsea, first published in 1968 is the first of a series of books written by Ursula K ^[7] This theme has been further developed in modern fantasy, often leading to wizards as heroes on their own quests, alongside works where the wizard appears as a mentor figure, or a villain. ^[8] A work with a wizard hero may give him a wizard mentor as well, as in Earthsea. ^[5]

Wizards can act the part of the absent-minded professor, being foolish, prone to misconjuring, and generally less than dangerous; they can also be terrible forces, capable of great magics that work good or evil. The absent-minded professor is a Stock character of popular fiction usually portrayed as an Academic with important information but whose focus on their learning ^[9] Even comic wizards are often capable of great feats, such as those of Miracle Max in The Princess Bride; although a washed-up wizard fired by the villain, he saves the dead hero. The Princess Bride is a 1987 film based on the 1973 novel of the same name by William Goldman, combining Comedy, ^[10]

(Their place in world-building revolves about the use of magic in a given setting. A magician, wizard, sorcerer or a person known under one of many other possible terms in fiction is someone who uses or practices magic )

Appearance

The appearance of wizards in fantasy art, and description in literature, is uniform to a great extent, from the appearance of Gandalf, in The Lord of the Rings to that of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series. Arthur Rackham ( 19 September 1867 &ndash 6 September 1939) was a prolific English book illustrator Concept and creation Humphrey Carpenter in his 1977 biography relates that Tolkien owned a Postcard entitled Der Berggeist ("the mountain The Lord of the Rings is an epic Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J The association with age means that wizards, both men and women, are often depicted as old, white-haired, and (for men) with long white beards. It predates the fantasy genre, being derived from the traditional image of wizards, such as Merlin. ^[11] Some theorize that this is modeled after the Norse god Odin as he was described in his wanderer guise as being an old man with a long gray beard, baggy robes, a wide-brimmed hat and walking with a staff. Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. ^[12] Women, especially those termed "enchantresses" are the more likely to appear young, though that is often the effect of magic. ^[13]

Their clothing is often typical as well. Wizards commonly wear robes and pointed hats. These are often brightly colored and spangled with stars and moons, astrological symbols, or with magical sigils. Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems The coloring may have significance within the wizards' fantasy worlds; in The Lord of the Rings, the wizards have colors assigned to them, indicative of rank. A fantasy world is a type of Imaginary world, part of a Fictional universe used in Fantasy novels and games When Gandalf the Grey becomes Gandalf the White, it is a major ascension of status; whereas in the Dragonlance Dungeons and Dragons setting, the wizards show their moral alignment by their robes. Dragonlance is an immense series of Fantasy Novels, with over 190 novels printed and is accompanied by a supplemental Campaign In some Role-playing games alignment is a categorisation of the moral and ethical perspective of the Player characters Non-player characters When wizards and witches are distinct groups, witches may dress in the same clothing but in black. Terry Pratchett described this common attire as a way of establishing to those they meet that the person is capable of practicing magic. ^[14]

Of late, the dress of wizards has varied; numerous younger wizards in various stories seem to favour wearing modern clothes. Some wizards merely wear whatever the normal populace wear. A notable variant of the generic wizard archetype is that of the Wizard in the Conan the Barbarian film, whose clothes are heavily based on the sea, as he lives there. Conan the Barbarian is a 1982 film by director John Milius and is recognized as the acting Breakthrough of bodybuilder

Wizards may also be accompanied by animals, which may act as familiars. In Early modern English Superstition, a familiar spirit, Imp, or familiar (from Middle English familiar, related to family

Wizards may also appear with magical props, such as crystal balls or wands. A magician, wizard, sorcerer or a person known under one of many other possible terms in fiction is someone who uses or practices magic

Limits

In any given fantasy magical system, a person must have limits to his magical abilities, or the story has no conflict - problems facing the magician may be too easily solved via arbitrary magic. ^[15]

One of the most common techniques is that the person has only a limited amount of magical ability. In The Magic Goes Away, Larry Niven made it a factor of environment: once the mana is exhausted in an area, no one can use magic. The Magic Goes Away is a Fantasy Short story written by Larry Niven in 1976 and later expanded to a Novella of the same name which Laurence van Cott Niven (born April 30, 1938 Los Angeles California) is a US Science fiction author. Mana is the concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people animals and inanimate objects ^[16] A more common use is that a person can only cast so many spells in a day. This is the most common use in role-playing games, where the rules rigorously define them. Some Role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the Paranormal sense ^[17]

Magic can also require various sacrifices or the use of certain materials. Blood or life can be required, and even if the magician has no scruples, obtaining the material may be difficult. ^[18] Harmless substances can also limit the magician if they are rare, such as gemstones. Many fictional magic-users must speak spells aloud or gesture with their hands in order to cast a spell.

