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Doctor Xombie Regular user FL (formerly Planet X) 109 Posts |
I was reading through 'Dunninger's Monument To Magic' and he has a list of important magicians at the end.
He lists a name and then gives a brief description of them like: illusionist, card expert, sleight-of-hand specialist, mentalist, top magician, showman, magic specialist, inventor, escape artist, author and magic entertainer, mind reader, magic expert, wizard, conjurer, etc. I was curious if earlier magicians specialized more than today's magician's and what are the distinctions between the groups. What's the difference between a conjurer, wizard, and regular magician? A mind reader and a mentalist? |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Definitions for these terms need to take into consideration who is using them. For example, in Appalachia, a conjurer is a person who deals in the supernatural.
However, conjurer is the all-inclusive term that is more commonly used in the UK to refer to people who perform magic that is accomplished by trickery and/or psychological subtleties, as opposed to a person who practices sorcery or other forms of the mystical arts that purport to be genuine magic or witchcraft. Basically, to a person who would be likely to be a member of this forum, a conjurer is a regular magician. Wizard is an interesting term. It's basis is in a Germanic word that is also the source of our word "wise" or "wisdom." A wizard would be a person who "knows things" -- the implication being that a wizard knew about how the cosmos worked, the way that herbs could be applied to cure various illnesses, how the planets affect life, etc. A shaman is a kind of wizard. A wizard can be the basis of a character for a performer. Most conjurers, simply by their buying habits, do not exhibit the basic qualifications of being "a wizard." Mind reader and mentalist -- you can get into a long debate over that one. Most magicians 30 years ago would explain that a mentalist is a person who uses the techniques of a conjurer to produce the semblance of being a mind reader. Hanussen referred to his muscle reading as "thought reading" (Gedankenlesen). He referred to non-contact ideomotor response reading as "telepathy." Since Uri Geller, mentalism has encompassed even more of the presentation of PK effects than commonly presented during the prior period of mentalism. BTW, mentalism was first applied to "psychic entertainers" by Dunninger. Before then, there were two basic definitions of mentalism. One was the belief that the mental or spiritual world had a definite basis and influence on the physical world. The other was a form of insanity. Definitions of performers' characters are far looser than one would imagine. There are no distinct borders at all. A skilled performer can perform the rising cards as a mental feat. Or he can perform it as sleight of hand. The following threads may be of interest to you. The fourth post in this thread (although I think you might find the others interesting as well): http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......um=171&5 And since you are a Dr. Who fan: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......um=171&0
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
Leslie Melville Special user Blackpool-U.K. 708 Posts |
According to George K.Smith in '"The Wizard, the Worms and Robin Hood", the first wizard to wear the archetypal conical hat and robes decorated with astrological symbols was Michael Scot (the first 'Wizard of the North', circa. 960 AD). Sometimes confused with the scholar of the same name, erroneously claimed by Sir Walter Scott to have been his ancestor.
The wizard rose to fame through his a supposed ability to control the tides; this famous accomplishment was responsible for Canute's demonstration to his flatterers that even a king did not have this power - "......Only God -and wizards can turn the tide". Leslie
Stories....?....That's telling!
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Leslie Melville Special user Blackpool-U.K. 708 Posts |
Anyone interested in the book referred to above, there is more information here:
http://www.thestorytelling-resource-cent......oks.html Leslie
Stories....?....That's telling!
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Doctor Xombie Regular user FL (formerly Planet X) 109 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-05-17 09:58, Bill Palmer wrote: Thanx Bill. I don't plan on doing any Doctor Who impersonations in my magic but this is pretty useful information. I think I'll start going by 'Wizzo The Great' now. "Hi, Kids! I'm Wizzo the great, I'm a Necromancer, and I'm going to do some real magic for you!" LOL |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
"Does anyone have a completely unprepared corpse I can borrow? I promise I will return it to you in exactly the same condition it was in when I borrowed it, taking into account normal deterioration."
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
And you could do "The Cadaver Through the Table," using a torn off body part as a form of identification.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
The old switched kidney dodge. I still say it's nothing without it being signed first.
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
If you can find identical twins, you can use my new "Super-sized Intercessor Gimmick," based upon the idea by Gaetan Bloom and Kevin James, and you are all set!
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
Doctor Xombie Regular user FL (formerly Planet X) 109 Posts |
I wish I could do brain transpositions on some people I know.
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
The difficulty lies in finding people with the requisite parts.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
noble1 Special user 651 Posts |
Abracadaver.
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Shazmat!
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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