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| {{seealso|Magician|Magic}} | {{seealso|Magician|Magic (paranormal)}} | ||
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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 '']''. | |||
| ==General Definition== | |||
| {{wiktionarypar|wizard}} | |||
| {{wiktionarypar|sage}} | |||
| A skilled or clever person, with the implication of ] less commonly known. | |||
| Common arts associated with wizardry include ] (conjuration of spirits), ], ], medicine, history, ], and ]. | |||
| This is often in regards to knowledge of the internal workings of a ''']''' system. Such a person may be noted as being ] to the ], and utilization of such knowledge is often called ] by ]. | |||
| ⚫ | == Historical wizard claimants == | ||
| During the ], the term "wizard" referred to a ] or ]. | |||
| ⚫ | {{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. | |||
| ⚫ | 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). | ||
| ⚫ | 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. | ||
| Anyone who is especially adept or talented in such utilization may be referred to as a '''wizard''' (such as a "computer wizard",<ref>'''' in the ], and its </ref> or in reference to the eponymous character in The Who's song '']''), and its utilization called wizardry. | |||
| Some famous people in history who have been identified as wizards include: | |||
| ⚫ | == |
||
| *], leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. | |||
| ⚫ | ] wisard : wise, wise. see ; + , pejorative suffix;<ref> - The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. </ref> Indo-European root: | ||
| *], 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 ]). | |||
| ==]== | |||
| The archetypical wizard is the '''wise old man'''. | |||
| ⚫ | ==Wizards in Fiction== | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | {{seealso|List of magicians in fiction}} | ||
| ⚫ | In modern colloquial usage, wizards are any practitioners of supernatural ], found in ], ], ]-], and ]. | ||
| 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. | |||
| ⚫ | 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. | ||
| ⚫ | ==Wizards in Fiction== | ||
| ⚫ | {{ |
||
| ⚫ | In modern colloquial usage, |
||
| ===], ]s and ]s=== | ===], ]s and ]s=== | ||
| ⚫ | ], from the ] surrounding ], is an example of a well-known wizard.]] | ||
| * ] - the famous wizard from ] and their modern retellings. | * ] - the famous wizard from ] and their modern retellings. | ||
| * The wizard in the ] of . | * The wizard in the ] of . | ||
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| *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. | *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 |
===Wizards in role-playing games=== | ||
| {{ |
{{main|Wizard (character class)}} | ||
| ==== |
====Dungeons & Dragons==== | ||
| {{ |
{{main|Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)}} | ||
| In the '']'' ], |
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 ]. | The magic system--where wizards memorize spells which they then forget when they cast them--was heavily influenced by the '']'' stories and novels of ]. | ||
| ⚫ | == |
||
| ⚫ | {{seealso|alchemist|shaman|sorcerer|witch|warlock}} | ||
| ⚫ | ==Etymology== | ||
| Throughout history, there have been many who have claimed that to have secret knowledge, meant having great, often supernatural, ]. | |||
| ⚫ | ] 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== | ||
| <references /> | <references /> | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 22:52, 22 July 2006
For other uses, see Wizard (fantasy) (disambiguation). See also: Magician and Magic (paranormal)You must add a |reason= parameter to this Cleanup template – replace it with {{Cleanup|June 2006|reason=<Fill reason here>}}, or remove the Cleanup template.
A wizard is a person skilled in arts considered hidden or arcane. Wizards were considered as roughly equivalent to a philosopher or sage; they knew occult (literally, "hidden") techniques that could be of great aid. In modern times, wizards have grown considerably more identified with the outright use of magic 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" or in The Who's song Pinball Wizard.
Common arts associated with wizardry include necromancy (conjuration of spirits), astrology, astronomy, medicine, history, herbalism, and fortune telling.
Historical wizard claimants
See also: alchemist, shaman, sorcerer, witch, and warlock | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. |
Throughout history, there have been many who have claimed secret knowledge and great, often supernatural, power ("Knowledge is 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 fire, a secret jealously guarded. In later times, a "cunning man" 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:
- Zhang Jiao, leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
- Zhuge Liang, advisor to Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms period.
- John Dee, 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 Magic and religion and Gnosis).
Wizards in Fiction
In modern colloquial usage, wizards are any practitioners of supernatural magic, found in mythology, folklore, fantasy-themed works of fiction, and role-playing games.
The archetypical wizard in mythology and fiction is the "wise old man." 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.
Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends
- Merlin - the famous wizard from Arthurian legends and their modern retellings.
- The wizard in the fairy tale of The Wizard King.
- The Telchines - four wizards of ancient Greek myths.
- Väinämöinen - the grand wizard of Kalevala
Wizards in works of fiction
- The eponymous character of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a stage magician pretending to be a genuine wizard; in the 1939 movie version the wizard was also a fake. However, in later Oz stories, he studies magic with Glinda and becomes a genuine wizard. See Wizard (Oz).
- Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, Alatar and Pallando - from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings - are called Wizards, but are really supernatural beings called Maia. In Middle-earth, "wizard" is a term applied only to the five members of the Order of the Istari. While other practitioners of magic exist in Middle-earth (good and evil), they are never referred to as wizards.
- Ogion and Ged (Sparrowhawk) from Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea book series, the most well-known of which is A Wizard of Earthsea, first published in 1968.
- All male magic-users from J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and its sequels are called wizards. (Note that female practicioners of magic are called witches.)
- In the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, wizards are numerous, and can normally be found in the Unseen University. One of the predominant wizards in the series is Rincewind.
- Diane Duane describes wizards as emmissaries of "the One" (see God), who take an oath to use powers beyond the comprehension of a non-wizard in the service of life, to keep entropy, personified as a Lone Power, under control and therefore delay the demise of the universe. 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 article: Wizard (character class)Dungeons & Dragons
Main article: Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, wizard is one of the base character classes. A wizard is an arcane magic user, and weak in mêlée 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 The Dying Earth stories and novels of Jack Vance.
Etymology
Middle English wisard : wise, wise. see wise1; + -ard, pejorative suffix; Indo-European root: weid-
Semantically, the distinction between having knowledge and the active use of that knowledge is the difference between a sage and a magician (literally: a user of magic).
References
- Wizard in the Jargon File, and its Wiki version
- http://www.highbeam.com/ref/doc3.asp?docid=1E1:fire and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3670017.stm
- Wizard - The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.