List of magicians in fantasy

Famous magicians in fantasy fiction include the following:

Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends

* Circe -- Greek sorceress
* Merlin - the famous wizard from Arthurian legends and their modern retellings.
* Morgan le Fay -- an enchantress in both the Matter of Britain and the Matter of France
* The Telchines - four wizards of ancient Greek myths.
* Väinämöinen - the grand wizard of Kalevala
* Gwydion -- Welsh
* Atlantes -- an evil sorcerer in the Matter of France
* The wizard in the fairy tale of "The Wizard King".
* Farmer Weathersky
* Baba Yaga
* Jannes and Jambres from Hebrew theology.
* Fitcher in the fairy tale "Fitcher's Bird"
* Maestro Lattantio in "Maestro Lattantio and His Apprentice Dionigi"
* The master in the fairy tale "The Thief and His Master"
* The master in the fairy tale "Master and Pupil"
* The magician king in the fairy tale "Penta of the Chopped-off Hands"
* Fioravante in the fairy tale "Cannetella"
* The witch in the fairy tale "Prunella"
* The witch in the fairy tale "The Canary Prince"
* The old woman in the fairy tale "The She-Bear"
* The wizard in the fairy tale "Aladdin"
* The witch in the fairy tale "The Bird of Truth"
* The witch in the fairy tale "Esben and the Witch"
* The wizard in the fairy tale "The False Prince and the True"
* The magician in the fairy tale "The Glass Coffin"
* The magician in the fairy tale "The Magician's Horse"
* The witch in the fairy tale "The Old Witch"
* The witch in the fairy tale "The White Dove"
* The witch in the fairy tale "Rapunzel"
* The troll witch in the fairy tale "The Twelve Wild Ducks"
* The magician in the fairy tale "Water and Salt"
* Fairy tales about good and bad wizards are collected in "A Book of Wizards", by Ruth Manning-Sanders

