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In the world of fantasy literature, wizards have always been charming characters. Without Gandalf, a wizard with a pointed hat, waving his wand to guide the way, the Lord of the Rings expedition would not know how to go on. If Raistlin, a wizard with golden hourglass pupil, is lost in the dragon gun series novels, the half elves and their teams will be dead before defeating the darkness. In RPG games, magicians usually wear long robes, hold dazzling wands, and may wear a lot of magic rings and magic items. Just throw a spell and say a word can make the enemy come to a bad end.

? But what's the difference between a magician and a priest who uses divine power? What is their origin? Where is the source of strength? I believe these questions will be of great interest to everyone.

? Human civilization is an evolutionary process from witchcraft (natural belief) to religion and then to science. And magic is the knowledge of how to understand and use the forces of nature. In China, the so-called wizard is a medium between man and ghosts, and also plays the role of "healer", which is usually called "witch doctor" in literature. Therefore, in a broad sense, priests who believe in ancient gods, eliminate disasters in sacrificial ceremonies and pray for supernatural gods; Astrologers, witch doctors, alchemists; Prophets, fortune tellers, psychics and even child molesters can all be regarded as "magicians".

? The familiar images of western wizards are mixed with religious beliefs of many cultures, including Greek, Roman, Celtic, Nordic, Egyptian and Hebrew myths. Mysticism; Arabic alchemy astrology; Secret religions and secret associations after the Middle Ages. Folk superstitions also account for a large proportion: for example, tying a knot by a wizard will make women have dystocia and cause disputes; Injecting magic into ring ornaments can protect the wearer, and so on.

? In modern times, in western fantasy literature, wizards are sometimes divided for convenience and given different characteristics: for example, wizards use magic and magical knowledge, druids use force of nature, and priests summon divine power. But in fact, they have similar origins.

? Common types of wizards. Shaman, Shaman and Druid, many primitive religions belong to the natural belief of worshipping natural objects. For example, Samoans believe in Mother Earth; Celtic druids worship the earth and stars, believe in the immortality of the soul, think that oak trees have magical power, and perform magic with oak canes. Oak trees parasitic on oak trees are also regarded as sacred objects, which can be used to make universal potions and exorcism symbols. Most mantras are carved on wood with the word "Ogan" invented by Celtic. Druid priests have a lofty position in Celtic society, playing multiple roles such as doctors, judges and poets. They may also be proficient in astrology. It is said that the remains of Stonehenge in Britain are masterpieces of Druidism, which were erected to make calendars or worship the sun god. Druids' sacrificial ceremonies are sometimes quite cruel. They will burn criminals alive as sacrifices, strangle and drown them.

? Merlin, a famous wizard, may be a druid priest or a shaman. According to legend, Merlin is the illegitimate child of Mother Earth seduced by evil spirits (nightmares), so he has strange power and can predict the future. The evil spirits wanted to use him, but Merlin used magic in a good way to help the Saxon hero King Arthur ascend to the throne. No one knows what Merlin is like in history, because he has been careful not to make his portrait public to avoid the curse of the enemy. Merlin's fate is tragic. King Arthur's sister, Countess Morgan, tried to destroy the dynasty and sent the witch Vivian to study magic with Merlin. As a result, Merlin fell in love with Vivian, was tricked into revealing the secret of magic to her, and was finally imprisoned forever by his own magic (some people say that he died of madness), and the Arthur dynasty declined from then on.

? For example, in ancient Greek mythology, there was a witch as powerful as Medea, the princess of Oedipus. She not only tamed the dragon monster for Jason in The Legend of Argo and won the golden fleece, but also helped Jason get revenge with magical drugs, and finally poisoned the bride Jason wanted to marry. In Egyptian legend, there is also a prince named Satny harms, who is a "great wizard" (but he stole another wizard's grave, Filka, and tried to take away Tao's close-up magic book, and finally failed). These people who use magic are royalty, gods and intellectuals, belonging to the ruling class; The same is true of Persian Zoroastrian monks (the Magi) and Indian Brahmin priests; Similar to a druid priest.

? Voodoo in Africa also belongs to a natural belief, but it has been smeared with horror by many strange legends. According to legend, Voodoo often summons evil spirits, uses dolls as props for curses, and performs bloody ceremonies at night.

? The voodoo legend in Haiti is even more shocking. Voodoo mage (the father of Papa Nebo's death) will use the toxin extracted from puffer fish to make the living appear suspended animation (puffer fish toxin has the function of paralyzing sportsmanship), and then awaken these unconscious activities and drive them to serve the mage.

? Mages Magicians, Magicians, Wizards, Magicians Since the Renaissance, the so-called wizards (sometimes translated as wizards and magicians) have become synonymous with "learned people". To become a mage, you must receive strict training, read difficult magic classics, and master powers that ordinary people can't understand. Traditionally, western wizards refer to men, tend to benefit the public with the power of goodness, and only deal with good gods.

