History Main / WizardClassic

* ''Pinball/DungeonsAndDragons'': The Wizard, complete with pointy hat and long beard.

* ''ComicBook/{{Nnewts}}'': Anthigar, the BigGood, is an elderly Nnewt ([[MethuselahSyndrome the very first one, in fact]]) who practices good magic. He wears a robe and has a long, white beard. Instead of the typical [[RobeAndWizardHat wizard hat]], though, he wears a CoolCrown, since he is king of the Nnewts. However, he is hidden deep underground until Herk finds him in Book 1.

* ''ComicBook/{{Nnewts}}'': Anthigar, the BigGood, is an elderly Nnewt ([[MethuselahSnydrome the very first one, in fact]]) who practices good magic. He wears a robe and has a long, white beard. Instead of the typical [[RobeAndWizardHat wizard hat]], though, he wears a CoolCrown, since he is king of the Nnewts. However, he is hidden deep underground until Herk finds him in Book 1.

* ''Webcomic/{{Nodwick}}'': Arthax uses a robe, a long beard and a pointy hat (no brim) and is the oldest (if not the wisest) member of the group. He also tends to keep to himself and perform magical experiments when the group isn't out questing, [[StuffBlowingUp which isn't just his wizardly nature but also because his experiments have an unfortunate tendency to detonate]].

** Elan dresses as this (RobeAndWizardHat with stars on them, false WizardBeard and a staff with an 8-ball on it) when he decides to multiclass as a wizard. He also tries to (unsuccessfully) mimic Vaarsuvius's SpockSpeak. [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0127.html V doesn't take it well]].

* ''Webcomic/TalesFromSomewhere'': In ''The Legend'', Nandiel is an elven wizard, who wears robes and carries a staff, but he doesn't use it to cast spell. As an elf, they cannot grow a beard, but he is very rigid on what is appropriate behaviour.

** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Starswirl the Bearded, a unicorn from the distant past, is a pony version of this. As he lacked hands, he did magic with his horn instead of a staff, but otherwise he's got the beard, the wizard clothes -- most notably a large, star-spangled wizard hat with bells around the rim -- and is still famed for his magic feats.
* "Spinning Mice", a Creator/VanBeurenStudios cartoon, has a kindly wizard protagonist with the robe, magic, beard and all.
* In ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'', after her sojourn into the depths of the Sith Temple on Malachor, Ahsoka Tano appears in the epilogue as what fandom have dubbed "Ahsoka the White" complete with wizardy staff and long white hooded robe.

* '''Wizardly Habits''': Wizards are very often solitary folk who live alone in far off, difficult to reach places, studying in seclusion. They also tend to live in [[MageTower tall towers]], the better to be closer to the stars. They have been known to enjoy WalkingTheEarth, however, and people seem to stumble upon them at random... or is it fate? Since wizardry is a studied art rather than a spontaneous talent, wizards tend to have TheApprentice hanging around. A Wizard can be a CourtMage but even then they tend to have their own areas and act aloof. While 'familiars' are more often associated with witches or demonologists, wizards do tend to keep a pet -- the most frequent choice is a bird associated with cleverness or wisdom, such as a crow or owl. A degree of [[EccentricMentor eccentricity]] is quite common, be it [[BunnyEarsLawyer real]] or [[ObfuscatingStupidity feigned]], which masks the wizard's considerable power.

* '''[[MagicStaff Carry a Magic Staff]]''': Wizards are known for carrying staves, both for MundaneUtility and as a focus or aid in casting spells. Staves are more closely associated with wizards than with any other magic-users.

While the term ''[[WizardsAndWitches wizard]]'' itself is often applied as a catch-all word for male magic users in fiction, the image of the classic mage, as it has evolved out of Western traditions and folklore, has a number of distinct trappings and tropes. In short, this is the character most people think of when they hear the word "Wizard". Compare/contrast with AbsentMindedProfessor.

* While they are actually scientists, the men of Weatheria in ''Manga/OnePiece'' look the part, with dark-colored robes, pointy hats, long beards and all. In addition, their leader Haredas dresses in the classic midnight blue scheme. The way they can freely control the weather around them can give off the impression they're magical though.

* The Wizard Shazam, the mentor and sometimes namesake of [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel/Shazam]], is an elderly robe-clad man who lives in the Rock of Eternity.

* There are a few of these kicking around the rejiggered C'hou in ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone'', notably Shaamforouz, one of the ruling wizards of Daarthayu; Channt, the Guardians' chief wizard; and several background characters.

