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It seems to me Iarwain is saying that he will define the terminoligy (sic) in his discution (sic), not that he will define Tolkien's terminology. I think we all know Tolkien did not use "power" and "magic" as we are here, but Iarwain clearly stated at the begining of the topic that these were merely temporary definitions to be used in this topic for lack of better ones. We have now been shown that Tolkien, at least in some cases, would refer to the type of magic I tried to define as craftsmanship (and a little of the inherent magic in elves), as art.
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Um, well, okay. So this thread is actually just about what you guys think about magic and power, and nothing to do with Tolkien, right? Hmm ... just don't let the moderators see you [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]. Anyway, count me in.
The whole concept of 'magic' generally is very interesting. An ancient phenomenon, in these times it attracts and repels those of a particular pagan or Christian sensibility respectively.
In Harry Potter it is a whimsical, postmodern device for exploring the wish-fulfilment of children constricted by insecurity and the mundane. In Le Guin's Earthsea series it is the harnessing of unseen energies in the context of a spiritual and supra-physical balance (a kind of Taoist reading). In the Jewish Kabbala mysticism abounds and manifests in the fiery gyroscopes and innumerable eyes of Metatron. In the Perrault fairy tales it is the
deus ex machina by which wicked and benevolent witches alike sway the adventure. For the Aztecs, it was the product of hallucinogenic flora that liberated priest-castes from the senses and the body.
It is also adjectival - for example, this thread is 'magical'. It is intuitive, archetypal and yet subjective, and cannot really be constrained by a tight technical definition. However precise your definition is, whatever happens outside that definition is itself magic. It slips beyond understanding like a serpent, or through our fingers like sand.
The only definition of magic that works is itself. Magic is magic. To
be firmly rooted, to be something we can explain or frame, makes it something else.
Peace [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
Kalessin
[ March 24, 2003: Message edited by: Kalessin ]