? Witches, necromancers, necromancers' witches are usually regarded as evil. She serves evil spirits, confuses people with witchcraft, concocts ointment with all kinds of horrible materials, incarnates animals, and rides a broom to attend the devil's party. /kloc-from the 0/3rd century to the 0/7th century, witches were persecuted on a large scale in Europe. Sometimes, wizards who use witchcraft are also called witches. As for the necromancer, it generally refers to an evil wizard who uses black magic to dominate the dead and bring them back to life.

? In the Book of Samuel in the Old Testament, there was a "witch of Endor", a ghost who summoned Samuel, the high priest, and predicted the future for King Saul. In the Christian concept, spells related to summoning souls are usually considered evil. Because of this, Samuel's ghost cursed Saul for losing the favor of the Lord and being replaced by David.

? The word LichLich means "body" Sometimes evil wizards will take their life force out of their bodies and put it in a "container" to gain eternal life. As long as the container is not destroyed and the vitality does not disappear, the wizard will not die, but become a living dead. Sometimes wizards live forever by absorbing the vitality of others, and they can also be called witches.

? The magician used by the magician will purify a circular space as a magic channel or protect himself before casting spells and summoning gods. Magicians often use the magical letter "Rune" created by Odin, the king of gods in Nordic mythology, to write spell runes. The word Runi was bought by Odin from Mimir, the giant guarding the "fountain of wisdom", at the cost of his right eye. The five-pointed star and the six-pointed star are their common amulets.

? The mage's wand (perhaps like a baton or a gorgeous scepter) has mysterious and powerful power, which can amplify the mage's magic or let the mage store it. The mage's residence may be full of strange utensils, yellow manuscripts, animal and plant specimens, and the chemical acid in the crucible and flask keeps bubbling; The crystal ball and mirror on the side are the best tools for the mage to predict the future; Animals such as cats, owls, crows or bats may be messengers of the mage, or they may be incarnations of the mage himself. All kinds of herbs can be used by the mage to practice medicine, which makes people enter a state of meditation or hallucination. ......

? Harry Potter, a magician in modern fantasy literature, crossed platform 9 1/2 and boarded the magic train. You will come to Hogwarts School of Wizardry. The wizards in the college wear pointed hats and cloaks; With the waving of the wand, anything magical will happen. Some wizards specialize in transformation, some specialize in potions, and some teach you to raise monsters ... a broomstick, a talking figure, an owl delivering letters to the mage ... The images of these wizards are common British folk witchcraft legends.

? The Lord of the Rings wizards Gandalf in grey robe, Saruman in white robe and the elf king who can use magic all have the status of demigods, and their life span is surprisingly long. Their image is similar to that of Merlin in King Arthur's legend. They call the wind and rain, soar in the sky, cure diseases and save lives, and are omnipotent and incomparable. They are either wise men and guardians who lead the way for the protagonist, or evil demons.

? Earthsea legends series Earthsea novels are stories based on wizards, which combine many folklore and oriental Taoist thoughts. It is the wizard who can tame the dragon, and the greatest legend is also the wizard; There are no heroes who charge to kill the enemy, and there is no war between good and evil; Only the great wizard sparrow hawk embarked on a journey of self-pursuit.

? Dragon gun series The mage of dragon gun series draws magic from the moon in three different colors, representing the three camps of kindness, neutrality and evil. They can only use magic, not kill their enemies with swords like Gandalf of the Lord of the Rings. If you are tired of reading riddles and knowing wizards who can only be the main guide, you must not miss the legend of dragon gun. Through time and space, into the abyss and hell, Raistlin in black will show you what is the power of a mage!

? Mages in the Dragon Dragon, whether they are human beings, elves or dragons, exert their magic by manipulating force of nature's mana. The most important mage in the story, Hendrick, one of the founders of Bezos kingdom, left countless legendary relics in the dragon world; The development of the whole story is closely related to what he did. ......

? The mage in the story "The Kingdom of Narnia, magic kingdom" conducts bizarre experiments. The white witch is also a horrible witch who curses the earth and kills young children, and her image is extremely negative.

? The stage of the story of the Battle of Aslan is an overhead world similar to ancient Persia. Among them, the mage "Magic Taoist" believed in Sagak, the ancient Persian snake king, and used evil magic to engage in underground terrorist activities in an attempt to resurrect the snake king.

? The "wizard" in the series of novels of Dark Element Trilogy is a "witch", a race independent of human beings, with longevity, beauty and wisdom, and skilled use of bows and arrows and magic, which is somewhat similar to the elves described in The Lord of the Rings.

? The above examples are all fantasy books that can be found in China (referring to Taiwan Province Province), and there are many other famous books abroad, so I won't repeat them here. After reading so many legends of wizards, do you also want to raise your wand and experience the mysterious power of magic?