The need for learning may also limit what spells a wizard knows, and can cast. When magic is learned from rare and exotic books, the wizard's ability can be limited, temporarily, by his access to these books. In Earthsea, the changing of names weakens wizards as they travel; they must learn the true names of things in their new location to be powerful again. ^[19]

Magic may also be limited, not so much inherently, but by its danger. If a powerful spell can cause equally grave harm if miscast, wizards are likely to be wary of using it. ^[20]

Names and terminology

People who work magic are called by many names in works of fantasy, and the terminology differs widely from one fantasy world to another. A fantasy world is a type of Imaginary world, part of a Fictional universe used in Fantasy novels and games While derived from real world vocabulary, "wizard", "witch", "warlock", "enchanter/enchantress", "sorcerer/sorceress", "magician", "mage", or "magus" have within a work of fantasy the meaning the writer invests in them. Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers Warlocks are among historic Christian traditions said to be the Male equivalent of Witches (usually in the pejorative sense of Europe 's An incantation or incantations are the words spoken during a Ritual, either a Hymn or Prayer invoking or praising a Deity, or in magic The Magi (singular Magus, from Latin via Greek μάγος; Old English: Mage; from Persian maguš and Kurdish ^[21] The term archmage, with "arch" (originating in Greek) indicating "preeminent", may be used to indicate a powerful magician, or a leader of magicians. Archmage, archmagi, or archmagus (rarely archimage) is a title used to identify an especially powerful wizard, usually within the context of Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly ^[2]

When a writer uses more than one term for reasons other than gender-based titles, except in the rarest of cases, it is to sharply distinguish between two types of magic. The precise nature of what the distinction is differs from writer to writer, and the usage can flip-flop between works. In the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Patricia Wrede depicts wizards who use magic based on their staves, and magicians who practice many kinds of magic, including the wizards'; in the Regency fantasies she and Caroline Stevermer depict magicians as identical to wizards except for being inferior in skill and training. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles is a series of four young adult fantasy novels by Patricia C Patricia Collins Wrede is an American Fantasy Writer, born 1953 in Chicago Illinois; she is the eldest of five children Patricia Collins Wrede is an American Fantasy Writer, born 1953 in Chicago Illinois; she is the eldest of five children Caroline Stevermer (born 1955) is a writer of young adult Fantasy novels and shorter works

Within a given work, such distinctions can be important, as the writer defined them. Steve Pemberton's The Times & Life of Lucifer Jones describes the distinction thus: "The difference between a wizard and a sorcerer is comparable to that between, say, a lion and a tiger, but wizards are acutely status-conscious, and to them, it's more like the difference between a lion and a dead kitten. Steve James Pemberton (b 1 September 1967, Blackburn, Lancashire, England) is an English Comedy Writer "

In role-playing games, the types of practitioners of magic are far more clearly delineated, and named, in order that players and game masters may know the rules by which they are played. ^[22] In the original edition of Dungeons and Dragons, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson invented the term "magic-user" as a generic term for a practitioner of magic (in order to avoid cultural connotations of terms such as "wizard" or "warlock"); this lasted until the second edition of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, where it was replaced with "mage" (later to become "wizard"). Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by Ernest Gary Gygax ( July 27, 1938 &ndash March 4, 2008) ( IPA:) was an American Writer and Game designer David L Arneson (born October 1, 1947 in Minnesota, United States) is an American Game designer. Magic-User redirects here See Spellcaster for magic users or below for the old Dungeons & Dragons character class The exact rules vary from game to game. In Dungeons and Dragons, a wizard or mage is a character class, distinguished by their ability to cast certain kinds of magic and their weak combat skills; subclasses are distinguished by their strength in some areas of magic and their weaknesses in others. ^[23] Sorcerers are distinguished from wizards as having an innate gift with magic, as well as possessing dragon blood. ^[24] In GURPS, magic is a skill that can be combined with others, such as combat, though in most campaigns, the ability "magery" is required to cast spells. The Generic Universal RolePlaying System, commonly known as GURPS, is a Role-playing game system designed to adapt to any imaginary gaming ^[25]

