Magocracy
Encyclopedia
A magocracy is a form of government in which society is ruled by such magi
, wizards, or witches. The term is used in the fictional universe of the Dungeons & Dragons
role-playing game and other works, by analogy with aristocracy
, meritocracy
, and theocracy
.
, who wielded considerable power and influence, until they were suppressed as a result of a revolt by the pretender Smerdis
against Cambyses II
.
Similarly, Julius Caesar
's Commentaries on the Gallic War
portrays druid
s as a learned priestly class and the keepers of customary law, with the power of executing judgments. These druids were a non-hereditary class that became druids by submitting to an extensive program of training.
They were believed to wield magical powers to influence the outcome of battles, and offered sacrifices, including human sacrifice
, to achieve these goals.
the two main types of magic are Arcane Magic and Divine Magic. A government headed by the disciples of Divine Magic is called a theocracy. In a magocracy, only those with ability in Arcane Magic have a voice in government. Power is limited to the few who have the wealth and education, or magical heritage.
Typically, Arcane Magic users will have privileges, and the citizens will live in fear. Divine Magic may be restricted, or limited to followers of the state religion. In the world of Mystara
, the Principalities of Glantri
have banned all Divine Magic users.
could be called a magocracy. In this world, a school of magic constitutes the closest thing to a central government of an archipelago of pre-industrial cultures.
In The Lord of the Rings
by J. R. R. Tolkien
, the witch-king of Angmar
is the leader of the Ring-wraiths: a former human king who dabbled in sorcery and was transformed by Sauron
's enchanted rings.
Guy Gavriel Kay
's Tigana
is a novel that features a conflict between two nations governed by sorcerers, in a world deliberately designed to be reminiscent of Italy
during the Renaissance
.
In BioWare
's game Dragon Age: Origins
, the Tevinter Imperium is a magocracy, ruled by Imperial Archons and magisters.
Within the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing worlds, perhaps the most well-known magocracy is that of the government of Thay, an ambitious empire that is ruled by the Red Wizards in the Forgotten Realms
setting. It is an enemy to many nations, including Aglarond, Mulhorand and Rashemen.
The city-state of Dalaran in the Warcraft Universe
is ruled by a group of wizards called the Kirin Tor.
A magocracy (though not referred to by that term) has also appeared in the Star Wars Expanded Universe
, where Emperor Palpatine
, inspired by a similar scheme initiated by the Sith
-descended "Sorcerers of Tund," intended to use his grasp of the Dark Side
to personally rule over the galaxy, instead of having his control mediated through a bureaucracy and military. His initial prototype for this scheme (incomplete at the time of his death at the Battle of Endor) was the planet Byss.
Many examples also exist in fantasy literature such as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
by Lyman Frank Baum
.
For the 2004 Interactive Fiction Competition
, Joseph Rheaume wrote a game entitled Magocracy, set in the Magocratic Kingdom of Persis, in the TADS programming language, ultimately placing 18th.
In the Bartimaeus Trilogy
, the British Empire is ruled entirely by magicians.
In Magic the Gathering, Esper, one of the shards of the plane Alara, is a typical Magocracy.
Magi
Magi is a term, used since at least the 4th century BC, to denote a follower of Zoroaster, or rather, a follower of what the Hellenistic world associated Zoroaster with, which...
, wizards, or witches. The term is used in the fictional universe of the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
role-playing game and other works, by analogy with aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
, meritocracy
Meritocracy
Meritocracy, in the first, most administrative sense, is a system of government or other administration wherein appointments and responsibilities are objectively assigned to individuals based upon their "merits", namely intelligence, credentials, and education, determined through evaluations or...
, and theocracy
Theocracy
Theocracy is a form of organization in which the official policy is to be governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided, or simply pursuant to the doctrine of a particular religious sect or religion....
.
Historical antecedents
If the premises of a fantasy world include individuals who are capable of wielding magical powers, it seems likely that the wielders of such powers would wield considerable influence. The concept of a magus takes its name from the priests of the Magian religion of the ancient MedesMedes
The MedesThe Medes...
, who wielded considerable power and influence, until they were suppressed as a result of a revolt by the pretender Smerdis
Smerdis of Persia
Bardiya was a son of Cyrus the Great and the younger brother of Cambyses II, both Persian kings. There are sharply divided views on his life, he may have ruled the Achaemenid Empire for a few months in 522 BCE, or he may have been impersonated by a magus called Gaumata. -Name and sources:The...
against Cambyses II
Cambyses II of Persia
Cambyses II son of Cyrus the Great , was a king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire. Cambyses's grandfather was Cambyses I, king of Anshan. Following Cyrus the Great's conquest of the Near East and Central Asia, Cambyses II further expanded the empire into Egypt during the Late Period by defeating...
.
Similarly, Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
's Commentaries on the Gallic War
Commentarii de Bello Gallico
Commentarii de Bello Gallico is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting local armies in Gaul that opposed Roman domination.The "Gaul" that Caesar...
portrays druid
Druid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
s as a learned priestly class and the keepers of customary law, with the power of executing judgments. These druids were a non-hereditary class that became druids by submitting to an extensive program of training.
They were believed to wield magical powers to influence the outcome of battles, and offered sacrifices, including human sacrifice
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
, to achieve these goals.
