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	{{alternateuses}}

	], from '']'', is an example of a well-known, traditional literary wizard.]]

	A '''wizard''' is a practitioner of ], especially in ], ], and fantasy ]. In popular use during ] ], "wizard' was used to denote a helpful male folk magican, a ] as they were usually called. The word does not generally apply to ]s, or to ]s (or ''illusionists'').

	==Etymology==

	During the ], the term "wizard" referred to "], sage", from ] ''wysard'' (from ''wys'' "wise" and the ''-ard'' suffix also in ''drunkard'' etc.) The semantic restriction to "sorcerer, magician" occurred in the 16th century. They have historical roots in the ]s and the ].

	==Derived Uses==

	Colloquially, anyone who is especially adept at some obscure or difficult endeavor may be referred to as a ''wizard.'' For instance, someone who is particularly skilled with computers might be referred to as a "programming wizard".{{ref\|jargon}} ''Wizard'' is also a ] term for an expert ] player (cf. The Who's song '']''). (However, normal usage applies more specialized superlatives to specific fields of endeavor, thus a musician is more likely to be called a "]" than a "wizard").

	In ] games, a ''wizard'' is a member of the world-building staff.

	==Related terms==

	] had ]s (''seidmen'') tied up and left on a skerry at ebb.]]

	In most cases there is little to differentiate a wizard from similar fictional and folkloric practitioners of magic such as an ], a ], a sorcerer, a ], or a ], but specific authors and works use the names with narrower meanings. When such distinctions are made, sorcerers are more often practitioners of ]s or ], and there may be variations on level and type of power associated with each name.

	The ever-shifting chaos of fantasy writing has, of course, muddled the meaning of each term, but they should never be stuck with a single meaning, for they change depending upon where they're found.

	'']'' Third Edition, for example, distinguishes between the sorcerer and wizard ]es as follows:

	* "Sorcerers create ] the way ]s 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."

	]'s '']'' describes the distinction thus: "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."

	In ]'s ] books, "wizard" has essentially the common usage meaning, while a ] is a wizard squared (an eighth son of an eighth son of an eighth son) and is a "source of magic" who can create new spells and is immensely more powerful.

	==Myths and Legends==

	Wizards found in old fairy tales and myths include:
	* ] - an ], but in some versions of the tale also a magician.
	* ] - the famous wizard from ]s and their modern retellings.
	* ] - the famous wizard in ]'s '']''.
	* The ] - four wizards of ancient Greek myths.
	* ] - ] god of magic.
	* The wizard in ] of ].
	* ] - the leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
	* ] - the grand wizard of ]

	==Wizards in Fiction==
	]
	], from the '']'' series, is another famous literary wizard.]]

	Famous wizards in folklore and fiction include:
	* ] - featured in many of the ] fantasy novels and RPGs.
	* ], ], ], ] and ] - from ] '']'' - are called ], but are really supernatural entities. In the Middle-earth legendarium, "wizard" is a term applied only to the five members of the ]; the term "wizard" could never be applied to a human, and a human magic user is simply called a sorcerer.
	* ], ], ], ], and all other non-] male characters from ]'s '']'' and its sequels. (The females are ]es).
	* ], the wizard, associated with ].
	* ] - strictly a "Wizzard" (it says so on his hat) and the wizards of ] - from many of ]'s '']'' novels.
	* ] in '']'', ] in '']'' and ] in '']'' are examples of evil wizards from the stories about ] by ].
	* The eponymous character of ]'s '']'' is a stage magician pretending to be a genuine wizard; in the ] the wizard was also a fake. However, in later Oz stories, he studies magic with ] and becomes a genuine wizard. See ].

	] (]) from ]]]

	{{seealso\|List of wizards in fiction}}

	=="Real-Life" Wizards==


	In history, there have been several real people who are popularly believed, or who claimed to be, wizards, sorcerers, etc. Examples include:
	* ] a magician, occult writer, and an alchemist.
	* ] is a controversial figure, the most famous "modern wizard," who is believed to have coined the alternate spelling, "]."
	* ], whose magical powers were said to come from angels.
	* John Diamond, and his granddaughter, Molly Pitcher, were supposed to have the ability to foretell the future and help (or doom) sailors at sea.
	* ], the Earl of Desmond, was said to be a shapeshifter wizard, whose spirit is said to still haunt the living.
	* ], though he is really more of an alchemist.
	* ] may have been fictional, though those who claim his reality say he could do amazing feats by conversing with spirits.

	==References==
	* {{note\|jargon}} '''' in the ], and its
	* {{note\|penn}} ''The Dragonfighters of Kulamain'', ISBN 1-4116-4568-5

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Latest revision as of 16:24, 26 August 2018

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Magician (fantasy)