Wizards and Magic
INTRODUCTION
A
magician is someone who uses or practices
magic that derives from
supernatural or occult sources.
Magicians, sorcerers, wizards, and practitioners of magic by other titles have appeared in myths, folktales and literature throughout recorded history, with fantasy works drawing from this background. A magician is, of course, a person who does "magic. That is, a magician is a person who can make things happen that wouldn't happen under the normal or familiar laws of nature. Something is transformed in a mysterious way, or disappears, or appears.
We know also, if we reflect on our use of the word, that a
"magician" could be an
entertainer (a "conjuror" or "prestidigitator") or a
"real" magician (something like a "witch doctor," "medicine man," or, perhaps, "sorcerer"). In passing, it should be noted that a distinction is often made between the
"white magician" and the
"black magician.” The basic distinction seems to be in whether the magic is being used for helpful or for harmful purposes. This is, of course, to some extent relative to the standpoint of the observer.
"Entertainment" magic, on the one hand, and ceremonial, ritual, or "real" magic, on the other.
In medieval chivalric romance,
the wizard often appears as a wise old man and acts as a mentor, with
Merlin from the King Arthur stories representing a prime example. Other magicians can appear as villains, hostile to the hero.
Magic has long been associated with the practices of animism and shamanism. Shamanic contact with the spiritual world seems to be almost universal in tribal communities, including Aboriginal tribes in Australia, Maori tribes in New Zealand, rainforest tribes in South America, bush tribes in Africa, and ancient Pagan tribal groups in Europe. Ancient cave paintings in France are widely speculated to be early magical formulations, intended to produce successful hunts. Much of the Babylonian and Egyptian pictorial writing characters appear derived from the same sources.
Traditional or folk magic is handed down from generation to generation. Not officially associated with any religion, folk magic includes practices like the use of horseshoes for luck, or charms to ward off evil spirits. Folk magic traditions are often associated with specific cultures. Hoodoo, not to be confused with Voodoo, is associated with African Americans, and incorporates the use of herbs and spells. Pow-wow is folk magic generally practiced by the
Pennsylvania Dutch, which includes charms, herbs, and the use of
hex signs.
While some organized religions embrace magic, others consider any sort of magical practice evil. Christianity and Islam, for example, both denounce divination and other forms of magic as originating with the Devil. Contrary to much of magical practice, these religions advocate the submission of the will to a higher power (God).
(To be continued)
