Zatanna casting a spell.
"Magic" and "sorcery," or "magicism,"[1] are the basis of mystical powers,[2] and thus the terms can be used interchangeably; technically, the difference is that magic can be considered a substance and sorcery the manipulation of that substance.[3] Furthermore, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic[4] and magical energy can be tapped by advanced science;[5] for example, Halo's Old God incantation to use their violet aura can be considered magic.[4]
Sorcery[]
Sorcery requires study, practice, focus, and a certain natural inclination or talent.[6][7][8][9][10] Genetic and personal affinity for sorcery are also helpful,[11] as, among other things, it means the user has a natural-born talent for magic[12] and their body can better handle the strain of the mystic energy being channeled through it;[13] a human does not need to be Homo magi to use magic, but it is very helpful, especially to perform at a high level.[14] Zatanna explicitly mentions that all magic requires energy, which usually has to come from within.[7] As Khalid Nassour explains, there is a cost to magic and it can drain the user's vim vitae, or life force.[15] Magic users are able to willingly feed their power to others or forcibly steal it; for example, Zatanna's protégés have pooled their energies into her[16][17] and Kaldur'ahm has fed his power to Zatanna,[18] whereas Mary Bromfield was able to drain the life force from everything surrounding her.[19] Magic users can also tap into the Earth's ley lines or other sources of mystic power; for example, Zatanna once summoned the power she needed from the goddess Isis[20] and Mary Bromfield was able to forcibly absorb some of Klarion's power.[16] Anyone who wields magic can sense it.[21]
Amongst magic users, different titles such as "wizards" or "sorcerers," while conceivably synonyms of a sort,[22][23] apparently indicate they specialize in a type of magic, and each type of magic has different, unique qualities and traits.[24][25] While there are indeed multiple types of magic, ultimately it is all about channeling mystic energies.[26] Even though everything is ultimately energy, all magic is not the same and there are different rules for the various branches of magic. For instance, Doctor Fate could probably accomplish by his own means most everything Zatanna could do, but he would go about it differently. Likewise, a Lord of Order or Chaos's magic is way more powerful than Zatara or Zatanna's.[27] In a particular circumstance, Fate, as a Lord of Order, couldn't perform the ritual needed to cleanse the scarabs of Reach control, as the ritual used magic of human origin. Once he had prepped Zatanna, she was able to configure the ancient Bialyian incantations to work in concert with her magic.[20] Though these branches of magic developed independently, ultimately it's all a redistribution of energy.[27] Given that every individual's magic has its own signature and thus each one's power is largely unique, it is difficult but not impossible for magic users to learn how to use each other's magics with study, effort, and aptitude;[28] for example, Zatanna could possibly adapt to Atlantean sorcery.[29]
According to Superboy, Zatanna's spells always leave behind a microscopic magical residue that looks slightly different than say Doctor Fate's or Thirteen's. Each magic user's residue is like a signature and Martian magic is basically a signature in a different language.[30] While all magicks have their signature, all magic is still fundamentally the same thing.[31]
Magic can be channeled in a variety of ways:
- Spoken words are a common conduit.[12] A variety of languages are used,[32] though an individual sorcerer will typically use a single language almost exclusively; for example Wotan and Kent Nelson use Latin,[2][33] while Zatara and Zatanna use English spoken backwards.[33][7] Zatanna's method was referred to as "baby-magic" by a more powerful sorcerer, Klarion.[8] However, while Zatanna's abilities may be "baby magic" to a Chaos Lord,[34] his remarks don't necessarily apply to spoken magic in general.[22][23]
- Enchanted artifacts can be used to enhance and/or channel the user's magical abilities; examples include Water-Bearers,[35] Kent Nelson's cane,[2] and Neptune's Trident.[36] The Light has also used "techno-sorcery" to create Starro-tech, an alien bio-organism infused with nanotechnology and magic.[37] Items can also be infused with magical powers at their creation,[38] such as the Sword of Beowulf[39] or Zatanna's glamour charm.[40] Magic potions also exist.[41]
- Atlantean students at the Conservatory of Sorcery are given skin icons to enhance their powers.[2] These mystic cryptograms[42] glow when magic is used.[35] Users may use spoken words when invoking their powers,[6] but more often do not.[35]
- Particularly powerful sorcerers, such as Doctor Fate and Klarion, are capable of using magic seemingly at will, without a conduit (e.g., incantations or artifacts).[2]
Known users[]
- Aquagirl
- Arion
- Arion (clone)
- Beluga
- Black Adam
- Black Mary
- Blackbriar Thorn
- Blubber
- Blue Devil
- Chian
- Child
- Coral
- Danuuth
- Doctor Fate
- Etrigan the Demon
- Felix Faust
- Flaw
- Isis
- Isis (deity)
- Jane Nassour
- Kaldur'ahm
- Khalid Nassour
- Klarion
- La'gaan
- Lori Lemaris
- M'Chiste
- Madame Xanadu
- Mera Nereus
- Nanaue Sha'ark
- Ocean-Master
- Ocean-Master (clone)
- Phantom Stranger
- Ronal
- S'yraa S'mitt
- Shazam
- Tempest
- Thirteen
- Topo
- Wizard
- Wotan
- Wyynde
- Zatanna
- Zatara
Trivia[]
- Greg Weisman regards Young Justice's magic system as more or less following the same rules as in the Disney animated series Gargoyles, another of his works.[43]
See also[]
References[]
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