Some names, distinctions, or aspects may have more of a negative connotation, than others, depending on the setting and the context. This word has distinct meanings in other fields see Connotation (semiotics and Connotation and denotation. (See also Magic and Magic and religion, for some examples. Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and A belief in magic as a means of influencing the world seems to have been common in all Cultures Some of these beliefs crossed over into nascent Religions influencing )

Gender-based titles

The term "wizard" is more often applied to a male magic-user, as in Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea, just as a "witch" is more often female, as in Andre Norton's Witch World. A magician, wizard, sorcerer or a person known under one of many other possible terms in fiction is someone who uses or practices magic Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (ˈɝsələ ˈkroʊbɚ ləˈgwɪn (born October 21, 1929) is an American author Earthsea is a Fictional realm created by Ursula K Le Guin for her short story " The Word of Unbinding " published in 1964 but that became more Andre Alice Norton ( February 17, 1912 &ndash March 17, 2005) was an American Science fiction and Fantasy author The Witch World by Andre Norton is a long series of fantasies laid in a parallel universe where magic works and at the beginning at least is the exclusive property In Witch World, a man who, anomalously, showed the same abilities as the witches was termed a warlock. The term "warlock" is sometimes used to indicate a male witch in fiction.

However, either term may be used in a unisex manner, in which case there will be members of both sexes bearing that title. If both terms are used in the same setting, this can indicate a gender-based title for practicers of identical magic, such as in Harry Potter, or it can indicate that the two sexes practice different types of magic, as in Discworld. Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J Discworld is a comedic Fantasy Book series by the British author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat ^[2]

While "enchantress" is the feminine of "enchanter", "sorceress" may be the feminine, not only of "sorcerer" but of "wizard" or "magician", which terms have no precise feminine equivalent. Piers Anthony, in the comedic Xanth series, describes "sorceress" as "sexist for magician. Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob (born August 6, 1934 in Oxford England) is an English American writer in the Science fiction Xanth is a Fantasy world created by author Piers Anthony for a series of novels "

Types of magic

While the terms are used loosely, some patterns of naming are more common than others.

Enchanters often practice a type of magic that produces no physical effects on objects or people, but rather deceives the observer or target, creating illusions. Enchantresses, in particular, practice this form of magic, often to seduce. ^[13] For instance, the Lady of the Green Kirtle in C.S. Lewis's The Silver Chair has enchanted Prince Rilian into forgetting his father and Narnia; when that enchantment is broken, she attempts further enchantments, with a sweet-smelling smoke and a thrumming musical instrument, to baffle him and his rescuers into forgetting them again. The Lady of the Green Kirtle, also known as the Queen of Underland, is a character in The Silver Chair by C Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963 The Silver Chair is part of The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels written by C In C S Lewis ' Chronicles of Narnia fictional series Rilian ( 2325 -? is the son of King Caspian and the grandson of Ramandu ^[26]

Sorcerer is more frequently used when the magician in question is evil. This may derive from its use in sword and sorcery, where the hero would be the sword-wielder, leaving the sorcery for his opponent. Sword and sorcery ( S&S) is a fantasy subgenre generally characterized by swashbuckling heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts ^[27]

Witch also carries evil connotations. Indeed, L. Frank Baum, having named Glinda the "Good Witch of the South" in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, merely titled her "Glinda the Good" in The Marvelous Land of Oz and referred to her there and in all books after as a sorceress rather than a witch, apparently to avoid the term that was more regarded as evil. Lyman Frank Baum ( May 15 1856 &ndash May 5 1919) was an American Author, Actor, and Independent filmmaker Glinda (or Glinda the Good Witch) is a Fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L The Marvelous Land of Oz, commonly shortened to The Land of Oz, published on July 5 1904, is the second of L ^[28]

