On the Origin of Magic
written by Suzan Vouderie
This paper aims to prove the three current most canonical theories on the origin of magic false, and proposes an alternative. I hope you´ll find it worth considering. by Suzan Vouderie
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
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Chapter 1
The Theory of Uno Mas states that there was a single First Magi. This presents a dire problem, as Wizardkind has been discovered to have lived all over the world in fairly isolated societies for as long as mankind has. William Marangue tries to save the theory by suggesting that only means Uno Mas must´ve lived long before that, in the Mesozoic Era even. This ridiculous idea, which suggests wizards evolved separately from the only then-present mammals, rodents, and yet somehow came out being biologically identical to non-magic humans despite the existence of Pureblood families, is utterly absurd. This wouldn´t only make it impossible for wizards and humans to interbreed, it would mean we should be as different from them as birds are. The chances of this being correct are comparable to those of finding extra-terrestrial life which just happens to be identical to humans. It´s as good as any ancient superstition concerning the origin of things, (or perhaps not even that, as it doesn´t explain where the First Magi and his magic came from) but it has no place whatsoever amongst modern academic theories.
The Migration Theory claims Wizardkind didn´t realise it possessed the power of magic while they lived amongst Muggles, then suddenly did once they separated themselves. This brings forward the question why Wizardkind would separate itself, not knowing they were in any way different. How were the individuals selected, if not by testing their magic? Why wouldn´t their magic show in any way for generations on end, not even in young children? Were entire prehistoric civilizations wiped out by Obscuri because of all this suppressed magic, since it´s a well-established fact magic used to be stronger and wilder in past eras? How would they suppress it without any knowledge of it? And what would suppress it, the mere presence of Muggles? Any Half-blood or Muggle-born wizard will happily challenge that absurd idea. As any non-Pureblood Elitist will agree, it´s been thoroughly proven that to be Muggleborn or not affects one´s magical abilities in no form or way whatsoever. Some of the most talented wizards and witches of our time were Muggleborn or grew up amongst nothing but Muggles, such as Lily Evans, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Truly, the only part of this theory that makes any bit of sense is the concept of Natural Progression, despite its rather vague definition, which also forms part of the following. I won´t bow, however, to the ancient belief that magic used to reside primarily in women. Wizardkind seems to have fallen for its own tricks in this aspect, if you ask me. Have we perhaps forgotten that we only fooled Muggles into believing only witches existed to preserve our heritage in medieval times? Have gypsies not done the same since times long past? Maternally magical lines have never proven more talented than paternal ones. And what of great wizards such as Merlin, Griffindor, Grindlewald, Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort? No, while they are neither inferior, those who believe witches inherently superior in magical ability to wizards mustn´t have paid much attention to history. I daresay anyone who notices the female mysterious ´powers of persuasion´ would do better reading some books on psychology and reproductive rituals in wizards and humans than writing any in which they blame their experiences on inexplicable magic.
The Theory of Hocus Pocus is the idea that magic came out of thin air, which essentially boils down to ¨we don´t know¨, which, sadly, is therefore the most believable theory and accurately describes the state of the art in this field of research. Everything else in the universe came from something, as any historian, astronomer and alchemist worth half a Knut will tell you, but magic ¨just appeared¨? I would love to visit the Brussels Museum of Ancient Magical History to discuss the contents of the famous Birch Bark Manuscript that´s so prominently featured as proof, but without offering a translation. Still, I believe The Theory of Hocus Pocus touches on the truth at two points: the concept of magic as a naturally occurring force of nature and the idea of magical tendencies in Wizardkind developing gradually through our earliest eras.
