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| 17 | |
| 18 | ->'''The Dragonborn''': Does [Jarl] Ulfric have much need for magic?\ |
| 19 | '''Wuunferth the Unliving''': No, but then I don't have much need for Ulfric. |
| 20 | -->-- ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' |
| 21 | |
| 22 | In fantasy series, it's fairly common for a king or other high-ranking ruler to [[StandardRoyalCourt keep a magic-user]] [[StealthPun on staff]], primarily to provide mystical advice and magical spells, and possibly general wisdom and advice on politica strategies. Can also show up in historical fiction or even RealLife, as during time periods when sorcery was widely believed in, having a mage or alchemist on hand was generally seen as a smart idea. The character can be TheGoodChancellor, the EvilChancellor, or anything in-between. Sometimes they're also the CourtJester or the HighPriest (if the kingdom's dominant or state [[ReligionIsMagic religion is or is at least believed to be magical]] in any way). The mage may also help out during battles, either offering strategic advice, divining the enemy's intentions or casting spells. As a general rule, the mage will likely keep their quarters and workshop [[MageTower at the top of the castle's highest tower]]. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | If the character has a higher standing than other mages as well as the king, they may be TheArchmage. If this is common and magic is real and powerful, one may have to ask why wizards don't run things themselves, but then again there are disadvantages to being officially in charge. Contrast TheMagocracy, SorcerousOverlord and BenevolentMageRuler, where they do. One reason that Arch Mages may prefer to have a king or queen appear to lead (as a PuppetKing) is that there are advantages to being the power behind the throne: if a ruler becomes unpopular, a new one can be swapped in. |
| 25 | ---- |
| 26 | !!Examples: |
| 27 | |
| 28 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 29 | |
| 30 | [[folder:Advertising]] |
| 31 | * [[https://youtube.com/watch?v=9m3LuKlpqy4 This ad]] has a court mage offering to make the king immortal and to curse his enemies, but all the king wants him to do is conjure ''Bud Light''. |
| 32 | [[/folder]] |
| 33 | |
| 34 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 35 | * Madam Suliman in ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle''. Howl is one too, and so must appear before the court anytime he is summoned. Much to his dislike. |
| 36 | * [[spoiler:Chanchellor Mogamett, at first,]] in ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic''. |
| 37 | * ''Literature/ReZero'': He dresses like a clown and acts like a fop, but Marquis Roswaal L. Mathers is Court Magician to the nigh-extinct royal family of Lugunica with [[TheArchmage good reason]]. |
| 38 | * Fai D. Flowright in ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'' |
| 39 | [[/folder]] |
| 40 | |
| 41 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 42 | * In ''ComicBook/ArakSonOfThunder'', Malgigi was the court mage to Carolus Magnus (a.k.a. Charlemagne). |
| 43 | * ''ComicBook/BlackMoonChronicles'': Any lord of high enough standing employs at least one mage if they're smart about it, since not being prepared against the enemy employing magic against them could cost them their heads in this war-torn setting. |
| 44 | ** Ghorgor Bey's sworn enemy keeps a mage by his side. Quite hilariously, when Ghorgor slaughters the entire castle guard and advances on the two, the lord orders the mage to kill him, at which point he says "I'd love to, your lordship, but I've got a teleport on the boil!" and teleports away. |
| 45 | * ''ComicBook/{{Empyre}}'': Wiccan becames the Court Wizard of the Kree-Skrull Alliance, as well as consort to Emperor Dorrek VIII (better known as Hulkling). |
| 46 | * [[ComicBook/DoctorStrange Doctor Stephen Strange]] in ''ComicBook/{{Marvel 1602}}'' is both the Queen's physician as well as the court sorcerer/{{alchem|y is magic}}ist. |
| 47 | * ''Webcomic/{{Nodwick}}'': In the ItsAWonderfulPlot story "It's a Wonderful Farce", the AlternateUniverse where Arthax never joined the party shows he became a court magician, advising his king and entertaining the courtiers with simple tricks. [[spoiler:In the BadFuture story "A World Without Piffany" from the print comic, he becomes the court soothsayer of BigBad Baphuma'al, a GodOfEvil, by being permanently bonded to the Orb of Omniscience.]] |
| 48 | * [[RealityWarper Reality-warping]] mage ''Mr Mxyzptlk'' from the ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' comics is a CourtJester in his home dimension. The mage thing probably isn't a big deal there because everyone in his world has similar powers. |
| 49 | * ''Franchise/WonderWoman'': |
| 50 | ** The Amazon's royal court usually contains a seer and a witch/mage, though just who those characters are varies through the iterations. |
