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	], from the ] surrounding ], is an example of a well-known wizard.]]

	A '''wizard''' is a person skilled in arts considered hidden or arcane. Wizards were considered as roughly equivalent to a ] or ]; they knew ] (literally, "hidden") techniques that could be of great aid. In modern times, wizards have grown considerably more identified with the outright use of ] as other knowledges such as history or botany have grown more easily accesible. The idea of a wizard as simply being an unusually skilled person continues in references such as a "computer wizard"<ref>'''' in the ], and its </ref> or in ]'s song '']''.

	Common arts associated with wizardry include ] (conjuration of spirits), ], ], medicine, history, ], and ].

	== Historical wizard claimants ==
	{{seealso\|alchemist\|shaman\|sorcerer\|witch\|warlock}}
	{{expandsect}}

	Throughout history, there have been many who have claimed secret knowledge and great, often supernatural, power ("]"). Some historical actors have also had magical powers thrust upon them in legends and fiction, with their actual abilities lost of the mists of history.

	Perhaps the oldest example of this is the knowledge of the making and tending of ]<ref>http://www.highbeam.com/ref/doc3.asp?docid=1E1:fire and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3670017.stm</ref>, a secret jealously guarded. In later times, a "]" or "cunning woman" might be a village's wizard, capable of finding lost items, healing the sick, and deterring harmful witches.

	Some famous people in history who have been identified as wizards include:
	*], leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
	*], advisor to Liu Bei during the ] period.
	*], Queen Elizabeth's court astrologist.

	It should be noted that most historical people attributed alleged supernatural power were not necessarily wizards; the distinguishing aspect for wizards is that their abilities were based off of ''knowledge'', not normally faith. This is not to say that wizards did not invoke religion, but it was usually done through secret techniques and rituals as opposed to only prayer (See also ] and ]).

	==Wizards in Fiction==
	{{seealso\|List of magicians in fiction}}

	In modern colloquial usage, wizards are any practitioners of supernatural ], found in ], ], ]-], and ].

	The archetypical wizard in mythology and fiction is the "]." This kind of character is typically represented by a kind and wise, older father-type figure who uses personal knowledge of people and the world, to help tell stories and offer guidance, that in a mystical way illuminate to his audience a sense of who they are and who they might become. The wise old man is often in some way "foreign", that is, from a different culture, nation, or occasionally, even a different time, than those he advises.

	===], ]s and ]s===
	* ] - the famous wizard from ] and their modern retellings.
	* The wizard in the ] of .
	* The ] - four wizards of ancient Greek myths.
	* ] - the grand wizard of ]

	===Wizards in ]===
	{{seealso\|:Category:Characters in written fantasy}}
	* The eponymous character of ]'s '']'' is a stage magician pretending to be a genuine wizard; in the ] the wizard was also a fake. However, in later Oz stories, he studies magic with ] and becomes a genuine wizard. See ].
	* ], ], ], ] and ] - from ] '']'' - are called ], but are really supernatural beings called ]. In ], "wizard" is a term applied only to the five members of the ]. While other practitioners of magic exist in Middle-earth (good <i>and</i> evil), they are never referred to as wizards.
	*Ogion and ] (Sparrowhawk) from ]'s '']'' book series, the most well-known of which is '']'', first published in ].
	* All male magic-users from ]'s '']'' and its sequels are called wizards. (Note that female practicioners of magic are called ].)
	* In the '']'' series by ], wizards are numerous, and can normally be found in the ]. One of the predominant wizards in the series is ].
	* ] describes wizards as emmissaries of "the One" (see ]), who take an ] to use powers beyond the comprehension of a non-wizard in the service of ], to keep ], personified as a Lone Power, under control and therefore delay the demise of the ]. They are said to still exist in the present day, but due to negative public perception, work undercover.
	*The Wizards of Skyhall Trilogy is a three book series, about twelve-year-old antihero turned hero, Arianna Kelt, a reformed thief and wizard seer. It is set in J. R. King's imaginary land of Skyhall.

	===Wizards in role-playing games===
	{{main\|Wizard (character class)}}

	====Dungeons & Dragons====
	{{main\|Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)}}
	In the '']'' ], wizard is one of the base ]. A wizard is an ] user, and weak in ] combat. Wizards spend several years studying magic.

	The magic system--where wizards memorize spells which they then forget when they cast them--was heavily influenced by the '']'' stories and novels of ].


	==Etymology==
	] wisard : wise, wise. see ; + , pejorative suffix;<ref> - The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. </ref> Indo-European root:

	Semantically, the distinction between having knowledge and the active use of that knowledge is the difference between a and a ] (literally: a user of magic).

	==References==
	<references />

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Latest revision as of 16:24, 26 August 2018

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Magician (fantasy)