Most modern fantasy worldbuilders just grabbed the next synonym off the pile whenever they needed to subcategorize magic users further.
Q: what’s the difference between a wizard and a sorcerer?
A: Depends on how Hasbro’s lawyers are feeling today.
Reminds me of the fact that a lot of the terminology for magic is extremely coloured by how it’s used in fantasy fiction and it might not be consistent with other fictional works, let alone how the words were/are used by magic practitioners. Fantasy authors have the benefit of just making the rules up.
(Perhaps most notable example is the term “witch” - pop culture defines that as female magic practitioners, but historically it was more of a gender neutral term in a lot of places. You know, kind of like the word “witchcraft” doesn’t have gender connotations as such.)
Isn’t thaumaturge a specific kind of magician separate from others?
Most modern fantasy worldbuilders just grabbed the next synonym off the pile whenever they needed to subcategorize magic users further.
Q: what’s the difference between a wizard and a sorcerer?
A: Depends on how Hasbro’s lawyers are feeling today.
In which context?
The words literally just mean “miracle worker”
Scotty the thaumaturge.
Quite literally, aye
Not really. Or maybe it depends.
Reminds me of the fact that a lot of the terminology for magic is extremely coloured by how it’s used in fantasy fiction and it might not be consistent with other fictional works, let alone how the words were/are used by magic practitioners. Fantasy authors have the benefit of just making the rules up.
(Perhaps most notable example is the term “witch” - pop culture defines that as female magic practitioners, but historically it was more of a gender neutral term in a lot of places. You know, kind of like the word “witchcraft” doesn’t have gender connotations as such.)