Written fiction

* Abhaydatta is the wizard/healer from the fantasy series, The Conch Bearer, created by the author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
* Aes Sedai are female wielders of the One Power from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. They are human beings born with either the spark of the ability in them or the opportunity to learn (2% of total population). Aes Sedai is an Order, not the general name for a female Channeler. Aes Sedai were once an Order of both men and women but this has changed because of historical events.
* Akthuri is the wizard from The Dragonfighters of Kulamain, young adult fantasy/adventure novel by Karen M. Penn ref|penn.
* Allanon is a wizard, also known as a druid and historian, from the Shannara series, which was created by Terry Brooks.
* An anonymous magician in "The Charwoman's Shadow" by Lord Dunsany both dispenses magic and threatens the other characters by tricking them into giving up their shadows.
* Archimago -- an evil enchanter in "The Faerie Queene".
* Asha'man are male wielders of the One Power from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. They are human beings born with either the spark of the ability in them or the opportunity to learn. As with the Aes Sedai the Asha'man is only an Order and not the general name of a male Channeler.
* Belgarath - created by David Eddings as a leading character for "The Belgariad" series of fantasy novels (also called 'Belgarath the Sorcerer' or 'The Eternal Man').
* Ben Adeaphon Delat (Quick Ben) is a Mage of reputation in the 'Malazan books of the Fallen' By Steven Erikson.
* Bloyse - also known as Blaise, Blaze; Merlin's master/instructor in the Arthurian tradition.
* Channeler, a wielder of the One Power in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Different titles are given to Channelers of different gender and in different cultures.
* Chun the Unavoidable, Mazirian the Magician, Rhialto the Marvelous, and others - from Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" stories.
* Chrestomanci in "Charmed Life" and sequels by Diana Wynne Jones
* Dallben is a magician in The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander.
* In the "Discworld" series by Terry Pratchett, wizards are numerous, and can normally be found in the Unseen University. One of the predominant wizards in the series is Rincewind, although he only uses magic on extremely rare occasions.:* The Dean of Unseen University in Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" series is not named, but is a senior wizard and recurring character.:* Mustrum Ridcully - Archancellor of Unseen University throughout most of Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" series.:* Ponder Stibbons is the Head of Inadvisably Applied Magic at Unseen University in Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" novels.:* Rincewind - strictly a "Wizzard" (it says so on his hat) and the wizards of Unseen University - from many of Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" novels.
* Elric of Melniboné - often called a sorcerer or a wizard - from Michael Moorcock's "Elric of Melniboné" and its sequels.
* Eric, from "Eric" by Terry Pratchett
* Eridanus, Nequam, Djutoris and others - from the Guptara Twins' "Insanity Saga" ("Conspiracy of Calaspia" and sequels)
* Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, Alatar and Pallando - from J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" - are called Wizards, but are really supernatural beings called Maia. In the Middle-earth legendarium, "wizard" is a term applied only to the five members of the Order of the Istari. While other practitioners of magic exist in Middle-earth, they are never referred to as wizards. No purely human character has power to work magic. Non-wizard naming examples include: Sorceress of the Golden Wood, The Witch-king of Angmar, and The Necromancer.
* Goblin, One-Eye, Silent, Tom-Tom, The Lady and The Ten Who Were Taken From Glen Cook's The Black Company
* Ogion and Ged (Earthsea) (Sparrowhawk) from Ursula Le Guin's "Earthsea" book series, the most well-known of which is "A Wizard of Earthsea", first published in 1968.
* "Gereth Yaztromo" is a major wizard in the world of Titan, which was created by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone.
*Gideon is a 13th century wizard in the Hatching Magic series by Ann Downer. Other wizards in the series include Iain Merlin O'Shea, Harvard professor, Margery MacVanish, and Septimus Silvertongue.
* Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Lord Voldemort, and all other non-Muggle male characters from J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" and its sequels are called wizards. The female practitioners of magic (such as Hermione Granger) are called witches.
* Harry Dresden is a Wizard up for hire for investigating crimes The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.
* Howell Jenkins in Dian Wynne Jones book Howl's Moving Castle
* Iucounu the Laughing Magician. From Jack Vance's Dying Earth series.
* J. Wellington Wells ("a dealer in magic and spells") - the eponymous Sorcerer of Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta, who also features in two books by Tom Holt. * Mauryl Gestaurien, last of the ancient Galasieni race of C. J. Cherryh's "Fortress" series
* Michael Scot - protagonist of Michael Scott Rohan's "The Lord of Middle Air" - a historical figure and an ancestor of the author!
* Merlin, the wizard, associated with King Arthur, also in Spenser's "The Faerie Queene".
* Morgon was the riddlemaster of Hed in books by author Patricia A. McKillip.
* Nathaniel a.k.a.John Mandrake and other magicians from "The Bartimaeus Trilogy" by Jonathan Stroud.
* Ningauble of the Seven Eyes and Sheelba of the Eyeless Face are the sorcerous advisors for Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, in Fritz Leiber's Swords series. They are (apparently) unhuman, and they aid (in other words, complicate the lives of) the two rogue heroes. Sheelba is noted as being female in "Knight and Knave of Swords."
* Polgara the Sorceress - The Belgeriad.
* Prospero, ("The Tempest" by Shakespeare)
* Proteus - converted from Greek god to magician in Spenser's "The Faerie Queene".
* Pug (also known as Milamber) is the wizard protagonist of the fantasy books by Raymond E. Feist.
* Richard Rahl and Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander - Wizards; central characters from Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.
* Randall Flagg, an evil entity from Stephen King's epic The Stand, often appears as a "wizard" in the author's other works. Notably in the "Dark Tower series" as Walter o'Dim (The Man in Black) and Marten Broadcloak (Steven Deschain's magician). He also plays the part of the antagonist in "Eyes of the Dragon" as "Flagg," King Roland's advisor.
* Tayschrenn, High Mage of the Malazan Empire in the Malazan books of the Fallen by Steven Erikson.
* Thoth-amon in "The Phoenix on the Sword", Tsotha-lanti in "The Scarlet Citadel" and Yara in "The Tower of the Elephant" are examples of evil wizards from the stories about Conan the Barbarian by Robert E. Howard.
* Väinämöinen ("Kalevala")
*The Wizard and The Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". The wizard is a stage magician pretending to be a genuine wizard. In the 1939 movie version the wizard was also a fake. However, in later Oz stories, he studies magic with Glinda and becomes a genuine wizard. See Wizard (Oz).
* Wizard Whitebeard in Martin Handford's Where's Wally? series is often the instigator of Wally's travells.
* Young Wizards: Diane Duane describes wizards as emissaries of "the One" (see God), who take an oath to use powers beyond the comprehension of a non-wizard in the service of life, to keep entropy, personified as a Lone Power, under control and therefore delay the demise of the universe. They are said to still exist in the present day, but due to negative public perception, work undercover.
* Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander is a prominent wizard in the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.
* Zhuge Liang,Sima Yi, and Pang Tong, although not truly mentioned in the story, was a magician who called on mystic powers to aid them in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Dungeons & Dragons

