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Nearly every form of government in fantasy draws inspiration from the ones we have here on Earth. Democracies, republics, and dictatorships in fantasy worlds mirror their real-world counterparts. However, there are some unique to the genre that have no real-world versions. Magic governments is one of them. It also goes by the magocracy.
As you can expect, magic governments feature those capable of wielding magic in important positions of power. Think of the Ministry of Magic from Harry Potter. These officials make decisions that affect the entire wizard community.
The magocracy come in many versions like monarchies and democracies, which help make the audience bridge the gap between fantasy and reality. Whether they be elected or not, these entities rely on sorcery to maintain stability and order. While many use benevolent forms to keep the populace happy and content, there are some that use dark or black magic to instill fear among the citizenry.
In worldbuilding, magic governments play a prominent role. Depending on how the world is structured, they can openly govern a whole country or multiple ones if everyone knows all about magic. In other worlds, they hide themselves and their communities from non-magic folks who make up the majority of the planet’s population, fearful that they’ll view them as enemies.
The story explores how a magocracy is viewed, not just by the protagonist but by the characters he crosses paths with. The people in power can be perceived as people committed to keeping them safe or actively pushing to suppress all dissent by using evil magic to keep people in line.
This is the eighth article in the series chronicling the various types of fantasy governments. Want to check out more? Our blog page has plenty more, so you’re sure to find one that’ll draw your interest!
The only difference between magic governments and real-world ones is that sorcerers and wizards are the ones in charge. Other than that, warlocks and witches use government forms similar to that of the real-world like the Ministry of Magic.
Out of all the different types, the magocracy is the most interesting form of government since magic-wielders are in control. While they have powers ordinary people would be envious of, at the end of the day, they’re still human and prone to making mistakes.
Whether it’s a monarchy or democracy, sorcerers and other magic-users fill positions in all three branches of government. This means they’re responsible for decisions that affect the country and the people living within. From economic policies to overseeing court cases, the magocracy makes decisions everyday that either helps or hinders people.
Reflecting the real world, magic governments are broken into tiers. You have the national, state/province, and local ones. Each has their own sphere of influence and each interacts with the public differently. Most people deal with their local ones far more than the national one which can cause trouble, especially if both are in dispute.
To maintain order in the nation, a magocracy’s law enforcement agencies are capable of using magic. Except in extreme cases, they’re not authorized to use deadly spells when apprehending suspects. The only time they can do so is to go after the worst criminals, the ones who have no qualms about killing people.
When it comes to international relations, magic governments function exactly like their real-world versions. They can negotiate treaties, formally declare war on other nations, form alliances and so on. Their internal structure dictates how they approach other countries. Benevolent regimes are more likely to rely on diplomacy to settle matters whereas malevolent ones prefer force to bring others to heel.
The magocracy plays an influential when it comes to worldbuilding. However, it comes with a major caveat: it’s totally dependent on how said world is built. While it’s in charge of a country, exactly how much power it has depends on if it’s sharing it with non-magic folk or not.
For worlds full of people who have magical powers, their leaders run them just like any ruler would. They don’t have to worry about dealing with non-magic societies and their laws reflect that. Furthermore, magic governments can interact with other countries, knowing perfectly well that magic is something they have in common.
Many stories in fantasy show how magic and non-magic people interact with each other. They can live side-by-side, working towards a common goal, or view each other as a threat. The latter shows both sides fighting over who controls what. This can make for riveting drama as non-magic users are at a disadvantage compared to their magical counterparts but they have weapons and technologies the other simply don’t.
In some worlds, fearful that their powers can be abused by the non-magic users, the magocracy hides the entire community from them like you see in the Harry Potter books. They use concealment spells to hide in plain sight or live in remote locales no ordinary person would ever travel to. Should they be discovered, they use spells to make people forget they ever saw them.
Some worlds even have both societies be fully aware of each other, working together towards a better world for everyone. People of both groups freely interact with each other in all manners of discourse. While they don’t share all their secrets with each other, they at least have a good working relationship as they stand united against the forces of evil.
If a magocracy appears in the story, it plays an important role. Since it’s a group of people in power who just happen to be able to do magic, it becomes integral to the tale, for every decision the people in power make shapes the story one way or the other. It can be viewed in different ways.
In some realms, it is presented as a benevolent government, constantly striving to make a better tomorrow for everyone. This means it doesn’t stand in the way of progress; rather it spearheads it by standing alongside its people. The protagonist considers it a valuable ally in his efforts to vanquish evil since they have the same goals.
Unfortunately, some magic governments in other worlds are led by evil people. Intent on doing whatever they can to ensure they remain in power, they use violent spells to intimidate and eliminate their opposition. They monitor everyone, searching for signs of a potential enemy and to instill fear in the populace.
The hero has no choice but to consider such magic governments enemies. Here, they play adversarial roles, working to stop him any way they can. The hero must resort to subtle tactics to circumvent their monitoring capabilities and speak only with people he knows he can trust.
A dark magocracy can be used in one of two veins. It can serve as a major antagonist separate from the villain. While not necessarily working hand-in-hand with the villain, the magocracy schemes against the hero, seeking to stop him for its own reasons. Occasionally it may clash with the big bad but that’s because it has its own agenda which conflicts with that of the villain.
The second way a malevolent magocracy can be used in the story is to have it be directly controlled by the big bad. Here, he uses the full might of the government to subjugate the population and to hunt down his enemies so he can wipe out all opposition. The protagonist must then evade capture while working to weaken its power and by extension, the villain’s.
Unique to fantasy, magic governments are something you don’t have in the real world. As such, they draw interest, giving the audience an opportunity to see what it’s like having magic-users in power. Of course, what they see depends on whether good or evil people are in charge.
It’s quite something, seeing magic-wielding officials making decisions that affect a broad swath of people and then working to enforce the laws of the land. Some spark fierce opposition, causing citizens to take to the streets in protest. Others are applauded by many people, believing they will do some good.
A magocracy comes in many forms and shapes. One can be a monarchy, where the king is capable of magic and uses it in a benevolent or nefarious manner. Another can be a democracy, in which the leader is elected by the people. No two are the same!
Magic governments are integral in worldbuilding. They are the leaders of the countries they’re in, though how much power they have depends on whether they share them with non-magic folk or not. While they spend a lot of time dealing with domestic issues, they also have to deal with other countries, who may have fellow wizards or non-magic people in power.
In respect to the story, the extent magic governments appear in is cognizant on how it’s structured. You want them to feel like they’re a natural part of the world you’re building. It makes sense for them to appear in tales where magic is a large focus, not those where magic is barely acknowledged.
Will you craft a magocracy that your audience will talk about for years on end?
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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,
Sunfire
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