| 51 | ** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Eudia is Hippolyta's mage, and cast the spell to siphon off half of Diana's power to ComicBook/{{Artemis}} in order to ensure Diana wasn't the Wonder Woman who died as was foreseen. This ended up backfiring and killing Diana when Neron noticed the spell and took advantage. |
| 52 | [[/folder]] |
| 53 | |
| 54 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 55 | * ''Fanfic/TheBridge'': Archmage Saros was the court mage of Princess Amore Diamante. He secretly desired her, and when she marries a peasant named Bene Lyric and has a daughter, he eventually becomes King Sombra, [[IfICantHaveYou murders Amore and her husband]], and takes over the Crystal Empire. |
| 56 | * ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' had Merlin and Taliesin [[spoiler: a.k.a. Doctor Strange]] -- the former being the senior adviser to Arthur Pendragon, while the latter was officially Court Physician and Court Bard. |
| 57 | * ''Fanfic/MyChoicesTwistedTalesThroughTime'': One of the more influential positions in ancient Equestria's Royal Court is that of Magical Advisor to Princess Celestia, given to the most skilled or accomplished unicorn wizard around and invested with a great deal of power over magical law and education. |
| 58 | %%* ''Fanfic/TheTaintedGrimoire'' has a few examples.%%"Is such" is not context. |
| 59 | %%** Babus Swain is such to Queen Remedi. |
| 60 | %%** Auggie is such to the Baron of Fluorgis |
| 61 | * ''Fanfic/TheVow'' (a ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' fanfic) has Ah-Ma, an old and wise goat who serves as the court [[{{Seers}} Soothsayer]] and TheGoodChancellor to Gongmen City's nobility, first to Lord Shen's parents and then Lady Lianne. She's asked to foretell the future several times from her bowl. One of those instances has her foretell the prophecy about Shen's fate. |
| 62 | * ''Fanfic/TheWesterosi'': Captain Jade Hasegawa finds herself promoted to this role for King Robert early on. Her tenure does not survive the coronation of Prince Joffrey. After Jade leaves, Euron Greyjoy takes the position. |
| 63 | * ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'': Lyndess, kind of,. Her main job seems to be providing sexual stimulants for Grynun, the Idri-Head. And she really, really doesn't want to be there, but it's the best place for her to be, given that she's cursed to remain in Ketafa. |
| 64 | [[/folder]] |
| 65 | |
| 66 | [[folder:Film -- Animation]] |
| 67 | * Jafar from ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}''. He hypnotises the Sultan to get his way and wants to get the magic lamp and marry the princess, Jasmine so he can take over. It's somewhat ambiguous if he's officially this or just an EvilChancellor who practices sorcery on the side, but the latter is implied. |
| 68 | * Rasputin in ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'' was said to be the court mystic for the Romanovs but he was banished for [[NoodleIncident treachery in a mysterious incident]], leading to him becoming an EvilSorcerer. The writer of the Creator/DonBluth film said he was inspired to create his Rasputin based off of myths about the real Rasputin, feeling it would fit the [[HistoricalFantasy fairy tale style]] adaptation of real-life history. |
| 69 | * Schmendrick becomes this in ''WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn'', entertaining King Haggard with magic tricks to distract him from the gang's attempt to free the unicorns. He replaced a previous court mage called Mabruk. |
| 70 | * Rafiki from ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'' is the Seer or Witch Doctor variant, seeing he's able to divine things and communicate with Mufasa's spirit. His position is also highly respected, seeing the animals bow to him as he makes his way to Pride Rock during "The Circle of Life". |
| 71 | * Hotep and Huy from ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'', though it's unclear if they really have powers beyond clever sleight-of-hand. Given [[Literature/TheBible the source material]] and the fact that they're patterned after [[StageMagician Siegfried and Roy]], it's heavily implied that their feats are just really impressive tricks. |
| 72 | [[/folder]] |
| 73 | |
| 74 | [[folder:Film -- Live-Action]] |
| 75 | * Sokurah from ''Film/The7thVoyageOfSinbad'' until he betrays the Caliph in order to reclaim his lost magic lamp. |
| 76 | * Lord Arthur's "Wise Man" from ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'' is knowledgeable on the subject but doesn't seem to be able to do magic without the [[TomeOfEldritchLore Necronomicon]]. |
| 77 | * ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer'': At the end, Queen Jehnna offers Akiro the Wizard to be her royal advisor and he accepts. |
| 78 | * Creator/JeremyIrons plays one of these (also an EvilChancellor) in the ''Film/DungeonsAndDragons2000'' movie. |