* Yen Sid, the sorcerer from ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'', has a long grey beard and a blue robe. He also has a magic hat that has the power to bring household tools to life.
* Myth/{{Merlin}} from ''WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone'' is portrayed as a somewhat comical old man with a long beard, blue robe and pointy hat.
* Vitruvius from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie''. Notably [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Gandalf]] and [[Film/HarryPotter Dumbledore]] cameo as Those two guys.

* By the time of ''Film/ANewHope'', Obi-Wan Kenobi seems to have become a [[RecycledInSpace space]] version of this trope. Case in point:
** Jedi Robes - Wizardly Attire
** Lightsaber - Staff/Wand
** Force-sensitivity - Wizardry
** Is a hermit stumbled upon by a young farmboy
** Is obviously male
** Has a white beard and white hair, and is in the twilight years of his life
** With the addition of his kendo-influenced [[LaserBlade lightsabre]]-fighting skills, he is also a KungFuWizard (barring the [[InterchangeableAsianCultures obvious difference]] [[Administrivia/TropesAreFlexible between kung fu and kendo]])
* Creator/IanMcKellen was so good as classic wizard Gandalf in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' series, that he was approached to play Dumbledore in ''Film/HarryPotter'' after Creator/RichardHarris passed away. He rejected the offer - according to him, not because of a fear of becoming typecast, but because apparently Harris had criticized his acting in the past, and Sir Ian didn't want to replace an actor whom he knew wouldn't approve of the choice.

* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': Gandalf and Saruman are both magic, bearded old men who are long-lived and nigh immortal and carry staffs and give advice. Gandalf [[WalkingTheEarth walks the earth]] but Saruman lives in a [[MageTower tower]]. [[UnbuiltTrope However]], whereas normal wizards are educated humans, Tolkien's "wizards" are actually [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Maiar]] in corporeal form -- something that is discussed vaguely in ''The Lord of the Rings'' but made more explicit in other Tolkien works.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Dumbledore. While all male magic users are called 'wizards' in the series, Dumbledore specifically fits the wizard image. He's old, wise, has a beard, wears robes and floppy pointy hats, and lives in his office in one of the tallest Hogwarts towers. The only element he lacks is the staff, because that's just not something wizards of the Potterverse use; he casts spells with a wand like everybody else.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': The Wizards of Unseen University fall into this. Of course their "wisdom" in regards to magic mostly consists of not using it and in the earlier books, jockeying for a KlingonPromotion or two. They ''look'' the part but their antics usually boil down to them being uncannily indestructible old men who blunder about having adventures at other people's expense. [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass However, on no account should one underestimate them.]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction They are Ankh-Morpork's nuclear deterrent, and the main reason that they don't overuse magic is because it tends to attract]] {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and play merry hell with the fabric of reality. It's also made clear that [[ObfuscatingStupidity the Faculty are not as obliviously dim as they pretend to be]] - which backfires on them as Ponder Stibbons, most junior member of the Faculty and resident genius, goes from trying to explain things in exhaustive detail to them (which they pretend not to understand to wind him up) to just assuming they'll get it without explanation and refusing to elaborate.
* ''Literature/TalesOfTheFiveHundredKingdoms'', being a gentle subversion of fairy tales, has both Wizards and Sorcerers that fit this mold, although Sorcerers tend to do the lofty tower isolation bit and Wizards tend to do the wandering the earth bit. Note that neither title denotes evil, though -- that just gets you an Evil or Dark tacked on the front. Justified in-story by the fact that magic is an semi-active force that likes things to fall into Traditional paths, so the more like a Traditional wizard you look and act, the better.
* In ''Literature/DarkLordOfDerkholm'', Wizards are pretty diverse folk and include both genders, but Mr. Chesney made all wizard-guides have to conform to look as close to the classic version as possible when they headed tours, including making all wizards grow beards.

