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A wizard (from "wise") is a practitioner of magic,
especially in folklore, fantasy fiction, and fantasy role-playing games. In
popular use in sixteenth century England it was used to denonate a helpful
male folk magican, a cunning man as they were usually called, and the male
equivalent of a witch.
They have historical roots in the Shamans.
In most cases there is little to differentiate a wizard from similar fictional
and folkloric practitioners of magic such as an enchanter, a magician, a
sorcerer, or a thaumaturgist; however specific fantasy authors and
role-playing games use the names with narrower meanings. When such
distinctions are made, sorcerers are more often evil, "black magicians" (i.e.,
practitioners of black magic), and there may be variations on level and type
of power associated with each name.
For example, Dungeons & Dragons Third Edition, distinguishes between sorcerers
and wizards:
"Sorcerers create magic the way poets create poems, with inborn talent honed
by practice."
"Wizards depend on intensive study to create their magic. ... For a wizard,
magic is not a talent but a deliberate rewarding art."
Another example: "The difference between a wizard and a sorcerer is comparable
to that between, say, a lion and a tiger, but wizards are acutely
status-conscious, and to them, it's more like the difference between a lion
and a dead kitten." (Steve Pemberton, The Times & Life of Lucifer Jones)
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.
In some fictional and game settings, wizard or a similar term is the name for
a "race" or species, not just a job description. For example:
The five Istari in The Lord of the Rings (also mentioned above)
"Black Mages" in the video game series Final Fantasy(some games)
"Demon Sorcerers" in the TV show Jackie Chan Adventures
In literature good examples are J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series or the
Earthsea novels by Ursula K. LeGuin.
Source:
Wikipedia.org |