Role-playing games
In Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
the two main types of magic are Arcane Magic and Divine Magic. A government headed by the disciples of Divine Magic is called a theocracy. In a magocracy, only those with ability in Arcane Magic have a voice in government. Power is limited to the few who have the wealth and education, or magical heritage.
Typically, Arcane Magic users will have privileges, and the citizens will live in fear. Divine Magic may be restricted, or limited to followers of the state religion. In the world of Mystara
Mystara
Mystara is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game. Although it has officially been dropped from production by its creators, many fans continue to develop and evolve this fantasy setting jointly, continuing its original theme of group development.-Development:It...
, the Principalities of Glantri
Glantri
The Principalities of Glantri is a fictional nation located within the Mystara campaign setting, in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game....
have banned all Divine Magic users.
Examples
Ursula K. LeGuin's fictional world of EarthseaEarthsea
Earthsea is a fictional realm originally created by Ursula K. Le Guin for her short story "The Word of Unbinding", published in 1964. Earthsea became the setting for a further six books, beginning with A Wizard of Earthsea, first published in 1968, and continuing with The Tombs of Atuan, The...
could be called a magocracy. In this world, a school of magic constitutes the closest thing to a central government of an archipelago of pre-industrial cultures.
In The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
by J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
, the witch-king of Angmar
Witch-king of Angmar
The Witch-king of Angmar, also known as the Lord of the Nazgûl and the Black Captain among other names, is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. In Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, he is the chief of the Nazgûl , the chief servants...
is the leader of the Ring-wraiths: a former human king who dabbled in sorcery and was transformed by Sauron
Sauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
's enchanted rings.
Guy Gavriel Kay
Guy Gavriel Kay
Guy Gavriel Kay is a Canadian author of fantasy fiction. Many of his novels are set in fictional realms that resemble real places during real historical periods, such as Constantinople during the reign of Justinian I or Spain during the time of El Cid...
's Tigana
Tigana
-Setting:The world where Tigana takes place is a planet orbited by two moons. Kay notes that some of his readers tried to connect Tigana with A Song for Arbonne speculating the stories take place on the same fictional world, orbited by two moons; Kay explained that he only repeated the same theme...
is a novel that features a conflict between two nations governed by sorcerers, in a world deliberately designed to be reminiscent of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
during the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
.
In BioWare
BioWare
BioWare is a Canadian video game developer founded in February 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip. BioWare is currently owned by American company Electronic Arts...
's game Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon Age: Origins is a single-player role-playing video game developed by BioWare's Edmonton studio and published by Electronic Arts. It is the first game in the Dragon Age franchise...
, the Tevinter Imperium is a magocracy, ruled by Imperial Archons and magisters.
Within the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing worlds, perhaps the most well-known magocracy is that of the government of Thay, an ambitious empire that is ruled by the Red Wizards in the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
setting. It is an enemy to many nations, including Aglarond, Mulhorand and Rashemen.
The city-state of Dalaran in the Warcraft Universe
Warcraft Universe
Warcraft is a franchise of video games, novels, and other media originally created by Blizzard Entertainment. The series is made up of Four core games: Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, and World of Warcraft...
is ruled by a group of wizards called the Kirin Tor.
A magocracy (though not referred to by that term) has also appeared in the Star Wars Expanded Universe
Star Wars Expanded Universe
The Star Wars Expanded Universe encompasses all of the officially licensed, fictional background of the Star Wars universe, outside of the six feature films produced by George Lucas. The expanded universe includes books, comic books, video games, spin-off films like Star Wars: The Clone Wars,...
, where Emperor Palpatine
Palpatine
Palpatine is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Star Wars saga, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in the feature films.Palpatine first appeared as the unnamed Emperor of the Galactic Empire in the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back...
, inspired by a similar scheme initiated by the Sith
Sith
-Sith:The Sith is a name applied to certain characters in the Star Wars universe. In the films they are the central antagonists. They are capable of using the dark side of the Force.-The Invention of the Sith:...
-descended "Sorcerers of Tund," intended to use his grasp of the Dark Side
Dark side (Star Wars)
The dark side of the Force is a prominent moral, philosophical, and psychic concept in the Star Wars universe. It is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and appears in all subsequent Star Wars fiction...
to personally rule over the galaxy, instead of having his control mediated through a bureaucracy and military. His initial prototype for this scheme (incomplete at the time of his death at the Battle of Endor) was the planet Byss.
Many examples also exist in fantasy literature such as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
by Lyman Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
.
For the 2004 Interactive Fiction Competition
Interactive Fiction Competition
The Interactive Fiction Competition is one of the best known of several annual competitions for works of interactive fiction. It has been held since 1995. It is intended for fairly short games, as judges are only allowed to spend two hours playing a game before deciding how many points to award it...
, Joseph Rheaume wrote a game entitled Magocracy, set in the Magocratic Kingdom of Persis, in the TADS programming language, ultimately placing 18th.
In the Bartimaeus Trilogy
Bartimaeus Trilogy
Bartimaeus is a fantasy series by Jonathan Stroud consisting of a trilogy published from 2003 to 2005 and a prequel novel published in 2010. The titular character, Bartimaeus, is a five-thousand-year-old djinni, a spirit of approximately mid-level power...
, the British Empire is ruled entirely by magicians.
In Magic the Gathering, Esper, one of the shards of the plane Alara, is a typical Magocracy.