Hedge wizard or hedge witch is a widely used contemptuous term for a magician whose magic is unable to win him enough of a living to keep him from poverty or even vagrancy. In Fantasy literature, a hedge wizard or hedge magician is a wizard of low ability generally self-taught or with a Herb witch is less contemptuous, and generally indicates skill with plants (whether magically making them grow or using them magically), but generally also indicates a low level of education, and possibly skill. Such characters are often taught informally, by another hedge wizard, rather than receive a formal apprenticeship or education at a school. ^[29]

Terms derived from more specific magics, such as voodoo, alchemy, or necromancy, generally remain closer to their real-world inspirations. Alchemy a part of the Occult Tradition is both a philosophy and a practice with an ultimately unknown aim involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of Necromancy ( Greek νεκρομαντία nekromantía) is a form of Divination in which the practitioner seeks to summon "operative spirits" Fantasy necromancers often work magic that has something to do with death, although the exact connections vary widely from work to work. Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific

In certain Asian fantasies, the practice of wuxia is used to achieve super-human feats, as in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Wuxia or Wǔxiá ( Mandarin ùɕiɑ̌ Hanyu Pinyin: Wǔxiá, Cantonese Pinyin: mou5 hap6 Taiwanese/Hokkien bu hiap Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon ( is a Chinese-language Film in the Wuxia ( chivalric and martial arts) style ^[30] Such martial artists attain these abilities through practice as much as, if not more than, studying to gain knowledge, making them in some respects like magicians, and in others not.

Traits of magicians

A common motif in fictional magic is that the ability to use it is innate and often rare. ^[31] In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, it was limited to non-humans — even Aragorn, whose hands heal, has some elven blood — but in many writers, it is reserved to a select group of humans, as in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, Katherine Kurtz's Deryni novels, or Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy universe. Middle-earth refers to the fictional lands where most of the stories of author J Aragorn II is a fictional character from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium. In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, an Elf is an individual member of one of the races that inhabit the lands of Arda. Joanne "Jo" Rowling OBE (born 31 July 1965 who writes under the Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J Katherine (Irene Kurtz (born 18 October 1944) is the author of numerous Fantasy novels especially the Deryni novels. The Deryni novels are a series of Historical fantasy books written by American -born author Katherine Randall Garrett ( December 16, 1927 - December 31, 1987) was an American Science fiction and Fantasy author This is often a secretive or persecuted group. In these settings, non-magician characters, no matter how learned, cannot actually cast spells. In such instances, magic could be inherited, or perhaps it is a random ability appearing in some children, or the result of some other unique effect or situation. Inherited powers may be a simple genetic trait -- for Katherine Kurtz's Deryni, a sex-linked trait -- or appear apparently at random in lines that have the blood, as in Patricia A. McKillip's The Riddle Master Trilogy, where the shapeshifting Earthmasters attempt to get their blood into royal houses, but fail because although one succeeds in getting the king's wife pregnant, the child's descendants rarely have the powers. Patricia Anne McKillip ( February 29, 1948 &mdash is an American Author of Fantasy and Science fiction Novels Shapeshifting is a common theme in Mythology and Folklore, as well as in Science fiction and Fantasy.

In worlds where Alchemy exists as a form of working magic, Alchemists are more likely than most magicians to have their powers be the result of study. Alchemy a part of the Occult Tradition is both a philosophy and a practice with an ultimately unknown aim involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of For them, and most other practitioners of magic that is not innate, the study is long and hard. This can produce a lack of magicians even in worlds where anyone could in theory learn the art.

Magical practitioners on the Disc (of the Discworld series) are rare, and often innate (with exceptions - the eighth son of an eighth son must become a wizard, even if the son is a daughter), and do require some form of training (again, with exceptions - see Sourcery). Discworld is a comedic Fantasy Book series by the British author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat Sourcery is the fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 1988 Also, magical practitioners on the Disc treat the use of magic not unlike the use of nuclear weaponry; it is acceptable for people to know that you possess such powers, but everyone will be in trouble if it is utilised.

