Magicology... or Something: The Science of Fantasy Magic

The term is Magology (Magician in Greek is Magos.)

Liosse de Velishaf said:

So, I was thinking of doing a tongue-in-cheek series of blog posts on "The Study of Fantasy Magic Systems", and I was wondering what I should call the fictional branch of science I'm inventing for these blog lectures. And what to talk about, but what I really need is a title. I guess I could go with "magicology" but I was hoping for humorous (or possibly witty) instead of goofy. This is more in regards to worldbuilding instead of applications to plot, if that helps.

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Oh, boy. That's such a great idea I now want to delve into it.

I dunno, there's so much to make fun of here. For example, transformative spells (male to female), plumbing (or the lack of suitable research in the field, why is everyone studying ways to blow things up instead of ways to efficiently sequester piles of shit?), the place of women in the field of magic (Court Wizard Mr. Summers suggests that most of the female magicians he's known have been ditzy, half-baked hedge wizards who only got renown by spellcasting in ridiculously revealing outfits)...

Salis said:

the place of women in the field of magic (Court Wizard Mr. Summers suggests that most of the female magicians he's known have been ditzy, half-baked hedge wizards who only got renown by spellcasting in ridiculously revealing outfits)...

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Also known as every fantasy RPG.

defcon6000 said:

Also known as every fantasy RPG.

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I guess the reference to Larry Summers was too oblique. :|

I like Magicology and Magology. Glad you're making more blog entries about magic I've found them really useful.

defcon6000 said:

Also known as every fantasy RPG.

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Have you seen Flemeth? Or Wynne

The proposed idea is utterly massive in scope and size. Not sure what you would do with such a study.
Besides, D&D pretty much nailed down all the categories already.

Something playing on the idea of 'thaumaturgy'? Mind you, Terry Pratchett already did that...

Should be an interesting project. Are you looking at what powers magic in different universes, such as those that depend on internal magic of the user, on chants and incantations, on supplication to the gods, on drawing external power from the natural world, or something else? I know in one of my universes magic is blood-based, basically inherited, although there's an external type of magic generated by the gods and the land, but that's Magic as a being and not the magic people can wield (not that they wield it - magic is banned in one country, so few people even realise they have it - it appears like talent in certain areas, keeping itself hidden so it can survive in the bloodline).

Hey, what about 'genetic' magic? That's probably how Harry Potter magic works, unless it's based on an idea of every living being having magic - sufficient magic creates a Muggle-born. Genetics explains squibs though...

Okay, shutting up now.

JJM said:

Have you seen Flemeth? Or Wynne

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Sorry, I haven't gotten a chance to play Dragon Age yet. But I guess you're saying older women aren't hot?
The majority of RPG fantasy have scantily clad females... Morrowind not so much, but that didn't prevent you from casting fireballs in the buff or stripping a guy down after you back stabbed him.

For a magical name suggestion, I'd go with good ol' Alchemy. At least you can have some real science back it up since we now know how to turn lead into gold (psssh...knock out two protons from a lead atom).

LOG said:

Have you seen Flemeth? Or Wynne

The proposed idea is utterly massive in scope and size. Not sure what you would do with such a study.
Besides, D&D pretty much nailed down all the categories already.

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Gygax wrote an abortive new RPG in the 80's, called Mythus, before TSR dropped a cease and desist order on him. It breaks magic down into all sorts of interesting categories.

I think the study of magic itself was Thaumaturgy.


Yes, yes, I was a RPG geek in another life. It's how I got interested in writing, originally.

Salis said:

I guess the reference to Larry Summers was too oblique. :|

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Not so much oblique as your description was so general, it nets half the fantasy genre within that one cliche.

Salis said:

, why is everyone studying ways to blow things up instead of ways to efficiently sequester piles of shit?),

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Blowing stuff up is more fun? Besides, you could always blow up the shit

Blastfaecology - the art of blowing shit up