Magic as defined by Webster’s Dictionary: a power that
allows people (such as witches and wizards) to do impossible things by saying
special words or performing special actions.
Magic: what is it? It
has been described as many things: miracles, curses, hexes, alchemy, and
knowledge. All to some extend are true
and the answer will greatly depend on whom you ask. For the most part magic through the years has
had a negative connotation with it and that is because it was closely
associated with witches: a group of people who were persecuted, tormented, and
murdered throughout history because of their different beliefs. It is only through recent advancements such
as Harry Potter or Kiki’s Delivery Service that the view of witches has begun
to change.
However, there is a fact about the word magic that I did not
find in the books. While discussing
Wicca (a religion that is closely associated with use of magic) with a High
Priestess I am acquainted with, she asked if I was aware of the different
spellings of the word magic. Upon
hearing that I was not, she went on to explain.
“Magic is what is known as parlor tricks or deceptions. Magick – also sometimes spelled Magik – is the
embodiment of energy cast within a spell.”
By learning this, I have discovered that a new level to the
word magic and it helps to better define it.
There are different spellings of the word with different meanings,
though they are frequently confused for one another. And knowing the difference may help give a
better understanding when viewing the word in historical or modern
settings.
Burt, Miss. V. Personal interview. 1 Sept. 2013.
Very informative. I was unaware that different spellings had different meanings. I had seen magic spelled in different ways from video games and stuff (magic, magik, magika, etc.) but I was unaware that they had different meanings. I would be interested to see if there are other common words that have multiple spellings from different eras and regions that also end up having varied meanings. Oh, and nice Kiki's Delivery Service reference, I too enjoy Miyazaki films.
ReplyDeleteI grew up watching Kiki's Delivery Service too! And I have also seen the word magic spelled in so many different ways but I always thought that they were different spellings from different regions and time periods. I also didn't know that the different spellings are still used today. It's funny how a little difference in spelling could change the meaning of the word completely, and sometimes even the connotation that's associated with the word.
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