Magician (fantasy)

Magician (fantasy)

A magician, which may also be known in various regions as a magic-user, mage, magister, archmage, sorcerer/sorceress, shugenja, witch, wizard, warlock, wu jen, enchanter/enchantress, illusionist, diviner, conjurer, or thaumaturge; depending on the broad contextual range of occult practices or cultural beliefs, is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources. Magicians are common figures in works of fantasy, such as fantasy literature and role-playing games; they draw on a history of such people in mythology, legends, fiction, and folklore.

Fantasy magicians usually gain their ability through innate talent or study. Most fantasy wizards are depicted as having a special gift which sets them apart from the vast majority of characters in fantasy worlds who are unable to learn magic. Magicians, sorcerers, wizards, and practitioners of magic by other titles have appeared in myths, folktales and literature throughout recorded history, and fantasy draws on this background. They commonly appear in fantasy as mentors and villains, as they did in older works, and more recently as heroes themselves. Although they are often portrayed as wielding great powers, their role in shaping the fantasy world they inhabit varies; much of fantasy literature writes of medieval worlds with wizards in a fairly limited role as guardians or advisers.