Magician

The term magician comes from the Old Persian magi via the Greek μάγος and finally the Latin magus. The original meaning of the word magus (see magician (Zoroastrianism)) referred to members of a Median tribe and later to Persian priests. In modern terms, it refers to a kind of astrologer or fortune teller practicing magic tricks. Commonly "mage" for the masculine and "maga" for the feminine.

The term magician also refers to illusionists, conjurers, artists who, through illusionism, pretend to possess magical powers, with the purpose of entertaining and surprising the public.

History

Originally, a magician was the member of a tribe in ancient Media who was in charge of religious and funerary practices. After the conversion of this tribe to Zoroastrianism they were considered, by the three Persian empires, guardians of the legacy of Zarathustra (despite the fact that they introduced some modifications to the original message). The magicians of Persia were including in their religion some themes or elements of Babylon, such as astrology, demonology and magic. In their religious rite they poured libations of milk, oil and honey on a flame and at the same time they sang prayers and songs. They wore white garments, a tiara, and in their hand a bundle of tamarisk branches.

Already in the first century they were recognized as wise men and scientists. The characters who came from the East and are mentioned in the Bible (Matthew 2,1-12) were magicians in the original sense of the term, that is, Persian priests; but later they were called wise men in some Christian traditions although without any historical evidence about their royalty.

The change in meaning of the term, which goes on to designate someone who practices magic or sorcery, is due to the assimilation that the Church made of non-Christian religious beliefs and rituals (such as the Zoroastrians) with witchcraft and practices Similar.

Asimov in his book "The Near East", mentions that they are priests of Iranian tribes, called magi and that since common people think that priests have hidden powers, magi in Chaldean came to mean sorcerer or magician.

In a very different sense, in recent times the title of "Wizard" it has been assigned to artists who practice illusionism, that is to say, to those who play games to create visual illusions or in any of the senses, simulating special powers, for recreational purposes. This "magic" has become part of contemporary performing arts.

In 1953, during the II National Congress held in Segovia, the Spanish Society of Illusionism designated Saint John Bosco as patron of magicians and illusionists.

Magicians in modern literature

In fantastic literature (especially in epic fantasy) wizards often appear as people (also including not only humans but also other races such as elves) capable of doing anything with their gift.

• Harry Potter: in this saga the magicians can have a magical life but also a life muggle, term used exclusively in the series to name people without magic. At first young magicians have to go to school to instruct themselves in the proper use of magic. In the book, a young man named Harry Potter goes to school and learns about magic and the magical world while facing the various attacks of his enemy and antagonist of history, Lord Voldemort. By spending time Harry is becoming a magician with great abilities and with his two friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley make a trip to find the horrocruxes that keep pieces of Voldemort's soul and thus be able to end it.

• Conan the barbarian: a character created by the writer Robert E. Howard. This saga of sword and witchcraft (a subgener of epic fantasy) shows the presence of a lot of magicians, in most cases as evil villains and antagonists to whom Conan must confront, being the main villain the evil Thoth-Amon.

• The Lord of the Rings: the only magicians that appear are Gandalf, Radagast and Saruman, also known as Istari, two other Istari mentioned in the Unfinished stories of Numenor and the Middle Earth It's Alatar and Pallando. The origins of both magicians are explained in The Silmarillion. While Gandalf is a wise benevolent and Radagast fell in love with the creatures and plants of the Middle Earth, Saruman became influenced by the forces of evil by possessing in the Tower of Orthanc a palantir with which he spied the acts of Sauron. In the end he joins the forces of evil, turning Isengard into a fortress under his dominion. Saruman was the main enemy of the ents and after his defeat he fled north to the region, where after the end of the Ring War and the sanitation of the region was produced he was killed by Grima Serpent Language, a servant of his. Meanwhile, Gandalf (known as The Grey) accompanies the Ring Company, but it falls into the abyss when it fights a balrog on the Khazad-dûm bridge. Later it reurges like Gandalf the White and meet Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas in the forest of Fangorn.

• Stories of Terramar: series of novels and stories by Ursula K. Le Guin. They are perhaps the most human of all. They can be seen cultivating and raising animals or doing the most daily tasks. They are simple people with certain powers over nature. His power lies in his wisdom and knowledge of the real names of things and natural powers. They use magic with great care not to alter the balance. Although it is later discovered that someone has used magic to prolong life beyond death and balance, the world magic and the old peace between dragons and humans seems to be in danger. Also the magic power, the same thing you have can get lost. Magic also has specializations such as creation, transformation, invocation, repair, etc. In the works of LeGuin there is also a dichotomous vision between the magician and the witch. The magician is attributed to active power with great magic and political influence, while the witches are attributed a lesser power, on small daily labors or a passive role as a receptacle of power of dead spirits. This veiled feminist criticism is curious, which leaves the author translucent, being the first woman writer of this genre.

• Mundodisco, by the author Terry Pratchett: the author provides a comical vision of the magicians showing them as terribly human, which implies all their flaws more than their virtues. They are envious and believe in conspiracy theory. There is no fellowship because everyone sees himself as possible rivals and minters of others. The magicians constantly change because of the old tradition by which a magician ascends in the scaffolding murdering his immediate superior. So much so, that murder is considered a cause of natural death among the magicians. They are dedicated to smoking to spy, to conspiring and sparingly to the cultivation of magic. It gives the feeling that its power is worth almost nothing more than to put the other inhabitants of the Mundodisco into trouble. Rincewind, the magician on which Pratchett focuses his works is a wizard with no capacity for magic, whose only interest is to live a boring life without surprises, which aims to make the ted a science and a vital career. But causality leads his life to develop in the opposite pole of his ambitions, living in deventures always to the escape, and escaping death in such an incredible way as infartant.

• Dragonlance: in this epic fantasy saga the magicians are divided into three depending on the color of their robe: the white robe (the benign magicians), the red robe (the neutral magicians), and the black robe (the evil magicians). In the beginning, the magicians learned to master their art and study it in the Towers of the High Hechicery. There were five towers, but after the Cataclysm there were only three, since one of them was cursed and the other two were destroyed and besieged by order of the Prince of Priests. Above all stands the magician Raistlin Majere, who has as a result of a terrible test in one of the towers of the High Hechiceria the yellowish skin, the eye pupils in the form of a sand watch and a terrible coughing attack. The magicians were the creators of objects called Orbes of the Dragons, capable of controlling the minds of the mighty dragons.

• Forgotten Kingdoms: in this fantasy world there is a huge variety of magicians or wizards. There are mainly the Red Magi of Thay, who used magic to gain more power. In addition to human magic, other races had the power of magic, such as elves, drows and even some dwarf races. The most famous and powerful magician of all was Elminster of the Shadow Valley, who played an important role during the Mythal conjuration in the elphic city of Myth Drannor. In addition to magicians, in the Kingdoms there are also Druids (who have the ability to become an animal), shamans (mainly of the barbarian races), witches, nigromantes, etc. The magic in the world of the Kingdoms was transmitted by a god of magic who possessed the pantheon of each race. For example, Mystra was the human goddess of magic. During the time known as Era de los Trastornos, being all the gods expelled from the Olympus (the place where they are), magic was found terribly altered.

• In the DC There is a human species called the homo magi that have magical powers by nature, this species belongs Zatanna heroin. In the DC Universe itself, demonologist John Constantine, who has knowledge of black magic, witchcraft and nigromance, could be included in the magic category.