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	'''Wizards''' are most commonly found in works of ], such as ], ], ], ], and ]. In modern fantasy, a wizard is generally seen as a practitioner of ] that derives from ] or ] sources, rather than the ] magic used by most popular magicians.

	==Nature of wizards==
	In ]'s '']'', the wizards are not human, and no purely human character has power to work magic. Although this is seldom followed by other fantasists, many others have also made magic the exclusive ability of wizards; other characters, no matter how learned, can not cast spells.

	Wizardary can be inherited, or can be a random ability appearing in some children.

	==Terminology==
	People who work magic are called by many terms in works of fantasy, and the terminology differs widely from one ] to another. While derived from real world vocabulary, "wizard," "witch," "warlock," "enchanter/enchantress," "sorcerer/sorceress," "mage," "magus," and "magician" have, within a world, the meaning the writer invests in them. There are some patterns in the usages.

	"Wizard" is more often male (as in ]'s '']''), and "witch" more often female (as in ]'s '']''). They can be used in a unisex manner, but there will be members of both sexes bearing the title. Both terms can be used in the same setting; this may indicate a sex-based title for practicers of identical magic, as in ], or indicate that the two sexes practice different types of magic, as in ].

	In ''Witch World'', a man who, anomolously, showed the same abilities as the witches was termed a warlock; this use is uncommon but seen in other works.

	Enchanters generally practice a type of magic that produces no real effects on objects but deceives people and creates illusions. Enchantresses, in particular, practice this form of magic, often to seduce.

	] is often used to mean the leader of wizards -- often called "mages" in such works.

	Terms derived from more specific magics, such as voodoo, alchemy, or ], generally remain closer to their real-world inspirations. Fantasy necromancers often work magic that has something to do with death, although the exact connections vary widely from work to work.

	==Wise Old Man==
	{{main\|Wise old man}}
	The '''wise old man''' (or "]") is an ] as described by ]. It is also a classic ] figure, and may be seen as a ].

	This kind of character is typically represented as 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, may impress upon his audience a sense of who they are and who they might become.

	The wise old man is often seen to be in some way "foreign", that is, from a different culture, nation, or occasionally, even a different time, from those he advises.

	==Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends==
	{{expandsect}}
	], from the ] surrounding ], is an example of a well-known wizard.]]
	* ] - the famous wizard from ] and their modern retellings.
	* The wizard in the ] of .
	* The ] - four wizards of ancient Greek myths.
	* ] - the grand wizard of ]
	* Fairy tales about good and bad wizards are collected in '']'', by ]

	==Wizards in works of fiction==
	{{seealso\|List of magicians in fiction\|:Category:Characters in written fantasy}}
	* The ] 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.
	* ], ], ], ] 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 (both good ''and'' 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 ].
	* In the '']'' series by ], wizards are numerous, and can normally be found in the ]. One of the predominant wizards in the series is ], although he only uses magic on extremely rare occasions.
	* All male magic-users from ]'s '']'' and its sequels are called wizards. (Note that female practitioners of magic are called ].)
	* ] describes wizards as emissaries 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. See also: ]

	===Novels based on Dungeons & Dragons===
	{{seealso\|:Category:Fictional arcane spellcasters (Dungeons & Dragons)}}
	The role-playing game (see below) has several settings in which novels have been written.

	* ]
	* ]
	* ]

	==Wizards in Role Playing==
	{{main\|Wizard (character class)}}

	===Dungeons & Dragons===
	{{main\|Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)}}
	In the '']'' ], 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 ].

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Latest revision as of 16:24, 26 August 2018

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Magician (fantasy)