Education

A common trait of magicians is that, no matter how spontaneously their abilities manifest, they must learn to use them. Occasionally these terms are used for people with innate abilities, but the typical magician is surrounded by books in his tower owing to his studies. Fictionally, it provides a way for the writer to ensure that his wizard characters can not do everything, thus eliminating conflict from the story. ^[32]

When the magician is not the main character, this may not be visible, but magician protagonists including Ursula K. LeGuin's Ged in A Wizard of Earthsea and Harry Potter have gone to wizardry schools. Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (ˈɝsələ ˈkroʊbɚ ləˈgwɪn (born October 21, 1929) is an American author A Wizard of Earthsea, first published in 1968 is the first of a series of books written by Ursula K Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J Others have taken on the roles of apprentices, such as Haku in the movie Spirited Away. is a 2001 film by the Japanese Anime studio Studio Ghibli, written and directed by famed animator Hayao Miyazaki. In the movie Willow, Willow receives a magical wand but has great difficulty learning to use it; only with the tutoring of Fin Raziel is he able to master magic. Willow is a 1988 Fantasy film directed by Ron Howard, based on a story by George Lucas. Harry Potter, like many young wizards in his universe, accidentally casts spells before he is taught to do it properly. Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J ^[33]

Another means of learning can be books; weighty, ancient tomes, often called grimoires, which may have magical properties of their own. A grimoire (grɪˈmwɑr is a textbook of magic. Books of this genre typically giving instructions for invoking Angels or Demons performing ^[34] Conan the Barbarian's sorcerer foes often gained powers from such books, whose strangeness was often underscored by their strange bindings. Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian, from the name of his homeland Cimmeria) is a Fictional character often associated with In worlds where wizardry is not an innate trait, the scarcity of these strange books may be a factor; in Poul Anderson's A Midsummer Tempest, Prince Rupert seeks out the books of the magician Prospero to learn magic. Poul William Anderson ( November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American Science fiction author who wrote during a Golden A Midsummer Tempest is an 1974 alternate history fantasy novel by Poul Anderson. Prospero is the Protagonist in The Tempest, a play by William Shakespeare. The same occurs in the Dungeons and Dragons-based novel series Dragonlance Chronicles, wherein Raistlin Majere seeks out the books of the sorcerer Fistandantilus. Raistlin Majere is a Fictional character from the Dragonlance series of Books created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

It may be impossible, in a given work, to determine whether a given practice of magic is innate, because the length of time needed for the study, the scarcity of the books or teachers, or the preciousness of the materials required mean that most characters are necessarily excluded. In some fictional worlds, such as David Eddings' The Belgariad, magic is inherently dangerous, and many of those who develop the talent for magic destroy themselves in learning how to use it, thus limiting their numbers even further. David Eddings (born July 7, 1931) is an American author who has written several best-selling series of epic fantasy novels The Belgariad is a five- Book Fantasy epic written by David Eddings.

Magical materials

Historically, many magicians have required rare and precious materials for their spells. Crystal balls, rare herbs (often picked by prescribed rituals), and chemicals such as mercury are common. A crystal ball is a Crystal or Glass Ball believed by some people to aid Clairvoyance.

This is less common in fantasy. Many magicians require no material at all;^[35] those that do may require only simple and easily obtained materials. Role-playing games are more likely to require such material for at least some spells, to prevent characters from casting them too easily.

One factor in this development has been that wizards in fantasy more frequently go on quests; the wizard who is merely consulted in his tower may be surrounded by useful equipment and substances, even in a fantasy work, but the questing wizard must carry what he needs. Wizards who remain in one place, such as those a hero consults, often own many magical items. One who lives in a cottage may have it filled with drying herbs for their magical properties, fantasy herbs being particularly noted for their healing powers;^[36] richer ones may own more valuable materials, such as crystal balls for scrying purposes. ^[37]

