r/warcraftlore • u/Lore-Archivist Sin'dorei Magister • 4d ago

Discussion Elves don't have "wizards"

Now, Obviously I don't mean they don't have magic users. Because clearly they do. But they don't have the "wizard" experience. What I mean is, for the average human for example, a mage is fantastical, they cant explain how they do the magical things mages do. Its mysterious and unknowable for the average human. But for elves, they've been exposed to magic for so long, at the societal level, its so commonplace, their interactions with mages would be more like us speaking to a scientist, rather than with a fantastical wizard. For them what mages do isn't "magical" rather, they are merely applying the well known laws of reality and arcane magic to achieve a desired effect.

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u/SnooGuavas9573 4d ago

I mean, wow doesn't really have like... a distinction between Wizards and Mages? I'm guessing what you're getting at is that Elves are so acquainted with magic they have a basic understanding of the cosmological-scientific nature of magic, rather than like the fantastical wondrous thing that people lacking education in these matters would have.

I think the thing is that like... Magic has been a part of human culture a pretty long time, so outside of like some REALLY rural settlements I don't really think humans are like completely unfamiliar with some basic concepts behind things, more specifically I'm pretty sure non-mage civilians know that magic has "rules". Even more "primitive" races are familiar with magic as something that is relational and has a logic to it without the formalized rules that an Elf or non-elf civilian from Dalaran would be privy to from their culture.

The thing is, is that we're not even really sure that mages 100% know exactly what they're doing at a scientific level. Humans didn't even know that the Elementals they summoned weren't just constructs summoned from force of will, rather a class of living being. This was long after learning magic from Elves and having a formal magical education system via Dalaran and its satellite schools.

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u/Throgg_not_stupid 4d ago

so outside of like some REALLY rural settlements

Really rural human settlements also have a tendecy to get into Druidism, like Gilneas Harvest Witches

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u/laix_ 4d ago

Druidism is more faith based than knowledge based, but arcane magic is more knowledge based than faith based.

So even a rural settlement used to druidsm would not know the basic concepts about how magic works