Although magic is wondrous, and can accomplish a great variety of amazing effects, it does have its limitations. In creating any story, this must be so; for if magic had no limitations, then a magic user would effectively be god—and multiple magic users would pose a problem, as at the very least the will of one such being would be a limit upon another (for any means of resolving which magic-user prevails would constitute a limitation on the part of the loser). Moreover, stories would be thoroughly uninteresting if a magic user could accomplish anything he or she desired. Limitations, therefore, are required both for plot, and for the consistency of the imaginary world.

 

Every author who invents a fantasy world has to make choices regarding the nature of magic in that world. Good authors will make consistent choices, so that readers can buy into that world and its premises without difficulty; while the inconsistent (or simply vague) choices of bad authors may cause their readers to be jolted out of the fantasy world by the sudden appearance of a contradiction, or the realization of a gaping hole in the plot or setting. In some cases, an author will create an entirely new system of rules for magic in their world; other times the author will appeal to an established system or conception; and sometimes the author will be coy about the rules of magic, and leave them to be mysterious to the reader (which can often, but not necessarily, result in problems). Typically, the author does not spell out the rules to their system, but instead conveys a general conception—after all, the reader is generally not expected to be an arcane mage, and the perspective of the main character may not have such knowledge. But some conception of the magic is important, as it helps to establish the fantasy world, and what kind of expectations characters (and the reader) should have.

 

Ignoring this aspect of writing, or leaving it vague, is a mark of a writer’s laziness or want of skill. Even a banal description is better than the absence of one; for in the absence of description, the reader has no guidelines for their expectations (and consequently, either their anticipation or suspense), and will likely be miffed by un-foreshadowed magical effects. (Or in baser terms, readers don’t like it when a writer pulls something out of their ass at the end of the book, hand-waving it as “magic.”)

 

Magic therefore must have some logic to it: when a mage casts spell A, they expect effect A and not effect B—or, in the case of more uncertain magics, they expect some probability of effect A, aware that errors in casting, deficiencies in power, the contrary wills of familiar spirits, or other problems may result in some other effect. Magic’s limitations must also have some logic behind them: at the very least, there needs to be some reason why magic is not used to do simply everything that can be imagined.

 

 

In the Discworld series, the author has a wonderful little solution to this problem, called the Conservation of Reality: it takes the same amount of effort to do something magically as it does to do the same thing through mundane means. (Discworld actually features a whole physics of magic, which purposely references real-world physics—often for comedic purpose, as that is the bent of the series; but even in a humor series the writer takes the system seriously, and the larger setting for the whole series is the better for it, allowing for better plot—and better jokes, too.)

 

One of the most popular magic systems is that used in the Dungeons and Dragons universe (which includes the Dragonlance series) where once magic spells are memorized they try to force their way out; and once they are activated, they are immediately forgotten, requiring them to be memorized again. Other limitations upon magic involve specific, often rare, components. The limits over the variety of spell effects are less clearly delineated; but the concept is that it takes deep and especial study to discover how to accomplish any particular effect. Wizards are therefore like scholarly scientists, studying and experimenting to develop new effects.

 

In the world of Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earthsea, magic is governed by the knowledge of True Names, which describe the ultimate substance of things. Knowledge of such True Names involves careful study of things, and how they relate to all around them.

 

In Robert Asprin’s Myth series, magical energy flows through ley lines that cross the worlds, and magic users have access to more power when closer to those lines (or better, to intersections of such lines). Furthermore, mages are subject to the effects of leverage, which makes magic at a distance more difficult than magic nearby. The Myth series is another example of a story created for comedic purposes; but since the main character is a magic user, it is important for both plot and character development to establish for the reader some rules regarding the use of magic.

 

In Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, magic is less explained. But there, it belongs to the elves and wizards, and not to men (nor hobbits), so it is meet that it remains to some degree mysterious. (Although if you read the Silmarillion, you at least discover that the wizards were a class of angelic beings, and their magic is an expression of their creative power as servants of the created gods.)

 

I have no idea what the rules are in the Harry Potter universe. Some absolutely stupefying effects are pulled off with seemingly little effort, and yet when it comes to combat, most wizards are useless (Potter himself is able to train Hogwarts students to be more capable with battle magic than most any wizarding adult outside of the school). Magic words seem to be important (most of the time), but I guess their use is more about focusing the mind than about commanding spirits. The most detailed Rowling gets is regarding wands, I think; but even that seems to arbitrary to me. Somebody please comment on this article and explain something of Harry Potter’s magic to me. Because as far as I can tell, it’s just whatever sounds good to Rowling at the moment.