Wands and staffs are a common piece of property, long used in tales involving wizards. For other uses of the word staff see Staff. A staff is a large thick Stick or stick-shaped object used to help with Walking ^[38] The first magical wand featured in the Odyssey: that of Circe, who used it to transform Odysseus's men into animals. The Odyssey ( Greek: Ὀδύσσεια or Odússeia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. In Greek mythology, Circe ( sərsē; Greek Κίρκη Kírkē, falcon is a Queen Goddess (or sometimes a Nymph Italian fairy tales put them into the hands of the powerful fairies by the late Middle Ages. A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving ^[39] These were transmitted to modern fantasy. Gandalf refused to surrender his staff in The Lord of the Rings, and breaking Saruman's staff broke his power. Concept and creation Humphrey Carpenter in his 1977 biography relates that Tolkien owned a Postcard entitled Der Berggeist ("the mountain The Lord of the Rings is an epic Concept and creation Saruman first appears in 1954's The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of the Fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings Magical wands are used from Andre Norton's Witch World to Harry Potter. One element of this is the need to limit a wizard, so that opposition to him (necessary for a story) is feasible; if the wizard loses his staff or wand (or other magic item on which he is dependent), he is weakened if not magically helpless. ^[32] In the Harry Potter setting, a wizard can only perform weaker magic without a wand and only a few can control their wandless magic. Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J ^[40]

Use of magic

Larry Niven once urged, in a twist on Clarke's third law, that "any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology", and many other writers have observed that functional magic could replace technology in many situations. Laurence van Cott Niven (born April 30, 1938 Los Angeles California) is a US Science fiction author. Arthur C Clarke formulated the following three " laws " of Prediction: When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is

Nevertheless, many magicians live in pseudo-medieval setting in which their magic is not put to practical use in society; they may serve as mentors (especially if they are wise old men), or act as quest companions, or even go on a quest themselves,^[2] but their magic does not build roads or buildings, or provide immunizations, or construct indoor plumbing or printing presses, or any of the other functions served by machinery; their worlds remain at a medieval level of technology. The wise old man (also called sage or " Senex " is an Archetype as described by Carl Jung. This article is about the word for other meanings see Quest (disambiguation A quest is a journey towards a goal used in Mythology ^[41] In many, perhaps most, high fantasy works, this is treated as an intrinsic feature of the world, requiring no explanation. High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of Fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds.

Sometimes this is justified by the use of magic bringing about worse things than it can alleviate, and the need of wizards to learn restraint. ^[42] In Barbara Hambley's Windrose Chronicles, the wizards are precisely pledged not to interfere because of the terrible damage they can do. Barbara Hambly (born August 28, 1951) is an award winning and prolific American Novelist and Screenwriter within the genres of In Terry Pratchett's Discworld, the importance of wizards is that they do not do magic. Terence David John Pratchett, OBE (born 28 April 1948 is an English fantasy, Science fiction, and children's author. Discworld is a comedic Fantasy Book series by the British author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat The Wizards are major characters in Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series This may be direct effect, or the danger of a miscast spell wreaking terrible harm. ^[43]

In other works, developing magic is difficult. In Rick Cook's Wizardry series, the extreme danger of missteps with magic and the difficulty of analyzing the magic has stymied magic, and left humanity at the mercy of the dangerous elves, until a wizard summons a computer programmer from a parallel world -- ours -- to apply the skills he learned here to magic. Rick Cook (born 1944 is a light fantasy author from the United States, best known for his Wizardry series of books Rick Cook (born 1944 is a light fantasy author from the United States, best known for his Wizardry series of books Parallel universe or alternative reality is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own

At other times, a parallel development of magic does occur. This is commonest in alternate history genre. Alternate history or alternative history is a subgenre of Speculative fiction (or Science fiction) and Historical fiction Patricia Wrede's Regency fantasies include a Royal Society of Wizards, and a technological level equivalent to the actual Regency; Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy series, Robert A. Heinlein's Magic, Incorporated, and Poul Anderson's Operation Chaos all depicted modern societies with magic equivalent to twentieth-century technology. Patricia Collins Wrede is an American Fantasy Writer, born 1953 in Chicago Illinois; she is the eldest of five children Randall Garrett ( December 16, 1927 - December 31, 1987) was an American Science fiction and Fantasy author Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7 1907 – May 8 1988 was an American Novelist and Science fiction Writer. Poul William Anderson ( November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American Science fiction author who wrote during a Golden Operation Chaos is a 1971 Science fiction / Fantasy Fixup Novel by Poul Anderson. In Harry Potter, the wizards have magic equivalent or superior to Muggle technology; sometimes they duplicate it, as in the train that brings students to Hogwarts. Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J