* Disciples of Aldur in ''Literature/TheBelgariad''.
* The ''Literature/DorrieTheLittleWitch'' stories have featured a few, some good and some evil.
* Somewhat defied in ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'': while this sort of wizards do exist -- Nathaniel's first master is one of them -- it is stated that they are something of poseurs and that the really powerful wizards pretend to look more like accountants.
* Ramirus from the ''Literature/MagisterTrilogy'' looks like this, though since Magisters have very flexible VoluntaryShapeshifting powers, nobody can be sure if he's ''really'' a wise elder or just affects the stereotypical appearance because he likes the look. [[spoiler: Turns out he really ''is'' that old, though the even older and more powerful Colivar explicitly defies this trope, preferring to appear as a rakishly handsome young man who doesn't even bother with the traditional Magister's black robes, much to the disapproval of his peers]].
* Clothahump from ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'', while not looking the part (he's an anthropomorphic turtle), fits the rest of the trope completely: he's old, wise and knowledgeable, lives in seclusion in a hollowed-out tree, keeps apprentices and meddles in the affairs of the world he lives in to save it from great dangers. Jon-Tom even imagines him as a classic Gandalf-like wizard when he first hears the description of what Clothahump is.

* {{Myth/Merlin}} is the UrExample, unless you count Odin, and is portrayed like this in almost all media. Even if not the UrExample, he is certainly the TropeCodifier. Remarkable because the medieval texts don't actually describe his appearance and attire except when he's in disguise, so the wizard image must have coalesced and been taken for granted.
* Also Odin from Myth/NorseMythology, a god of wisdom who was the precursor to Merlin and carried a spear instead of a staff. Stories of him wandering the lands disguised as a simple traveller (wearing a cloak and a wide-brimmed hat) were a direct inspiration for [[Creator/JRRTolkien Gandalf]]. He could be seen as the UrExample to many later characters in this tradition.
* Väinämöinen from Literature/TheKalevala is roughly neck-and-neck with Odin for the title of UrExample. While depictions usually lack the hat, and he often uses a string instrument rather than a staff, he's still got the "bearded old magical man" bit down pat.

* The Wizard in ''Pinball/DungeonsAndDragons'', complete with pointy hat and long beard.
* Naturally, the "Wizard" table of ''VideoGame/SuperPinballBehindTheMask'' has one.
* The Wizard of ''Pinball/SilverballMania'', complete with (chrome) pointed hat, (chrome) beard, and (chrome) robes.
* The BigBad of ''Pinball/MagicGirl'' is a one of these.

* Magic users (wizards) in early editions of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''.
** The original logo for TSR (the original publisher of D&D) was a WizardClassic in a brimless pointy hat and moon-and-stars robe, waving a magic wand.
** From the TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms:

*** Marune of the Shadow Thieves (see [[http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/CnD/106.jpg in the canon art]]).

* The human wizards of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' tend not to look precisely like this -- a deliberate stylistic decision on the part of the designers throughout the years to make them seem more varied and interesting. Most of the individual elements of the "wizard classic" look are used on some wizard models -- robes, staffs, great age, beards etc. -- but almost never all together (and the traditional pointy hat is almost non-existent). In earlier days the wizards of the Grey College did tend to sport this look, but even they have dispensed with much of it and become shadowier and more sinister of late.
** The ones who get closest to this are the mages of the Lore of Light, the Lore of Metal and the Lore of Heavens. They don't quite make it because the first bear the trappings of a pseudo-Egyptian religious order while the second and third are more akin to scientists studying alchemy and astronomy to learn about transmutation and divination. Those of the Lore of Life and the Lore of Beasts are more akin to druids, and given their knack for subterfuge a Grey Wizard can wear pretty much anything. Those who study the Lore of Death look like necromancers to the common folk, but they will vehemently object to this. And the wizards of the Bright College are pyromancers who frequently spot ridiculous hairdos that make it difficult to wear a wizard hat.
* The rules of ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' encourage this. Armor inflicts penalties on spellcasting, leaving robes (preferably one of the more useful magical ones) the alternative. Most spellcasters aren't proficient with weapons beyond the most basic ones and magic staves are not only the best tool for tertiary spellcasting, but capable of being used as a quarterstaff. Age penalizes physical scores but grants bonuses to mental scores, bolstering magical potential, and wizards even get access to a feat that grants them [[TheAgeless biological immortality]]. And if being a hermit is your thing, teleportation and private pocket dimensions do wonders for high level spellcasters.

* Of all the mage characters in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', First Enchanter Irving probably fits this image best.
** Your other mage companion, Wynn, could probably qualify as a female version of this trope.
* The ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' series gives us two examples:

* Apolimesho from ''VisualNovel/LorenTheAmazonPrincess''
* Lord Hawkwind the Timelord of the ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'' series ends up [[http://lparchive.org/Wizardry-IV/Update%2013/53-hawkwind_nes2.jpg looking the part]] in his later years minus the hat and appears to have many sagely powers befitting a wizard, but this is a subversion, as he's actually a ninja. [[spoiler:Also lacking from a true wizard is a sense of wisdom as he ultimately meets his end by the hands of his nemesis in Wizardry IV from being stabbed in [[EvilGloating the middle of his monologue]] by a dink.]] Werdna from the first and fourth games of the latter is an evil version of this.
* The Apprentice from ''VideoGame/DungeonDefenders'' is an adorable tyke version of this.