| 79 | * ''Film/TheTenCommandments1956'': Jannes the High Priest of Egypt, as played by Douglas Dumbrill, is also one of these. But although the demonstration of his powers with turning his rod into that of a cobra is clearly real, Moses through God humiliates him in front of his pharaoh and the Royal Court by Moses' rod turned cobra swallowing his, and then discrediting him and his gods by causing plagues that Jannes clearly proves unable to prevent. |
| 80 | * ''Film/InTheNameOfTheKing: A VideoGame/DungeonSiege Tale'' has Creator/JohnRhysDavies play King Konreid's magus named Merick, serving this purpose. Later in the film, he mentions that a magus only has his power as long he serves a king, meaning the magi were always in this role. However, only two ([[spoiler:three if you count Merick's daughter Muriella]]) magi remain: Merick and [[EvilSorcerer Gallian]]. The latter has somehow managed to become extremely powerful and uplift the mindless Krug into a horde, all without serving a king. During their confrontation, Gallian reveals that he found a [[LoopholeAbuse loophole]] -- no one says you can't declare yourself king of some group (like the Krug) and serve ''yourself''. Of course, it's implied by Merick's reaction that only a madman like Gallian could justify such twisted logic. By the end, it's implied that [[spoiler:Muriella will now serve this role for Farmer, AKA [[UnexpectedSuccessor Camden Konreid]]]]. |
| 81 | * ''Film/RedSonja'': Queen Gerden has a wizard who serves her. He aids her in the final battle against Sonja, until the latter kills him. |
| 82 | * ''Film/TheThrillingSword'': Lord Xie is a sorcerer serving as the King's advisor and the kingdom's protector against giant monsters, ranging from dragons to ogres... except, he's also summoning them as a MonsterProtectionRacket. The hero's aim is to expose Xie and defeat him. |
| 83 | * In the first ''Film/{{Wishmaster}}'' film, the court wizard in service to a ruler who once fell prey to the Djinn's machinations [[SealedEvilInACan sealed]] the [[JackassGenie Djinn]] in a [[CrystalPrison gemstone]] to prevent him from granting a third wish (which would unleash HellOnEarth). |
| 84 | [[/folder]] |
| 85 | |
| 86 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 87 | * ''Literature/TheBelgariad'' and its sequels have instances of this: |
| 88 | ** Ran Borune XXIII, the Emperor of Tolnedra and Ce'Nedra's father, has one who appears early in the series. As it turns out, he's a charlatan and Ran Borune knows it (like most Tolnedrans, he doesn't believe in sorcery on principle), bluntly stating that he keeps him around for amusement value. |
| 89 | ** Belgarath and Polgara occasionally serve in a variation of this function. Unlike most examples, they're not subservient, and their advice is usually as much political and military (sometimes even technological) as it is mystical. Indeed, their 'advice' often involves bullying recalcitrant monarchs into doing something sensible/not doing something stupid. Belgarath usually handles the Alorn kingdoms, and Polgara sometimes helps, particularly with Riva, but she mainly spent her time dealing with Arendia, keeping it more or less peaceful for 600 years (since it takes nothing more than misplaced sneeze to start a war in Arendia, this is quite an achievement), as well as a few months in Nyissa a century before the first series weaning the somewhat dim but rather sweet Salmissra of the time off drugs and giving her a basic political education. |
| 90 | ** Agachak theoretically functions as an evil and domineering version of this to Urgit, the King of the Murgos in the sequel. As it is, his 'advice' mostly involves using Urgit as a puppet. This is quite easy, since Urgit is a very nervous King who only survived his childhood/young adulthood by getting hold of the keys to the treasury and avoiding confrontation with anyone dangerous, and has Zakath, Emperor of Mallorea, an incredibly powerful [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who's out for his blood for something Urgit's [[spoiler: presumed]] father Taur Urgas did. Once Urgit grows a spine, and starts taking some of Garion's initially reluctant advice on how to be a good King onboard, he stops being pushed around so easily. |
| 91 | * ''Literature/TheCrimsonShadow'': Greensparrow was this for Avon's king before taking power. |
| 92 | * ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle'': Several variations: |
| 93 | ** King Stephen and Queen Anne from the first book keep a wizard named Trian as one of their closest advisors; he is a friend to both royals and TheGoodChancellor. |
| 94 | ** The Sartan are a powerful MageSpecies, but those of [[LethalLavaLand Abarrach]] have lost most of their magic, the chief exception being {{Necromancer}}s. Some of their rulers (like [[EvilOverlord Dynast Kleitus]]) are necromancers themselves; those who are not tend to keep a necromancer as an advisor. Baltazar, Court Necromancer to the king of Kairn Telest, is a significant character in the third book. |