The role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons by TSR, later bought out by Wizards of the Coast and then Hasbro, has several settings in which novels have been written. See also .
* Greyhawk: Wizards of Greyhawk include Mordenkainen, Bigby, Drawmij, Evard, Leomund, Melf, Nystul, Otiluke, Rary, Tasha, and Tenser.
* Forgotten Realms: Wizards are featured in many of the Forgotten Realms fantasy novels and RPGs. The most famous wizards are Elminster and Khelben.
* Dragonlance: Raistlin Majere was a very powerful mage in the Dragonlance fantasy series. Other mages in Dragonlance include Magius, Palin Majere, Par-Salian, Dalamar and Fistandantilus among (many) others. Fizban is the mortal avatar of the god Paladine from the Dragonlance fantasy novels.
* Mystara: Countless Wizards exist on Alphatia, while some notable wizards of the Known World are Ètienne d'Amberville, Bargle the Infamous, Haldemar of Haaken, Claransa the Seer, Jagger von Drachenfels, Dolores Hillsbury, and Kol XIV.

Comics and animation

* Avatar One of the prophesied twins born in the post apocalyptic movie "Wizards". Avatar, the good son, is human and seeks a passive life of non-aggression in order to avoid responsibility for the bloodshed and despair prophesied. He defeats his evil brother Blackwolf, who tries to take over their world machinery gleaned from an old Nazi war reel.
* Blackwolf The evil twin of Avatar, who uses magic to create Nazi machinery from an old projector and war film. Blackwolf's disastrous attempts to assassinate his brother compel Avatar to marshal forces against Blackwolf, leading to the ultimate confrontation.
* Doctor Fate is a sorcerer and superhero in stories published by DC Comics.
* Doctor Strange is a superhero and Sorcerer Supreme appearing in the Marvel Universe.
* Doctor Doom is a supervillian and next in line for Sorcerer Supreme appearing in the Marvel Universe.
* Henrot, Necross the Mad, the Flame Jewel Wizard, and Charles X. Claremont are all wizards in the Cerebus universe.
* Shazam, the ancient Egyptian wizard who gives Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family their powers.
* The "Sonic the Hedgehog" cartoon series mentions two wizards; one named Lazaar who had slept for centuries until his computer of magic spells was stolen, forcing the title character to retrieve it for him with his famous speed as collateral, and another named Naugus who creates an alternate dimension known as the Void, only to be double-crossed by Robotnik and trapped inside it. Naugus also appears in the comic books based on the cartoon, wherein he was shown to be able to control the elements of wind, fire, water, and earth before being robbed of his intelligence, now wielding a form of shadow magic, allowing him to slip in and out of shadows at will.
* Tim Hunter, the young wizard in the "Books of Magic" comic by Neil Gaiman and others.
* John Constantine, of Hellblazer
* Wizardmon of the Digimon series is one example of the few Wizard-type Digimon.
* There are at least two wizards in The World of David the Gnome. The first is Tiraland, a mischievous little wizard who could turn rocks into gold. Then he stole all the gold from the king. The second is Pondent do Rey, a human wizard and friend of David's. He lives in the Himalays, and he has many magic mirrors.

Television and film

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* Astoroth, the medieval wizard whose spells are central to the plot of the Disney film "Bedknobs and Broomsticks"
* Catweazle of the British TV-series with the same name. A magician fleeing from the Normans to modern England.
*Sorcerers and sorcery are a staple of Chinese wu xia fiction and are dramatically featured in many martial arts movies.
*Max Russo,Alex Russo, and Justin Russo are all wizards in the Disney Channel Original Series "Wizards of Waverly Place"

Video games

*Crispin is the wizard that helped King Graham in the King's Quest computer game series created by Roberta Williams and produced by the game company Sierra Entertainment.
*Manannan and Mordack are evil wizards who are also featured in the King's Quest series
*Mondain, Minax and Exodus opposed the player in the first three Ultima games.
*Khadgar, Medivh, and Gul'Dan are all prominent wizards of the WarCraft universe (the latter being of the warlock variety).
*In the Kingdom Hearts Series, the Disney Character Donald Duck is portrayed as the magician of King Mickey's Court.

Note

In some fictional and game settings, "wizard" or a similar term is the name for a "race" or species, not just a job title.

For example:
* "Black Mages" and "White Mages" and occasionally even "Red Mages" and "Blue Mage"s in the video game series Final Fantasy.
* "Demon Sorcerers" in the TV show "Jackie Chan Adventures"
*In some of the "Legend of Zelda" series, some antagonist magicians appear as beings called Wizrobes. They can appear as a hooded bird or simply an old man with a cane.