Description of magicians in the Western fantasy world
There are many names for mages. We can call them wizards, witches, wizards, soothsayers, prophets, etc.
Magicians are those who can do magic, whether it is the magic taught by Professor Dumbledore in a magic school, a small trick like the incantation chanted by a village wizard, or a master of stage escape magic. The kind of magic Houdini performed. Such magical magicians exist in various cultures around the world.
They can fly high in the sky, disappear suddenly, or conjure a bouquet of flowers from the air. They claim to have magical powers and can use many tricks. While we can't cover all magic in the world, we've listed a few basic categories here. Legendary Magicians The most legendary magicians are those who appear in myths and stories, and nothing can trouble them.
They can fly in the air, appear and disappear in two different places at the same time, can conjure what they want, deform, turn into animals, etc. They can also predict the future and heal. Disease can travel through time and space. Some legendary magicians are also very knowledgeable about curses and poisons. But this is not required, and many times all they need to do is wave a magic wand or recite a spell. Stories of legendary magicians date back thousands of years to ancient Egypt, when magical rituals were part of everyday cultural life.
People never tire of hearing stories about magicians with magical powers. In the time of King Cheops (2600 BC), the story about the legendary magician Cargamemnon was very popular. Once, a woman accidentally dropped the jewelry she was wearing on her head into the lake in the palace. Cargamemnon chanted a few spells and split the lake in half, and got the lost gem. The woman was very happy. .
In ancient Greek literature, legendary magicians are usually women. The witch Ses and her niece can both turn people into beasts, rejuvenate people, and predict the future. The Roman poet Virgil tells the story of the magician Maurice. Maurice can move crops from one field to another, turn himself into a wolf, and bring people back to life.
In the Middle Ages, the most famous magicians were as famous as the heroic kings, beautiful girls and nobles in mythological stories. Among them, King Arthur's advisor Merlin is the most famous. His miraculous ability can turn day into night, deploy troops in an instant, predict the future, and transform into many human or animal shapes. The Italian legend "The Legend of Orlando" written in 1516 tells the story of these magicians, who fight against each other, each hoping to defeat the other.
In one myth, the magician Atlante cast a spell on a knight named Astolph (that is, the rider of the hippogriff). As a result, the knight It becomes different things in the eyes of different people, sometimes a beast, sometimes a giant or a bird. Later, another female magician, Melissa, turned herself into Atlante in order to rescue another magician who was bewitched. Today's readers also have their own favorite legendary magicians, who are no less impressive than the ancient magicians.
Like all great magicians, these contemporary magicians have the ability to shapeshift. Of course, these wizards can all be found at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when school is in session. The oldest magicians in the history of shamanism are tribal magicians. They are also called medicine experts or shamans. Many shamans are doctors, priests, or experts in the supernatural. They began practicing this as a profession more than 30,000 years ago, and it still exists in many cultures today. In many tribal societies, the status of the shaman is second only to the chief of the tribe. Their responsibilities include: treating diseases, divination of the future, communicating with the supernatural world, and ensuring adequate food supply during hunting, fishing, and planting.
They are also responsible for finding missing people, determining the whereabouts of thieves, and protecting villages from enemy destruction. Shamans make amulets, perform magical rituals, perform curses, and learn about herbs, plants, and minerals. They are also responsible for protecting the tribe's myths and traditions from generation to generation. In some cultures, the position of shaman is hereditary; in others, the successor is appointed by the current cultivator.
Sometimes shamans appear to be just like ordinary people, but they suddenly become enlightened due to dreams or other special experiences.
At this time, he will return to nature and live alone, just like a wild beast. This process usually lasts several months or weeks, during which time he gradually learns to control his superpowers. Generally speaking, he goes on hunger strike during this period. According to ancient legends and traditions, such a shaman would receive revelation through dreams in which his guardian spirit or animal would give him guidance, telling him about his abilities that he did not know he had, his future destiny, and the role he would play in society. role played in. Then he would return to the crowd and start a new life. It is believed that shamans receive this ability from ancestors or animal spirits. In a trance, these souls would enter his body. Shamanic rituals are also part of tribal life.
In such a ceremony, everyone sings and dances, and the shaman will also go out of his body to communicate with the ghosts who guide him and bring back useful information. Depending on the culture, the shaman sometimes wears clothing made of animal fur, or wears different masks, or paints different patterns on his body and face, or wears a large cloak to symbolize his spirit." Fly" to another world. In many cultures, shamanic rituals often involve demonstrations of supernatural abilities, but many times such demonstrations are deceptive. They can avoid getting hurt by using special tricks: walking on fire, breaking free from ropes, swallowing knives, eating glass, making puppets dance, etc. Using special ventriloquism, they can sometimes talk to invisible ghosts in full view of the public. These demonstrations had a profound impact on the people, and the medicines of the shamans were believed to be full of magical psychological properties.