| 95 | ** When discussing the distant past, the Sartan leader [[KnightTemplar Samah]] describes how the Sartan's rivals, the Patryns (also a MageSpecies) would often take this role and use it to manipulate [[{{Muggles}} mensch]] governments without sitting on the throne. He gets rather defensive when the person he's talking to points out that the Sartan [[NotSoDifferentRemark used to do the same thing]]. |
| 96 | * ''Literature/{{Deryni}}'': A variant of this recurs. Since the Haldane kings need help (including a magical ritual) to access their powers, one or more other Deryni serve this function. It starts with Camber and his family discovering the Haldane Potential and helping Cinhil Haldane and his sons in the ''Legends of Camber'' and ''Heirs of Camber'' trilogies. Generations later, Donal Haldane uses the services of Deryni (including Alyce de Corwyn Morgan) and actually imprints instructions for his son Brion's ritual in the minds of Alyce and her son Alaric. The adult Alaric Morgan and Duncan [=McLain=] work together in this unofficial position for Brion's son Kelson. |
| 97 | * Nevyn in the ''Literature/{{Deverry}}'' novels sort of takes this role on occasion, although he prefers his royal patrons to see him as an uncommonly wise herbalist who gives good general advice, and leave the dweomer out of it if possible. He also has to pull MyGrandsonMyself to explain why people with this odd name keep appearing in the history books. |
| 98 | * ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': |
| 99 | ** ''Literature/{{Mort}}'': Played with. When Princess Kelli becomes all but unnoticeable to non-wizards, she appoints the mage Cutwell, to be her Royal Recognizer. He also fills this trope, albeit incompetently. |
| 100 | ** ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'': At the end, Ponder Stibbons is offered this position by King Verence of Lancre. "He says other kings have always had [[CourtJester fools]], so he'll try having a wise man around, just in case that works better." This apparently doesn't work out, since he's back at the University by ''Literature/SoulMusic''. |
| 101 | %%* ''Literature/DragonBones'': Ward's father keeps a mage. |
| 102 | * ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'': Marwort the Illustrious was this to the Kingpriest, despite the latter's well-documented FantasticRacism towards wizards (it only worked out because Marwort swore never to use magic without the Kingpriest's permission, and then never in his presence). Other wizards, of course, considered him a traitor. Later on [[EvilSorcerer Fistandantilus]] took the job for his own ends. |
| 103 | * ''Literature/EnchantedForestChronicles'': Cimorene learned some magic from her father's court mage before she was told that magic wasn't a proper pursuit for princesses. |
| 104 | * ''Literature/TheEyesOfTheDragon'': Flagg is the King's magician and also an EvilChancellor. |
| 105 | * ''Literature/ForestKingdom'': In book 1 (''Blue Moon Rising''), the Astrologer serves as this, and before him the High Warlock. |
| 106 | * ''Literature/ForgottenRealms'': The Kingdom of Cormyr has a hereditary Court Mage. The original, Baerauble Etharr, was a human who managed to become this to the king of the Elves; after the elves decided to leave Cormyr and suceed power to the growing human settlements that would eventually become Cormy, the king ordered Baerauble to stay behind and continue guiding the newly-crowned human king. After his death, his descendants kept up the position for each succeeding king of Cormyr, acting as both advisor, and TheChessmaster who works behind the scenes. |
| 107 | * ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'': In ''A Night in Terror Tower'', Morgred served the previous king [[spoiler:and cast a spell on Prince and Princess Eddie/Edward and Sue/Susannah of York to protect them from their wicked uncle, the usurper. It fails because the High Executioner interrupted his ritual and stole one of Morgred's magic orbs to chase the children into the future, causing the new memories Morgred gave them to be incomplete.]] |
| 108 | * ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'': We meet several in ''Vows & Honor''; downplayed in that one of the rules of Kethry's order, the White Winds, is that they ''don't'' accept permanent posts. |
| 109 | * In the TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 ''Literature/HorusHeresy'' books, the [[GodEmperor Emperor of Mankind]] is far and away the most powerful psyker in the galaxy, but he's got an empire of over a million worlds and he has his hands full with researching Eldar Webgates. Not to mention he's got some prejudices that really affect his judgement. So his buddy Malcador the Siglite is a distant 2nd or 3rd greatest psyker and he provides counsel to the Emperor, not fearing to disagree with the Emperor if he feels his boss is in the wrong. As the Emperor withdraws deeper into his research, Malcador takes on an increasing amount of rulership in the Imperium. |