* The "generic" sprites and portraits for magi in ''VideoGame/{{Exile}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Avernum}}'' tend towards either classic wizards, or younger "scholar" types that will become them in a few decades. However, the important, named wizards such as [[BaldBlackLeaderGuy Solberg]], [[CatFolk "X"]], or [[HotWitch Erica]] tend to be different.

* In the VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork series, [=MagicMan.EXE=] takes this appearance, though with a texturally simplified, angular appearance to fit his role as a computer program. This is contrasted with Magic Man as he originally appeared in ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass'', where he resembled a stage illusionist.
* Curtis, the leader of the Vareth Institute from ''VideoGame/RadiataStories'' fits the trope most out of all of the mage characters from the game. His wizard hat is topped with a spinning globe and he has an incredibly curly mustache. He will only join your party once you have recruited every mage from the guild and he is easily one of the most powerful spellcasters in the game.

** Zazzerpan from the in-story novel ''The Complacency of the Learned''. Other wizards are mentioned as well, but there's not enough information to know how closely they stick to the archetype. The Lalonde house is decorated with a frightening amount of artwork of Zazzerpan and numerous other classic wizards--these are the cause of a bizarre, passive-aggressive ([[spoiler:and completely one-sided]]) fight between Rose and her mom.

* Elan from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' dresses as this (RobeAndWizardHat with stars on them, false WizardBeard and a staff with an 8-ball on it) when he decides to multiclass as a wizard. He also tries to (unsuccessfully) mimic Vaarsuvius's SpockSpeak. [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0127.html V doesn't take it well]].

* Arthax from ''Webcomic/{{Nodwick}}'' uses a robe and a pointy hat (no brim) and is the oldest (if not the wisest) member of the group. He also tends to keep to himself and perform magical experiments when the group aren't out questing, [[StuffBlowingUp which isn't just his wizardly nature but also because his experiments have an unfortunate tendency to detonate.]]
* Wizard, from [[http://www.wizardandgiant.com Wizard & Giant]] doesn't wear a hat, but otherwise he's pretty much as classic a sorcerer as an ebon [[MisterSeahorse Mister Seahorse]] can be.
* Toivo of ''Webcomic/IngressAdventuringCompany'' doesn’t have a beard, but otherwise falls into this trope. While he doesn’t quite have a wizard’s tower, he does have an extraordinarily precarious treehouse that he built in the woods.

* The kindly wizard protagonist of the Creator/VanBeurenStudios Rainbow Parade cartoon "Spinning Mice". He has the robe, magic, beard and all.
* [[SdrawkcabName Yen]] [[Creator/{{Disney}} Sid]], the master of the [[WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}} Sorcerer's Apprentice]] has a grey beard, a blue robe, and a pointy MagicHat adorned with moons and stars.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Starswirl the Bearded, a unicorn from the distant past, is a pony version of this. As he lacked hands, he did magic with his horn instead of a staff, but otherwise he's got the beard, the wizard clothes -- most notably a large, star-spangled wizard hat with bells around the rim -- and is still famed for his magic feats.

* ''VideoGame/PortalRunner'': Merlin appears as a character you save. He dresses just like a stereotypical wizard, he uses magic, and he's fairly wize. He later communicates with Vikki through a MagicMirror, telling her how to stop Bridgette.

* '''Mostly Male''': In strict etymological terms, the English word "wizard" is gender-neutral. However, in most works, wizards are usually males. This may have more to do with males being the more educated of the sexes in historical times when even wealthy and noble females were rarely even taught to read. In works where this gender rule is not absolute, female practitioners tend to be given names associated with entirely different magical traditions (most often 'witch' or 'sorceress').

* Vitruvius from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie''. Notably [[Franchise/TheLordOfTheRings Gandalf]] and [[Franchise/HarryPotter Dumbledore]] cameo as Those two guys.

* Yen Sid, the sorcerer from ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}'', has a long grey beard and a blue robe. He also has a magic hat that has the power to bring household tools to life.
* Myth/{{Merlin}} from ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone'' is portrayed as a somewhat comical old man with a long beard, blue robe and pointy hat.