Interestingly, the use of these deceptive tricks does not mean that the shaman's ability to cure disease is just a false claim. On the contrary, most shamans believe in their own power, and others believe in them. In fact, sometimes things are like this. Because it gives hope, it is easier to work. And it's not a bad thing to perform these uses of supernatural powers, especially during religious ceremonies. Jugglers and Village Witches From the Middle Ages until the 19th century, almost every village and town in Europe had a shaman-like figure. These people were called "wizards" or "witches", or simply "jugglers" (the word "juggler" comes from the Old English meaning "to seek truth"). These village shamans do much the same work that shamans were asked to do in ancient times, from divination and healing to predicting the future.
But unlike shamans, these people do not carry out these activities in public places, but in private. And, even though their clothing was eccentric compared to their contemporaries, after all, they no longer wore animal skins like shamans or performed ritual dances. But overall there's no difference in what they do. They are very knowledgeable in herbal medicine and also make amulets and poisons. In some small villages, these people even played the role of doctors and veterinarians. Some of these witches and wizards have basic knowledge of astrology and palmistry, and can also interpret dreams, although such knowledge can of course be gained through reading. But many wizards are actually illiterate, and the knowledge they obtain is obtained from their ancestors or friends and relatives. There are also legends that suggest that such people received this knowledge from fairies. Although there were laws at the time that prohibited such magical practices, many witches and wizards did not care. Because the services they provide are welcomed by everyone and have no side effects, the authorities are happy to turn a blind eye. Many people have little contact with society. They live alone in the suburbs and grow their own medicinal herbs.
There are rumors that their house is filled with strange things, such as magic mirrors, crystal balls, or various divination-related things. People's attitude towards them can be said to be one of respect, fear and avoidance. But when needed, they will turn to these people for help. There are also such wizards in some larger cities in Europe. What they do is a little more complicated than what rural doctors do, and their fees are higher. One of the most famous wizards at that time was Simon Forman (1552-1611). Unlike his colleagues at the time, he recorded in detail the various activities he did. Because such activities were illegal at the time, there was no Who dares to do this?
People who seek help from magicians have different purposes. Some businessmen hope to see their fortune through astrology; sailors' wives hope to predict whether their husbands are safe; people who have lost things hope to see if their pets can be recovered. or to get their property back; those who suspect they are cursed hope to be freed from the spell; and many come to buy love poisons, amulets or Chinese herbal medicines.
Forman is an expert in astrology and can also gaze into a crystal ball. At the same time, he also considers himself a qualified doctor. Although he had no systematic medical training, he did cure many diseases. At that time, many treatment methods were still not popular. Bloodletting, a method that seems ridiculous today, was still considered effective at the time. Therefore, Forman's move should be said to have its effect. Despite strong objections from the Royal Society of Medicine, Forman was granted a medical license from Cambridge University in 1603 and treated many wealthy people in Elizabethan London. According to legend, Forman accurately predicted the time of his death. He died on September 8, 1611, while rowing on the Thames. He left an astonishing wealth to future generations. Scholar Magicians "Today," an Englishman wrote in 1600, "only those who can read the stars, summon devils, or perform divination are called scholar magicians." In More than a hundred years ago, it would have been considered unimaginable for a well-educated person to conduct these so-called magic studies. However, in the 15th and 16th centuries, magic was a kind of knowledge that was respected by people. In Renaissance Italy, scholars once again believed that magic could be used to summon gods and control the unknown natural world.
Through diligent study and tempering of imagination, a person can learn to use magic words, spells, etc., so that he can also control all the mysterious powers of nature and achieve any goal he wishes to achieve. Later, this idea spread to Germany in northern Italy, where the great German scholar Cornelius Agrippa was born. Although we are familiar with Agrippa now from his appearance on Ron's Chocolate Frogs, in his day he was best known for his book "Philosophy of the Supernatural." This work was published in 1533.
He believes that all people, plants, animals, rocks and minerals in nature contain some kind of magical power, and these things can be discovered and mastered and utilized by humans. According to Agrippa, the duty of the scholar-magician was to apply various magical techniques, such as divination, astronomy, astrology, and the study of devils and angels, to explore the mysterious connections between all things in nature and solve problems. problem or cure disease. In this process, Agripba believes that a person can better discover himself and his connection with everything in the universe; and then, through the expansion of his imagination and will, he can acquire magical superpowers. To the disappointment of these readers, Agrippa did not explain how magicians obtained their magical powers, but it didn't matter, people still flocked to learn magic. These followers of Agrippa, including many students in the school, secretly summoned the devil in the dormitory. Doctors tried to use the mysterious power of nature to cure diseases. People who are committed to scientific research hope to use magic to uncover the mysteries of nature. The most famous of them all was the English mathematician, astronomer and astrologer John Dee, who was considered a master of magic.