| 110 | * ''Literature/HowlsMovingCastle'': The King's Sorcerer, Suliman. He's missing for most of the book, and it turns out one of the things Howl has been so enthusiastically avoiding is getting stuck with the job. |
| 111 | * ''Literature/TheLastUnicorn'': Schmendrick becomes one of these for King Haggard, displacing his former court wizard Mabruk. |
| 112 | * ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': Both Gandalf and Saruman have done stints as advisors to various monarchs. |
| 113 | * In Daniel Polansky's ''Low Town'', the Blue Crane was one of the greatest wizards in the setting and served as the court mage for a few years. Surprisingly for the [[DarkFantasy "grimdark" subgenre]], the Blue Crane is indisputably good, using only healing and protection magic. [[LovedByAll He's completely beloved]] by the kingdom, especially the poor, since he regularly donates to charities to help the less fortunate and it was his ward that stopped an epidemic of the plague. Too bad his student Celia doesn't have his power or morals. |
| 114 | * ''Literature/MagisterTrilogy'': A popular profession among the titular Magisters. Kings consider these immortal, nigh omnipotent sorcerers indispensable to their reigns. One of the big reasons why having a Magister Royal is so indispensable is that if you have one the Magister Law forbids other Magisters from screwing around with your kingdom. |
| 115 | * ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'': Most civilizations have a court mage of some kind: the Malazans have Tayschrenn, the Letherii have their Atri-Cedas (High Mages), and so on. |
| 116 | * ''Literature/MemorySorrowAndThorn'': Doctor Morgenes is officially employed as a scholar and physician by High King John, he's also a wizard of not-inconsiderable talent, albeit one who prefers to use his powers sparingly and not flaunt them. After John dies, his son [[AntiVillain Elias]] makes [[EvilSorcerer Pryrates]] his chief counselor. Subverted later in the series with the Duke of Nabban's advisor, the astrologer Xanassavin, who is presented as a quack, albeit one who occasionally gets lucky. |
| 117 | * ''Literature/MythAdventures'': Skeeve becomes one early in the series. His mentor Aahz insists it's a cushy job, where all you have to do is show some parlor tricks and be a status symbol. As it turns out, the king expects Skeeve to single-handedly face down an invading army... |
| 118 | * ''Literature/ProphecyApprovedCompanion'': The Kingdom that the Evil Emperor took over, had court mages that apparently could not withstand his might. |
| 119 | * ''Literature/TheQueenOfIeflaria'': Archmage Arran Eads, who is the liaison from the Temple of Talcia to the royal court (because Talcia is the Goddess of Magic). He's among the [[TheArchmage most powerful mages]] in Ieflaria, though Esofi thinks that isn't saying much since Ieflarians are weak in magic overall. Most of the time he isn't really concerned with magic, but medical science, and it's confusing for Esofi. |
| 120 | * ''Literature/RavenOfTheInnerPalace'': The Raven Consort fits this purpose. Despite her title, she performs no night time duties and does not serve the Emperor, and yet she is someone the Emperor and his Court consult with on mystical and supernatural matters. Magic is mysterious and awe inspiring in their world, but there's a reason she does not rule. |
| 121 | * ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'': Many vermin leaders have a seer on hand to explain their prophetic dreams, give advice, and keep the troops afraid with stage magic (multicolored smoke and explosions are popular). However, it's not a very desirable position, as they're just as likely to be victim of the warlord's mood swings, tantrums, and general bad temper. |
| 122 | * ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle'': Pug's first master Kulgan in ''Magician'' served as this for Duke Boric of Crydee. Pug himself was Prince Arutha's court mage for a short period, though he more often showed up temporarily to provide advice in times of need. On the Tsurani side the Warlord had a pair of Great Ones who supported his political ambitions functioning very much like this, though the Tsurani Great Ones normally stand outside the political intrigues that a part of life in the Empire. |
| 123 | %%* ''Literature/TheRunelords'': Binnesman and [[EvilOverlord Raj Ahten's]] flameweavers. |
| 124 | * ''Literature/SchooledInMagic'': Emily comes across several court wizards as she is traveling with Princess Alassa. The court wizard in Zangaria (Alassa's kingdom) is named Zed. He is a talented alchemist as well. |
| 125 | * ''Literature/SecondApocalypse'': The Imperial Saik are an entire order of court mages serving the Nansur Empire. |
| 126 | * In Creator/KathleenDuey's ''Skin Hunger'' it is mentioned that having a court mage became quite common after Somiss' formalized magic education and made it male-exclusive. (Beforehand, there were witches and wizards, of questionable skill, who offered their services on market places and the like.) |
