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A '''wizard''' (from 'wise') is a ] of ], especially in ], ], and fantasy ]. In popular use in sixteenth century England it was used to denonate a helpful male folk magican, a ] as they were usually called, and the male equivalent of a ]. The word does not generally apply to ]s, or to ]s (properly termed illusionists) like ], ], or ].

They have historical roots in the ]s.

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." (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").

==Related terms==

In most cases there is little to differentiate a wizard from similar fictional and folkloric practitioners of magic such as an ], a ], a ], or a ]; 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 ]), and there may be variations on level and type of power associated with each name.

For example, ] Third Edition, distinguishes between sorcerers and wizards:
* "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."

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'')

Lyndon Hardy's ''Master of the Five Magics'' suggests ascending ranks of thaumaturgist, ], magician, sorcerer, and wizard.

==]==

Famous wizards in folklore and fantasy fiction (sometimes both) include:
* ] is a wizard, also known as a ] and ], from the ] series, which was created by ].
* ] - created by ] as a leading character for '']'' series of fantasy novels (also called 'Belgarath the Sorcerer').
* ] the Inescapable, ] the Marvelous, and others - from ]'s '']'' stories.
* ] is the wizard that helped ] in the ] ] series created by ] and produced by the ] ] ].
* ] - featured in many of the ] fantasy novels and RPGs.
* ] of Melniboné - often called a sorcerer or a wizard - from ]'s ''Elric of Melniboné'' and its sequels.
* ] - supposedly a wizard, but maybe more of an ].
* ] is the mortal avatar of the god ] from the ] fantasy novels.
* The evil entity ] from author ]'s works occasionally appears as a wizard, notably in the novel '']''.
* ], ] 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 Order of the Istari; the term "wizard" could never be applied to a human, and a human magic user is simply called a sorcerer. The other two wizards are Pallando and Alatar the ].
* ], the young wizard in the '']'' comic by ] and others.
* ] - from ] legends and their modern retellings.
* ] was the ]ous wizard of the first ] game.
* ] was the greatest wizard in the ] ] series by ].
*As a master of ], ] has some wizard-like attributes in ]' ] films: "That old man's just a crazy old wizard" said Uncle Owen to Luke Skywalker in '']''.
* ], ], ], ], and all other non-] male characters from ]'s '']'' and its sequels. (The females are ]es).
* ] is the famous wizard in ]'s "The Tempest", also said to be ].
* ] is the wizard ] of the ] ] by ].
* ] - strictly a "Wizzard" (it says so on his hat) and the wizards of ] - from many of ]'s '']'' novels.
* ] - protagonist of ]'s ''The Lord of Middle Air'' - a historical figure and an ancestor of the author!
* ] or ] - from ]'s '']'' and its sequels.
* ] is a wizard ] and Sorcerer Supreme in the ]. ] is the ] equivalent.
* ] is a major wizard in the world of ], which was created by ] and ].
* ] ("a dealer in magic and spells") - the eponymous ] of ]'s ], who also features in two books 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.

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 ] in ''The Lord of the Rings'' (also mentioned above)
* "]s" in the video game series ](some games)
* "]s" in the TV show ]

==External links==
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Latest revision as of 16:24, 26 August 2018

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