It is my belief, which I´ll not-so-humbly refer to as The Origin of Magic, that all the same rules that apply to any other aspect of evolution as described in The Origin of Species by the Ravenclaw Charles Darwin, apply to magic as well. Aren´t all of our oldest known spells created to preserve our species in the face of danger? Don´t they all concern fighting (attack and defence), fleeing (fast travel) and hiding (invisibility, transfiguration), using the same survival instincts that many other lifeforms developed? The few that aren´t can easily be attributed to mating rituals: wouldn´t turning a stone into a living, breathing rabbit impress and sway the average cavewoman? I know I´d pick the cavewizard who performed that trick as the provider for me and my children over any of those dependent on wildlife and hunting success. And aren´t attempts at Love Potions the most ancient of magical brews? Once survival is taken care of, reproduction is right next on the list of steps to evolutionary success. Therefore, the genetic magic trait naturally enhances the owner´s chances at evolutionary success by, well, a lot, and is preserved and passed on. And hasn´t it been proven that magic is a purely hereditary trait? Any Muggle-born wizard or witch, no matter how many generations were skipped, has a magical ancestor. Therefore, it is my belief that magic is a naturally occurring and very successful mutation in both magical plants, fantastical beasts and Wizardkind, sprouting many ´Uno Mas´s all over the world, which reproduced among each other and humans and so became our ancestors. For some conservative wizards and witches, the following may come as a shock, as the previous suggests that all of Wizardkind evolved directly from the first humans.
The most likely reason as to why new magical mutations don´t seem to be popping up everywhere anymore is that we live in a relatively civilized world, in which mortal danger isn´t our daily companion and magic is used mainly for convenience. This idea is proven by the clearly higher rate of magic presence in societies of more primitive means (gypsies, native americans, sub-saharan africans and their descendants in for example Brazil, who claim the ability to speak with the dead and count unrivalled masters of voodoo among themselves) and those living in more threatening areas and times. Think for example of the many otherwise inexplicable things that occur in times of war and the number of witches that were caught by Muggles during the medieval witch-hunts; a number that cannot be attributed in its entirety to Wizardkind being more active than usually. This dangerous situation must´ve triggered the magical mutation of many Original Muggle-borns, as I like to call them, who didn´t have any magical family members to help them control and hide their magic. If not for this, the incredible number of witches killed (even when considering the false positives: burned Muggles and unnoticed last-minute escapes at the stake) would´ve exceeded the estimated amount of witches alive at that time, especially in rural areas.
Whether the gene intentionally tried to protect itself in medieval times (either through hiding in generations of Squibs or spreading its chances and strengthening its bearers by ensuring as little Squibs and non-magical Halfbloods were born as possible) is an interesting hypothesis I hope to prove through historical genealogical research. With this I intend to find out just how ´smart´ the gene really is. If my theory is correct, it could even be responsible, obviously in combination with poverty, for the high birth rate in the survival-driven societies mentioned above.
As should go without saying, any academic contributions to this theory are more than welcome. I also wholeheartedly invite all those capable to disprove it, as I´d be very interested in advancing the state of the art in this field, even if it means my ego getting somewhat hurt in the process.
Sources:
Balog, J., (publication date unknown) History of Magic, Lesson 2) Magical Beginnings, editorial Hogwarts is Here, available at http://www.hogwartsishere.com/courses/HOM-101/lesson/10/ (consulted on 14/05/2017)
by Suzan Vouderie
The Migration Theory claims Wizardkind didn´t realise it possessed the power of magic while they lived amongst Muggles, then suddenly did once they separated themselves. This brings forward the question why Wizardkind would separate itself, not knowing they were in any way different. How were the individuals selected, if not by testing their magic? Why wouldn´t their magic show in any way for generations on end, not even in young children? Were entire prehistoric civilizations wiped out by Obscuri because of all this suppressed magic, since it´s a well-established fact magic used to be stronger and wilder in past eras? How would they suppress it without any knowledge of it? And what would suppress it, the mere presence of Muggles? Any Half-blood or Muggle-born wizard will happily challenge that absurd idea. As any non-Pureblood Elitist will agree, it´s been thoroughly proven that to be Muggleborn or not affects one´s magical abilities in no form or way whatsoever. Some of the most talented wizards and witches of our time were Muggleborn or grew up amongst nothing but Muggles, such as Lily Evans, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Truly, the only part of this theory that makes any bit of sense is the concept of Natural Progression, despite its rather vague definition, which also forms part of the following. I won´t bow, however, to the ancient belief that magic used to reside primarily in women. Wizardkind seems to have fallen for its own tricks in this aspect, if you ask me. Have we perhaps forgotten that we only fooled Muggles into believing only witches existed to preserve our heritage in medieval times? Have gypsies not done the same since times long past? Maternally magical lines have never proven more talented than paternal ones. And what of great wizards such as Merlin, Griffindor, Grindlewald, Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort? No, while they are neither inferior, those who believe witches inherently superior in magical ability to wizards mustn´t have paid much attention to history. I daresay anyone who notices the female mysterious ´powers of persuasion´ would do better reading some books on psychology and reproductive rituals in wizards and humans than writing any in which they blame their experiences on inexplicable magic.