| 127 | * ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': |
| 128 | ** [[PlayingWithFire Melisandre]] serves as a combination of court mage/religious adviser/oracle to [[KnightTemplar Stannis]]. In later books, [[spoiler: [[{{Necromancer}} Qyburn]]]] becomes this to [[spoiler: [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Cersei]]]], and [[spoiler: [[EthnicMagician Moqorro]]]] to [[spoiler: [[PirateKing Victarion]]]]. [[NobleFugitive Danaerys]] briefly has [[WitchClassic Mirri Maz Duur]], but it ends badly for both of them. |
| 129 | ** Generally, this position is filled by court scholars called maesters. Some of them study magic, but ultimately believe that it is fictional. Many of them are secretly hostile to it. |
| 130 | ** The Mad King Aerys used to have [[AlchemyIsMagic pyromancers]] at his court to make [[GreekFire wildfire]] for him. He is obsessed with burning people, and has them make enough wildfire to burn King's Landing to the ground. |
| 131 | * ''Literature/SoThisIsEverAfter'': After becoming king, Arek appoints Matt, who's a mage, to be his. |
| 132 | * ''Literature/TalesFromNetheredge'' has Myr of the North (and previously his father Goren) serving as the court mage to the royal family of Bow. |
| 133 | * In ''Literature/TalesFromVerania'', the protagonist Sam Haversford is the apprentice to the King's Wizard, and is supposed to someday serve his son, Prince Justin. Part of the conflict of the first book is that Justin is an asshole who Sam has to [[AssholeVictim rescue]] [[DragonsPreferPrincesses from a horny dragon]]. |
| 134 | * In Creator/PaoloBacigalupi and Creator/TobiasBuckell's ''The Tangled Lands'', the Mayor is essentially the king of the great city of Khaim. Magister Scacz is the last great Magister in the world and for all his power, he has no interest in governing and only cares to use magic and prevent others from casting spells. As such he'll aid the Mayor completely as the two essentially share goals and are kindred spirits. While Scacz does some advising and planning, he and the Mayor are more like partners in crime than a superior and his subordinate. |
| 135 | * ''Literature/ThirdTimeLuckyAndOtherStoriesOfTheMostPowerfulWizardInTheWorld'': |
| 136 | ** In "Third Time Lucky" Magdelene's son Tristan served as court wizard for a northern king. |
| 137 | ** In "The Last Lesson" her master Adar served another king this way too. |
| 138 | ** In "Be It Ever So Humble" Warlord Herrick attempts to coerce Magdelene herself into being his. [[OneHitKill It goes poorly for him]]. |
| 139 | * In ''Literature/TheTraitorSonCycle'', the courts of Alba, Morea and Daar as Salaam all keep hermeticists on staff to advise them with magical problems and perform whatever sorcery would be needed. |
| 140 | * ''Literature/{{Uprooted}}'': Wizards are required to register in the royal court of Polya and are ''de facto'' nobility. Those who remain in court advise the king on magical matters and include an UltimateBlacksmith, a scholarly bishop, and a [[TheMedic healer]]. Best exemplified by the Falcon, who's a politically active socialite and constant companion to Prince Marek. |
| 141 | * OlderThanDirt: The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westcar_Papyrus Westcar Papyrus]], dating from the [[UsefulNotes/AncientEgyptianHistory late Middle Kingdom or Second Intermediate Period]] of ancient Egyptian history (c. 1650-1550 BCE), tells of the lector priest and magician [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djadjaemankh Djadjaemankh]], court magician to King Sneferu of the Old Kingdom Fourth Dynasty (from the 26th century BCE). Djadjaemankh was allusively associated with several wonders, but the only one that survives (from the story in the Westcar Papyrus) involves him parting the Nile to pick up a piece of jewelry a beautiful lady in Sneferu's service had dropped in the river during a pleasure cruise. Please note that while Djadjaemankh seems to be fictional, the lector priests in attendance at the ancient Egyptian royal court really were associated with magic (though their alleged abilities tended to be rather less impressive than Djadjaemankh's). |
| 142 | * ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': Rulers commonly have an Aes Sedai advisor. Most of the time it's kept secret, however, because the MagicalSociety has a well-earned reputation for ExactWords and political manipulation. |
| 143 | * Several examples in Creator/TamoraPierce's books, with probably the straightest being Quenaill Shieldsman and Ishabal Ladyhammer of ''[[Literature/CircleOfMagic The Will of the Empress]]'' -- Quenaill specialises in protective magic while Ishabal specialises in destructive magic. The plot of the book is the four leads trying to escape becoming this themselves. The Emperor of Yanjing has a whole fleet of court mages from all around the world, while Inoulia keeps Yarrun Firetamer around to protect her lands from wildfires. Sandry also acts as a court mage to her uncle, but also handles his finances, runs his household and handles entertaining at his castle. |