In 1553, he even tried to use magic to kill Queen Mary and was thrown into prison. John believed that he could learn various mysteries of the world from angels or ghosts, and the way he communicated with these spirits was by staring into crystal balls and magic mirrors. Although he himself did not gain much inspiration from the supernatural world, many of his partners claimed to have seen the faces of angels or heard their voices. But no matter how many years they tried, they could not convince these ghosts and explain to them the mysteries of nature and the secrets of God. But even so, when John died in 1608, the British intelligentsia's enthusiasm for magic had not diminished at all. Throughout the 17th century, one could often hear public discussions at Oxford University about issues such as witchcraft, magic, curses, and whether love poisons worked. There is no doubt that aspiring young scholars of the time wished they could become magicians. Although the magician's performance looks like a magician, in fact, the magician on the stage should be the "most real" magician.
Because the magicians in those literary works are only fictional products after all, but it is the magic performers on the stage who turn the illusory magic in the novels into reality and apply it to the stage. Like the legendary magicians in the books, stage magicians can suddenly appear and disappear, levitate or fly in the air, predict the future, walk through walls, conjure things, and turn people into beasts or beautiful women into Jaguars, etc. Of course, performing magicians can also chant spells and perform magic on the audience to make them see things they normally cannot see.
So it’s not surprising that hundreds of years ago, audiences at magic shows thought they were cursed. Although this form of using magic as a performance has been very common around the world since ancient times, if we trace it carefully, we will find that the first appearance of this kind of magic performer was in ancient Greece and Rome in the first and second centuries AD. Many Latin writers recorded their sightings of this performance called the "Cup and Ball." This ancient performance form is still used today. Generally use 3 small cups and 3 small balls. This seemingly simple magic show contains many basic elements of magic. Under the unblinking gaze of the audience, small balls that were less than a foot or two away would suddenly disappear and reappear in the cup; somehow they could also move from one cup to another, penetrating the hard surface of the cup, Sometimes it comes out of the audience's mouths or ears.
As a finish, the ball can turn into something completely different, such as a piece of fruit, a mouse or a chicken. Of course, early magicians also had to be versatile. The types of tricks invented at that time were still limited, so in addition to magic tricks in the general sense, these performing artists also performed somersaults, clowns, puppet shows or taming animals, such as dogs, monkeys, bears, etc. Athens also has schools for street jugglers. Many of these performing artists claim to be able to astonish even the most knowledgeable of spectators. Greek audiences loved tricks of all kinds, whether they were artistic or dramatic, musical or rhetorical, and of course magic was no exception. As the Roman Empire expanded, magicians also appeared in major European cities and villages performing performances. Some are alone, others follow the circus acrobats, fortune tellers, poets, musicians from city to city, bringing joy to others. But for some reason, everyone doesn’t know much about the experiences of these people. But we know that not everyone likes them, for example, monks and clergy are not very interested in them. These jugglers are called "tricksters" in Britain, and their tricks are also called "jugglers", and the Church of England considers such tricks to be immoral and deceptive, and the tricks used in magic shows It can also be used in gambling or activities to deceive the public, which some people believe is a supernatural evil force.
Generally speaking, street magicians keep the spells they perform secret, so those who believe in these spells are not exaggerated to think the worst. This kind of suspicion of witchcraft Superstition persisted until the late 17th century. Moreover, most magicians perform by pronouncing spells, waving magic wands, or pretending to cast spells to summon supernatural forces. By the 18th century, magic shows had become a form of entertainment, taking their place on the stage alongside vaudeville, puppetry, and other circuses. At that time, science and technology had been further developed, which also made people no longer believe that magic performances had any supernatural power. After 1780, this art style had been accepted by people. People who performed magic were called "magicians", and magicians also began to charge tickets for their performances (originally they only sold tickets through other people's tips or after the magic show). Amulets and Herbal Recipes for Life). Magicians began to perform regularly for the royal family. By the mid-17th century, magic performances finally appeared on the stage of drama.
Gilvani Gispi Pinetti is considered the first great stage magician. Between 1780 and 1790 he appeared on Europe's most famous theater stages. He performed magic tricks such as transforming people into living beings, reading the minds of his audience, and throwing darts at cards to nail them to the wall. From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, magic shows usually lasted for two hours and performed a variety of jaw-dropping and breathtaking tricks. Magic performers also recruit apprentices from all over the world and purchase props and costumes.
Harry Houdini is the world's famous escape master. He once performed how to escape from prison with handcuffs and shackles. In his time, he was a very famous performing arts master. To this day, there are still people who are willing to stop and watch the tricks performed by street performers while shopping, and people also like to buy tickets to watch magic in theaters. Why? Everyone knows it's "just a trick", are they trying to figure out how to break the magic show? In fact, we think it's the opposite, and it's the mysterious atmosphere created by magic shows that keeps us coming. It is these magical tricks that make us happy, unfold the magical world in front of us, and make us wonder. At the same time, the magic show also tells us something that magicians have always known: sometimes, what seems impossible can actually be done.