5 Sources of Magic

Introduction

The meat of this article focuses on the sources of magic commonly used to create a full magic system in a fictional world. But before I dive into that, it might be worth looking at the topic through a broader lens.

Whether it be literature, online gameplay, board games, or role-playing, the plethora of resources out there can make the business of creating magic for your fictional world quite challenging. It’s quite inundating, truly. Simply perform a search on Google, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Magic and magic systems grow more complex with every novel written.

In my research, I landed on three simple and high-level topics. If you work those out thoroughly, you should then be able to move on to more complex concepts. The big three are:

• Where does magic come from?
• What are the constraints?
• How can it be accessed and used?

But what about Sanderson’s Laws?

While Sanderson’s laws provide a personal spin on magic in literature, I contend that they apply to a more advanced stage of developing the magic in your worldbuilding than the three questions listed above. Do note that Sanderson is considered an authority, and his laws are widely accepted among fantasy fiction writers However, even Mr. Sanderson states that they are derived from shared knowledge in his post here:

“I’ll start, however, by noting that none of these “laws” are absolute. Nor am I the only one to talk about them. By calling them “Sanderson’s Laws” I’m merely referring to them in the way I think of them–they are rules I try to live by when designing magic systems for my books.”

Source Article: Sandersons Second Law Update

In case you’re unfamiliar with Sanderson’s laws as he’s stated them, they are:

Sanderson’s First Law: An Author’s Ability to Solve Conflict Satisfactorily with Magic Is Directly Proportional to How Well the Reader Understands Said Magic.
Sanderson’s Second Law: Limitations> Powers
Sanderson’s Third Law: Expand What You Already Have Before You Add Something New

Source Article: SANDERSON’S LAWS: BUILDING A MAGIC SYSTEM FOR STORYTELLING
*Note large file will take a bit to open, but worth it!

More on that later. For now, I’ll get back to the first of the three primary topics…

Sources of Magic

I start this section with questions, questions, and more questions. Finding the source of magic in your world can be an exhausting endeavor and to fully flesh it out, you’ll likely spend hours considering new ideas and whether they make sense with the details you’ve already conjured. (Yes, pun intended. :)) Consider this: In your imagined world, where does the magic originate? Is it something innate? Found at a specific location or in a specific element? Is it conjured, brewed, or invoked through a series of words and/or substances? Does it require touch or a shift in someone’s reality to see it? Do you need to learn it? How does it change over time?

Like I said, questions galore! To simplify and help focus your efforts, I’ve gone through a litany of reading and considerations and boiled the areas up to four (4) pretty concrete areas with a fifth that I’d leave in question:

1. Magic Given

I’d originally called this category “Divine,” believing the most common entities bestowing powers would be gods or goddesses. I changed that after I ran across some sample magic systems where the patrons or sources of magic was either a demon or a spirit. The example on the top of my mind is The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clarie and the Nephilim who have powers from the angels. However, I’d also include those who come into power by a bond with a magical being, such as the connection between Eragon and Saphira in the Inheritance Cycle.

2. Magic Learned

Magic learned is one of the more prominent sources of magic in modern times with the advent of Harry Potter, and the “magic school” sensation in contemporary literature. However, it’s been around for much, much longer. Take a look at The Witcher series on Netflix. According to a recent article published on Tor.com, an example is Aretuza, a prestigious equivalent of an Oxford University for mages. This is an example conceived of in the early nineties (if not before) and originally published in 1993.

I recently read a novella by Brandon Sanderson, The Emperor’s Soul, with a magic system called forgery—a learned skill that the main character Shai must use to free herself from a death sentence.

3. Places as Sources of Magic

With a limited place in your imaginary world where the magic-user can access magic, it provides a natural constraint to the magic. This kind of magic is prevalent in Outlander by Diana Gabaldon with the standing stones. This device is also frequent in other tales where Faeries feature in the work. I have a work-in-progress in which I am exploring this for one aspect of magic related to the main character. To be honest, it’s a quite limiting factor. This would be a solid recommendation for someone who really wants to restrict the magic in their world.

In the article, How to Create a Rational Magic System by Chris Winkle on the Mythcreants website, there’s a scenario where magic is generated by the vibration of continental plates. Likely the vibrations would occur differently at different places in the world depending on continent size and instability. This could create specific hot-spots for magic in the world. Cool idea!

4. Genetic Magic

Genetic magic includes cases where magic passes down through generations as well as where magic is a mutation. Marvel’s X-Men pops immediately when thinking about this type of magic, but if looking for this in novel forms, you might consider A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

In The Caeteran Tales, the source of the characters’ magic is largely genetic, meaning that they are born with a connection to one of the sciences. This connection marks the characters and allows them entry into Caetera.

5. Perception as a means to Magic

I am uncertain if this truly fits with the rest of the sources of magic, but I’m including it as a point of debate. Perception or flaws in reality push into the science-fiction realm for me. In the end, I listed it here based on Chris Winkle’s article (noted above). However, every single example I can come up with pushes me squarely into science fiction rather than fantasy. I’d welcome feedback and debate on this one, but each example I have leans more toward gaps between worlds or time, alternate dimensions, and/or parallel universes. The example Winkle provides is The Matrix, and the examples I can muster are A Wrinkle in Time, Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia, and a few more recent and perhaps lesser-known portal fantasies. I’d argue that these aren’t really a source of magic, but an entirely different concept altogether.

Someone out there…please convince me otherwise.