| 144 | %%* ''Literature/TheWindsOfTheForelands'': Many [[MageSpecies Qirsi]] have this as a profession. |
| 145 | * ''Literature/TheWitcher'': Serving a term as a CourtMage for a minor lord is a standard step in a magician's career in the setting. High-ranking magicians are independent, but often advise kings and other rulers. |
| 146 | * ''Literature/WizardOfYurt'': Daimbert serves as the Royal Wizard of Yurt. Other kingdoms also have a royal wizard-it's a standard position for them. |
| 147 | * For good King Henry, the Wizard of ''Literature/WizardsWarriorsAndYou'' is the advisor and master artificer - dispensing advice and the occasional new weapon to the armory. When real danger threatens the kingdom, the Wizard and his friend, the Warrior become Henry's champions against all threats. |
| 148 | [[/folder]] |
| 149 | |
| 150 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 151 | * ''Series/{{Arabela}}'' has Mr. Vigo, although it seems to be more of an InformedAttribute, since we never see him performing any magic. |
| 152 | * ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Melisandre to Stannis. She is a Red Priestess in the religion of R'hllor, the Lord of Light, who has magic powers and a close advisor to Stannis in his campaign to take the Iron Throne. |
| 153 | * Surprisingly averted in the episode of ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' where the heroes find a world where magic is real. However, played straight in another episode where they slide into a world where a significant percentage of the human population has PsychicPowers. After one of them foresees and warns UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln of his impending assassination, the President creates an official Cabinet position of Prime Oracle, which appears to be a lifetime appointment. Not only that, but the next Prime Oracle is chosen by the previous one, not by the current President. Presumably, he or she uses their abilities to pick someone who will not be corrupted by this position. |
| 154 | * An episode of ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'' has [[AWizardDidIt Zedd]] accidentally rewriting history with a spell and making Richard the ruler of not only [[TheEmpire D'Hara]] but also all of the known world. Apparently, Zedd is his court wizard. Interestingly, while Darken Rahl himself had a powerful wizard and hundreds of sorcerers in his employ, they don't really fit, as they were never present in his court. Rahl himself could cast some spells. |
| 155 | * ''Series/TheWitcher2019'': Almost every single monarch in the setting has a wielder of magic at their court. Most of them are provided by the Chapter and trained at Aretuza or Ban Ard. Cintra stands out as they steadfastly refuse to accept a Chapter mage at their court, but have a druid filling the same role. Triss, Yennefer and Fringilla were three of those we see with this position, which lets them pull strings behind the scenes. |
| 156 | [[/folder]] |
| 157 | |
| 158 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 159 | * Elluka Clockworker (played by [[Music/{{Vocaloid}} Luka Megurine]]) from ''Music/EvilliousChronicles'' was this during the time of "Daughter of Evil" and one key plot element was that she [[{{Seers}} foresaw the execution of Princess Riliane in a dream]]. [[spoiler:Her prediction came true, though not quite in the way she expected]]. |
| 160 | [[/folder]] |
| 161 | |
| 162 | [[folder:Myths & Religion]] |
| 163 | * Literature/TheBible ascribes court magicians to Pharaoh ([[Literature/BookOfExodus Exodus 7 and 8]]) and to the King of Babylon ([[Literature/BookOfDaniel Daniel 1, 2, 4, and 5]]). Confirmed at least for Egypt by historical sources: a Pharaoh always had a court mage and a physician on the payroll -- the latter was expected to perform mystical healing arts as well as mundane, thus overlapping the role somewhat. It's believed that the death of at least one Pharaoh was indirectly caused by a treacherous court mage removing the divine protection from him, and getting caught in the act -- placebo can work in both ways (the negative effect is actually called "nocebo"). |
| 164 | * According to some historical interpretations, TheThreeWiseMen would have had this job (rather than being kings themselves, as in other interpretations) -- they are specifically identified as ''magi'' (singular ''magus'', and the word "magic", "magician" and numerous European words for "wizard" descend from), a Persian priestly caste of sorts who also practiced alchemy and astrology and were widely considered magic-users. This makes sense considering they are shown to be {{Astrologer}}s who correctly interpret the StarOfBethlehem as signaling the birth of UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}. |