The Theory of Hocus Pocus is the idea that magic came out of thin air, which essentially boils down to ¨we don´t know¨, which, sadly, is therefore the most believable theory and accurately describes the state of the art in this field of research. Everything else in the universe came from something, as any historian, astronomer and alchemist worth half a Knut will tell you, but magic ¨just appeared¨? I would love to visit the Brussels Museum of Ancient Magical History to discuss the contents of the famous Birch Bark Manuscript that´s so prominently featured as proof, but without offering a translation. Still, I believe The Theory of Hocus Pocus touches on the truth at two points: the concept of magic as a naturally occurring force of nature and the idea of magical tendencies in Wizardkind developing gradually through our earliest eras.
It is my belief, which I´ll not-so-humbly refer to as The Origin of Magic, that all the same rules that apply to any other aspect of evolution as described in The Origin of Species by the Ravenclaw Charles Darwin, apply to magic as well. Aren´t all of our oldest known spells created to preserve our species in the face of danger? Don´t they all concern fighting (attack and defence), fleeing (fast travel) and hiding (invisibility, transfiguration), using the same survival instincts that many other lifeforms developed? The few that aren´t can easily be attributed to mating rituals: wouldn´t turning a stone into a living, breathing rabbit impress and sway the average cavewoman? I know I´d pick the cavewizard who performed that trick as the provider for me and my children over any of those dependent on wildlife and hunting success. And aren´t attempts at Love Potions the most ancient of magical brews? Once survival is taken care of, reproduction is right next on the list of steps to evolutionary success. Therefore, the genetic magic trait naturally enhances the owner´s chances at evolutionary success by, well, a lot, and is preserved and passed on. And hasn´t it been proven that magic is a purely hereditary trait? Any Muggle-born wizard or witch, no matter how many generations were skipped, has a magical ancestor. Therefore, it is my belief that magic is a naturally occurring and very successful mutation in both magical plants, fantastical beasts and Wizardkind, sprouting many ´Uno Mas´s all over the world, which reproduced among each other and humans and so became our ancestors. For some conservative wizards and witches, the following may come as a shock, as the previous suggests that all of Wizardkind evolved directly from the first humans.
The most likely reason as to why new magical mutations don´t seem to be popping up everywhere anymore is that we live in a relatively civilized world, in which mortal danger isn´t our daily companion and magic is used mainly for convenience. This idea is proven by the clearly higher rate of magic presence in societies of more primitive means (gypsies, native americans, sub-saharan africans and their descendants in for example Brazil, who claim the ability to speak with the dead and count unrivalled masters of voodoo among themselves) and those living in more threatening areas and times. Think for example of the many otherwise inexplicable things that occur in times of war and the number of witches that were caught by Muggles during the medieval witch-hunts; a number that cannot be attributed in its entirety to Wizardkind being more active than usually. This dangerous situation must´ve triggered the magical mutation of many Original Muggle-borns, as I like to call them, who didn´t have any magical family members to help them control and hide their magic. If not for this, the incredible number of witches killed (even when considering the false positives: burned Muggles and unnoticed last-minute escapes at the stake) would´ve exceeded the estimated amount of witches alive at that time, especially in rural areas.
Whether the gene intentionally tried to protect itself in medieval times (either through hiding in generations of Squibs or spreading its chances and strengthening its bearers by ensuring as little Squibs and non-magical Halfbloods were born as possible) is an interesting hypothesis I hope to prove through historical genealogical research. With this I intend to find out just how ´smart´ the gene really is. If my theory is correct, it could even be responsible, obviously in combination with poverty, for the high birth rate in the survival-driven societies mentioned above.
As should go without saying, any academic contributions to this theory are more than welcome. I also wholeheartedly invite all those capable to disprove it, as I´d be very interested in advancing the state of the art in this field, even if it means my ego getting somewhat hurt in the process.
Sources:
Balog, J., (publication date unknown) History of Magic, Lesson 2) Magical Beginnings, editorial Hogwarts is Here, available at http://www.hogwartsishere.com/courses/HOM-101/lesson/10/ (consulted on 14/05/2017)
by Suzan Vouderie