In the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Eberron, masses of relatively weak wizards mass-produce spells and magical items for public consumption. Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by Eberron is a Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game, set in a period after a vast destructive war on the continent of

The power ascribed to wizards often affects their role in society. In practical terms, their powers may give them authority in the social structure; wizards may advise kings, such as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, or Belgarath and Polgara the Sorceress in David Eddings's The Belgariad, or even be rulers themselves as in E.R. Eddison's The Worm Ouroboros where both the heroes and the villains, although kings and lords, supplement their physical power with magical knowledge, or Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy, where magicians are the governing class. Concept and creation Humphrey Carpenter in his 1977 biography relates that Tolkien owned a Postcard entitled Der Berggeist ("the mountain The Lord of the Rings is an epic The Belgariad and the Malloreon are a two-part Fantasy epic written by David Eddings. Polgara the Sorceress is a Fantasy Novel by David and Leigh Eddings, and the twelfth in the setting of The Belgariad David Eddings (born July 7, 1931) is an American author who has written several best-selling series of epic fantasy novels The Belgariad is a five- Book Fantasy epic written by David Eddings. Eric Rücker Eddison ( November 24, 1882 – August 18, 1945) was an English civil servant and author writing under the name "E The Worm Ouroboros (1922 is a Heroic High fantasy Novel by Eric Rücker Eddison. Jonathan Anthony Stroud ( 27 october 1970, Bedford, England) is an Author of Fantasy books mainly for children and The Bartimaeus Trilogy is a Fantasy series by Jonathan Stroud and was published as a series of three novels between 2003 and 2005 ^[2] On the other hand, magicians often live like hermits, isolated in their towers and often in the wilderness, bringing no change to society. A hermit (from the Greek ἔρημος erēmos, signifying " Desert " "uninhabited" hence "desert-dweller" adjective "eremitic" In some works, such as many of Barbara Hambly's, wizards are despised and outcast specially because of their knowledge and powers. Barbara Hambly (born August 28, 1951) is an award winning and prolific American Novelist and Screenwriter within the genres of ^[44]

In the magic-noir world of the Dresden Files, although wizards generally keep a low profile, there is no specific prohibition against interacting openly with non-magical humanity. The Dresden Files is a series of Fantasy / mystery novels written by Jim Butcher. The protagonist of the series, Harry Dresden, openly advertises in the Yellow Pages under the heading "Wizard", as well as maintaining a business office. Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a fictional Detective and wizard. His main source of income in the series is derived from acting as a "special consultant" to the Chicago Police Department in cases involving the supernatural. Dresden primarily uses his magic to make a living finding lost items and people, performing exorcisms, and providing protection against the supernatural to ordinary humanity. ^[45]

Wizards, magicians, and others specific to a work

• Wizard (Middle-earth)
• Magic in Earthsea
• Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
  • Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)
  • Beguiler (Dungeons & Dragons)
  • Shadowcaster (Dungeons & Dragons)
• Warlock (Dungeons & Dragons)
• Wizard (The Sword of Truth)
• Wizards (Discworld)
• Wizards (The Dresden Files)
• Wizarding world -- Harry Potter

See also

• List of magicians in fantasy

Notes and references

Bibliography

• Philip Martin, ed. John Grant (born 1949 is a Scottish writer and editor of Science fiction, Fantasy, and non-fiction John Frederick Clute (1940-) is a Canadian born author and critic who has lived in Britain since 1969 The Encyclopedia of Fantasy is a 1997 Reference work on Fantasy, edited by John Clute and John Grant. Herman Northrop Frye, CC, MA (Oxon, DD, DLitt, FRSC ( July 14, 1912 &ndash January 23, 1991 Herman Northrop Frye 's Anatomy of Criticism Four Essays (Princeton University Press 1957 attempts to formulate an overall view of the scope theory principles Glen David Brin, PhD (born October 6, 1950) is an American scientist and award-winning author of Science fiction. , The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature: From Dragon's Lair to Hero's Quest, ISBN 0-87116-195-8
• Patricia C. Wrede, "Magic and Magicians", Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions

Patricia Collins Wrede is an American Fantasy Writer, born 1953 in Chicago Illinois; she is the eldest of five children

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