Stupid question: Did Tolkien create Wizards?

"D BlaDe" <NiGhtblaDe1201 RemoveThis @webtv.net> wrote in message
news:15086-4017038C-12@storefull-3352.bay.webtv.net...
> Did Tolkien create these beings for his story, or were they already in
> literature before he penned the genius Lord of the Rings and The
Hobbit?
> The reason I am wanting to know is, I am writing a fantasy story about
> bad wizards. Would I be disrespecting Tolkien if I used wizards in
this
> manner? Would they 'have' to be Istari or Maia, or can I create my own
> kind and ranks?
>

Tolkien used the word "wizard" in translation for "Istar", just as he
used the words "Elf", "Dwarf" and "Goblin" as translations. He got these
names from folklore, and did not create them himself. He didn't consider
these to be especially accurate in describing his characters, because
they didn't particularly resemble the people/creatures found in
folklore.

Istar means, IIRC, "wise one" (IDFLLIURN) [1] and he thought "wizard" to
be a close enough English approximation.

[1] "I don't feel like looking it up right now"
--
Bill

"Wise fool"
Gandalf, THE TWO TOWERS
-- The Wise will remove 'se' to reply; the Foolish will not--
 >> Stay informed about: Stupid question: Did Tolkien create Wizards? 

Quoth NiGhtblaDe1201 RemoveThis @webtv.net (D BlaDe) in article
<15086-4017038C-12 RemoveThis @storefull-3352.bay.webtv.net>:
> Did Tolkien create these beings for his story, or were they already
> in literature before he penned the genius Lord of the Rings and The
> Hobbit?

The Oxford English Dictionary cites the first use of the word "wizard"
in reference to "A man who is skilled in occult arts" as roughly 1550,
so I think it predates Tolkien by a little bit. And the concept of
magicians in general has been around for a very long time indeed (the
most archetypical wizard is not Gandalf, but Merlin, advisor to King
Arthur). Tolkien's take on wizards is actually rather different than
the usual concept, at least as far as I can tell. In many stories,
becoming a wizard is just another "career choice" available to normal
humans (though it may require some special aptitude), and the general
concept doesn't have the color association that Tolkien's wizards do.

> The reason I am wanting to know is, I am writing a fantasy story
> about bad wizards.

I certainly don't want to discourage you from writing, so don't take
this the wrong way! But I think you should be very careful in writing
a fantasy story if you haven't read much fantasy other than Tolkien.
Far too many authors out there are heavily influenced by Tolkien,
whether consciously or not, and end up writing stories exceedingly
similar to his (or stories that were obviously made by consciously
changing numerous aspects of Tolkien's world). If you haven't read
much other fantasy (especially other fantasy not inspired by
Tolkien!), you run the risk of accidentally assuming that something
specific to Tolkien is a general element of every fantasy story.

I don't know what that means for you, practically speaking, but I just
thought I'd share the warning. Best wishes with your story, in any
case.
Steuard Jensen
 >> Stay informed about: Stupid question: Did Tolkien create Wizards? 

Steuard, thanks for the advice. I appreciate it.

My story does not contain elves, dwarves, or a big quest. I am trying to
keep it pretty original, or at least as original as I have knowledge of.
I am trying to stray away from imitating Tolkien's work(who could?)and I
do not include any songs or poems in it. I do however find myself
writing better after reading some Tolkien. He has a way with sentences
and words that stick with you and can make you come up with your own and
use them more smoothly. It's kind of hard to explain, but I am sure you
know of what I mean.
 >> Stay informed about: Stupid question: Did Tolkien create Wizards? 

"D BlaDe" <NiGhtblaDe1201.TakeThisOut@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:15086-4017038C-12@storefull-3352.bay.webtv.net...
> Did Tolkien create these beings for his story, or were they already in
> literature before he penned the genius Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit?
> The reason I am wanting to know is, I am writing a fantasy story about
> bad wizards. Would I be disrespecting Tolkien if I used wizards in this
> manner? Would they 'have' to be Istari or Maia, or can I create my own
> kind and ranks?

There is a strong connection between the singing wizards (not sure if the
word 'wizard' was used) in the Finnish epic the Kalevala, and Tolkien's
interpretation of wizards. See the song duel between Finrod and Sauron in
Silmarillion, which another poster has mentioned as one of his favorite
things to reread in Tolkien's works. I love it too, it always gives me
goosebumps!

So I would say that there's a good body of myths about wizards in existence,
and you don't need to take Tolkien's interpretation as biblical.

--

- Shanahan
| 'Thought you would have been here days ago,' said the balding elf.
'Have any trouble along the way?'
'I could write a book,' Frito said prophetically. |
 >> Stay informed about: Stupid question: Did Tolkien create Wizards? 

sbjensen.TakeThisOut@midway.uchicago.edu (Steuard Jensen) writes:

>If you haven't read much other fantasy (especially other fantasy not
>inspired by Tolkien!), you run the risk of accidentally assuming that
>something specific to Tolkien is a general element of every fantasy
>story.

This is perhaps not quite on-topic, but what else would you recommend
reading? The only other fantasy authors I remember having read are
Geraldine Harris (whom I liked a lot) and Ursula le Guin (OK, but
nothing more), which are both rather different from Tolkien.

--
Tord Romstad
 >> Stay informed about: Stupid question: Did Tolkien create Wizards?