* [[SdrawkcabName Yen]] [[Creator/{{Disney}} Sid]], the master of the [[Disney/{{Fantasia}} Sorcerer's Apprentice]] has a grey beard, a blue robe, and a pointy MagicHat adorned with moons and stars.

* Gandalf and Saruman in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. Both magic, bearded old men who were long-lived and nigh immortal and carried staffs, and gave advice. Gandalf [[WalkingTheEarth walked the earth]] but Saruman lived in a [[MageTower tower.]] [[UnbuiltTrope However]], whereas normal wizards are educated humans, Tolkien's "wizards" are actually [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Maiar]] in corporeal form -- something that is discussed vaguely in ''The Lord of the Rings'' but made more explicit in other Tolkien works.
* Dumbledore in ''Literature/HarryPotter''. While all male magic users are called 'wizards' in the series, Dumbledore specifically fits the wizard image. He's old, wise, has a beard, wears robes and floppy pointy hats, and lives in his office in one of the tallest Hogwarts towers. The only element he lacks is the staff, because that's just not something wizards of the Potterverse use; he casts spells with a wand like everybody else.
* According to the WordOfGod, Harry Dresden from ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' is half-this (half-Gandalf, to be exact), half-Literature/SherlockHolmes. He wears a duster that "looks like it belongs on the set of El Dorado", wields a staff, has both a dog and a cat and is pretty solitary.
** Harry belongs to the White Council which is chock full of variations of this trope. The leader Arthur Langtry, whose title is "the Merlin," is the straightest example described as looking like what a wizard [[InvokedTrope should look like]], but is also an ObstructiveBureaucrat who's not so wise (though he gets better - [[GoodIsNotNice and more dangerous]] - after [[spoiler: his traitorous secretary is caught using subtle mind control via enchanted ink t to influence him]]). Wizard is a title akin to a doctorate or a black belt (albeit one that requires a certain level of power, not just skill) and incidentally most lesser practitioners that don't merit it also end up looking like normal people.
* The Wizards of Unseen University in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fall into this. Of course their "wisdom" in regards to magic mostly consists of not using it and in the earlier books, jockeying for a KlingonPromotion or two. They ''look'' the part but their antics usually boil down to them being uncannily indestructible old men who blunder about having adventures at other people's expense. [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass However, on no account should one underestimate them.]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction They are Ankh-Morpork's nuclear deterrent, and the main reason that they don't overuse magic is because it tends to attract]] {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and play merry hell with the fabric of reality. It's also made clear that [[ObfuscatingStupidity the Faculty are not as obliviously dim as they pretend to be]] - which backfires on them as Ponder Stibbons, most junior member of the Faculty and resident genius, goes from trying to explain things in exhaustive detail to them (which they pretend not to understand to wind him up) to just assuming they'll get it without explanation and refusing to elaborate.

* In the ''Literature/EnchantedForestChronicles'', all wizards wear traditional wizardly attire, have beards and carry staffs, which suck up magic from their surroundings. All wizards are pretty much bad guys in this incarnation. Supposedly there ''are'' good wizards (who aren't part of the organization causing all the trouble throughout the series), but they're only mentioned in passing at the end of the fourth book. They're rare because of BadPowersBadPeople -- they draw magic from their surroundings to cast spells, which makes them naturally unwelcome in environments where magic is endemic to life, such as the home of the dragons and the titular Enchanted Forest. Wizards also tend to be greasy, presumably because they [[KillItWithWater melt in soapy water]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', after her sojourn into the depths of the Sith Temple on Malachor, Ahsoka Tano appears in the epilogue as what fandom have dubbed "Ahsoka the White" complete with wizardy staff and long white hooded robe.

* Myth/{{Merlin}} from ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone''.

* Väinämöinen from Myth/FinnishMythology is roughly neck-and-neck with Odin for the title of UrExample. While depictions usually lack the hat, and he often uses a string instrument rather than a staff, he's still got the "bearded old magical man" bit down pat.

** With the addition of his kendo-influenced [[LaserSword lightsabre]]-fighting skills, he is also a KungFuWizard (barring the [[InterchangeableAsianCultures obvious difference]] [[Administrivia/TropesAreFlexible between kung fu and kendo]])

* Myth/{{Merlin}} from ''WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone''.
* Vitruvius from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie''. Notably [[Franchise/LordOfTheRings Gandalf]] and [[Franchise/HarryPotter Dumbledore]] cameo as Those two guys.

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