What’s one thing that comes to mind when you think of fantasy? Magic, of course! A mainstay in fantasy, magic inspires wonder and excitement, not just from characters but the audience as well. Who doesn’t like seeing a group of bad guys being blasted off a cliff by a spell? Fantasy magic is fundamental to the genre.
Sorcery and similar kinds are an important part of building a fantasy world. They help make these worlds more interesting and exciting and they bring their own lore.
Perhaps more importantly, magic tends to be reserved for a certain few characters. These individuals tend to be thought of as powerful to those who have none. This creates different classes and can cause trouble between the two. However, there’s usually conflict between those who have magical abilities and such conflicts can be destructive to the world.
Fantasy magic is featured in nearly every work in the genre. However, they work differently in different worlds. In some settings magic can be used freely, Middle-Earth being such a place. In others, it can only be used in select places like in Harry Potter where it can’t be used in front of muggles and other non-magic folk.
Depending on the medium used, readers imagine how magic looks in their mind in books. In movies and video games, they get to see it in action. In the latter, they witness dazzling spells flying in the air as two wizards fight to the death in a heated battle.
In this article, we’ll go over those who wield it, the types used, and how it impacts the world.
When one thinks of fantasy magic, wizards come to mind. Characters such as Gandalf the Grey/White in Lord of the Rings and Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter have only helped in making the genre more popular.
In many worlds, wizards have their own hierarchy. At the top stands the great wizards such as Gandalf and Dumbledore, who are renowned through the land. They tend to be strategists, working on a long-term plan to defeat the villain of their world and demonstrate great patience as they work to gain support between different factions and move resources into the right place at the right time.
Next is the mid-level wizards. While not having as much power as the great wizards, they possess some mastery in magic and have their own unique set of skills. Molly Weasley in Harry Potter is a prime example of this. She uses her skills to manage the household, especially when cooking; when confronting Bellatrix Lestrange in the Battle of Hogwarts, her love for her children fuels her desire to kill the one who nearly took her daughter’s life.
Aware of the threat to their world, they align themselves with the great wizards, despite not having as much power as their leader. They believe in their leader and know he’s their best chance at stopping the villain.
The last group is the lesser wizards. This includes children and those who have little skill in sorcery. Due to their age, children can only perform simple spells and must be trained to become wizards. As for the other, due to being unable to do more advanced magic, they become jealous of those able to do magic. Such jealousy is easy pickings for the villain to exploit as he can offer them the chance to get what they want for a price.
But wizards aren’t the only ones who can do magic. Witch doctors, shamans, and medicine healers have their own set of skills. Though their skills are rudimentary, they can still cause trouble if performed wrong due to a lack of training. Witch doctors dabble in all sorts of black magic, with the hapless victim being offered up for sacrifice to appease their deity. Shamans can lead someone astray by getting the wrong reading from a crystal ball or misinterpreting what they see in someone’s palm hands. Medicine healers can use ingredients frowned upon by wizards to help people recover from their ailments that can have unfortunate side effects.
There’s one group of people who possess great skill in magic and it’s the feared dark lord. Many villains such as Sauron and Voldemort are part of this group due to their deep knowledge of dark sorcery. Steeped in witchcraft, they use abilities the other side wouldn’t dare touch, for fear they might turn into them. Dark lords possess terrifying power and use such power against their enemies with the intention of killing them. They usually pose a grave threat to the world and must be stopped.
Fantasy and magic feature many different kinds of practitioners and types of sorcery. The kind being cast depends on the user and his intent. Just as a person with a dark heart flings a spell with the desire to kill, a person with a kind heart casts a spell to save a life.
Elemental magic refers to harnessing the power of the elements of nature such as fire. Other elements are: water, wind, the forest, sand, light and dark. This is the most powerful kind of magic; as such, it’s found in virtually every fantasy world. Many wizards, both good and evil, employ this type of magic.
Healing magic is used to help people recover. The spell used depends on the person’s ailment. If someone’s suffering from poison, the healer can use a spell that targets the source and obliterates it though the sick person will need time to recover completely. For those who sustain a flesh wound from battle, a simple incantation is used and the bleeding instantly stops and the wound miraculously disappears.
Healing is one of the most powerful branches of magic due to its capacity to rejuvenate the wounded. For that reason, it’s why healers are always targeted first in battle.
Black magic and necromancy are the opposite of elemental magic. Perversions of elemental magic, black sorcery relies on unnatural elements such as the undead. This branch is typically associated with dark lords and their minions.
If you’d like to read more about magic, check out our blog page. We have quite a few articles dedicated to magic!
Fantasy magic plays a large role in many worlds. While it has the power to destroy, it has the potential to heal. It can serve as an unifying force, bringing different people together, but just as equally, it can be a divisive force, driving people away out of fear.
Using magic comes at a cost, no matter what kind’s used. This might make the user worn-out which means he needs some time to recharge. Perhaps each time it’s used, it costs a bit of his soul, which means magic must be used sparingly.
Many citizens look upon magic wielders with either reverence or fear. They can see them as god-like, believing they have abilities ordinary people don’t have. Alternatively, they can feel a sense of powerlessness, feeling like they don’t stand a chance against them.
In nearly every world, magic users are in the minority but due to the powers they possess, they play an outsized role, often assuming leadership positions. This can create tension between sorcerers and ordinary people akin to that of the leader and those he leads.
Fantasy magic bring a touch of wonderment to the world. It brings out the imagination in each of us as we get to see what we’ve always dreamed of. We stand in awe as two wizards engage in battle, unleashing spell after spell in an effort to triumph over their opponent. We gasp as the dark lord performs an incantation that resurrects the dead to use in his army in his crusade to conquer the world.
The next article will explore how to bring magic into your world. If you’re interested, just click on the link here: Incorporating Magic In Your World.
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