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Words Do Not Make the Magic: Difference between revisions
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== [[Literature]] ==
* ''[[Discworld]]'' series
** Mentioned in ''[[
** Also, the actual chanting done by the Wizards in the [[Necromancy]] department is meaningless, any old chanting will do as long as it sounds the part.
** Same thing in ''Wyrd Sisters'' as the names of instruments of demon summoning are immaterial as long as the general sound and intent is there.
** In ''[[
* Present in ''[[The Dresden Files]]'', but the words are still an important ''part'' of the spell. The incantation is as much a part of the spell as pointing and drawing up power, so wizards will use nonsense—but consistent—words rather than real ones, to avoid the risk of accidentally misfiring.
** The words are part of a personal, mental construct that a given mage uses to make the spell, and they seem to need a personal connection to the wizard. In a flashback scene, Harry is trying to start a fire with magic, and is using his teacher's words, and can't manage the actual spell until he makes up his more familiar "Flickum Bicus" incantation. At the same time, they keep the forces used in magic at one remove from the caster's mind, protecting him from possible damage.
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== [[Real Life]] ==
* [[wikipedia:Cargo cult|Cargo cults]], Pacific island tribes whose islands were used as bases by various militaries in [[WWII]]. From the islanders' point of view, these military people didn't have to farm their own food - instead they built an airbase and called for food and other supplies to be brought down in cargo planes. After the soldiers left, the islanders tried to call for supplies themselves and built their own airbases; but since they were only copying appearance and didn't understand the underlying technology, the planes never came.
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