| 165 | * Myth/{{Merlin}} the Magician, of course, was Myth/KingArthur's advisor and councilor at court. Unquestionably the TropeCodifier. |
| 166 | [[/folder]] |
| 167 | |
| 168 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 169 | * {{Defied|Trope}} in ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'', where the Order of Hermes prohibits its members from "interfering in the affairs of [[{{Muggles}} mundanes]]". This is in part to protect the somewhat open secret of their existence on the fringes of society; in part to avoid stepping on the Church's toes in a setting where divine powers are demonstrably real; and in part because the Gift of Magic causes innate distrust and disgust in people nearby, which causes [[TorchesAndPitchforks quite enough problems]] ''outside'' a royal court. |
| 170 | * ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost'': The Office of Vizieral Counsel are an [[PrestigeClass Entitlement]] based on serving as TheGoodChancellor to their [[FaerieCourt Court]], but Viziers need to be well-trained in the occult and can learn new [[MagicByAnyOtherName Contracts]] at a [[ReducedResourceCost reduced XP cost]]. Their founder was a [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity mad archmage]] who bound himself to service in order to preserve the last shred of his sanity. |
| 171 | * ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'': The Supreme Patriarch of the [[WizardingSchool Imperial Colleges of Magic]] is responsible for advising the Emperor on all magical matters, though the Emperor's attempt to formalize the role with an Electoral seat was stymied by the sitting Electors. Informally, Thyrus Gormann remains the Emperor's trusted advisor even after being replaced as Supreme Patriarch by Balthasar Gelt. |
| 172 | [[/folder]] |
| 173 | |
| 174 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 175 | * ''Theatre/WesterosAnAmericanMusical'': The court of Stannis, the most legitimate bidder for the throne, includes Melisandre, the only character in the story able to use magic. |
| 176 | [[/folder]] |
| 177 | |
| 178 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 179 | * Rone from ''VideoGame/{{Avernum}}'' counts for the titular kingdom of that game, whereas Garzhad is the court mage for the Empire. |
| 180 | * ''VideoGame/BattleForWesnoth'': |
| 181 | ** Delfador is a respected mage and the advisor to King Garard II in the backstory of ''Heir to the Throne'', prior to Garard's death due to his son and Asheviere's betrayal. [[spoiler:After Queen Asheviere is defeated, Delfador once again becomes the advisor mage to Li'sar.]] How he got the position is shown in ''Delfador's Memoirs''. |
| 182 | ** Also in ''Delfador's Memoirs'' is Sagus, the predecessor to Delfador who was fired for [[HeadInTheSandManagement dismissing Delfador's warnings about]] [[BigBad Iliah-Malal]]. [[spoiler:In the final mission of the campaign, he is revealed to be Asheviere's father, and turned himself into a Lich out of bitterness and resentment over Delfador usurping his position.]] |
| 183 | ** Dacyn is a white mage and the advisor to King Konrad II in ''Eastern Invasion''. |
| 184 | * EvilChancellor and MadScientist Lord Yuna serves this role to Emperor Soniel in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV''. |
| 185 | * A staple in the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' series: |
| 186 | ** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', the Mage Warden can become this as well as TheGoodChancellor, for the new King or Queen of Ferelden. Another [[MultipleEndings ending]] can similarly have them share this responsibility with Wynne. |
| 187 | ** In ''Literature/TheStolenThrone'', Severan serves as this to the Usurper King Meghren. Since Meghren is [[TheCaligula completely insane]], this means that he gets to run the country behind the scenes. |
| 188 | ** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', a Mage Hawke unofficially serves the Viscount of Kirkwall in this role, becoming a legend throughout Thedas as the Apostate who rose from a simple refugee to become "The Champion of Kirkwall". Due to the fact that the "[[CityOfAdventure City of Chains]]" is known worldwide as a ''[[KnightTemplar Templar]]'' stronghold, Knight-Commander Meredith was '''not''' happy that the people chose to embrace a ''Mage'' as their protector. |
| 189 | ** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', Vivienne was the former Court Enchanter of Orlais. While this originally more or less amounted to the role of a court jester who performs parlor tricks for nobles, she managed to make it into a role of influence. However, by the time of the game, the the title has been taken by [[LadyOfBlackMagic Morrigan]], something that Vivienne is still incredibly bitter about. |
| 190 | * ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' |
| 191 | ** The office of Imperial Battlemage was created to serve as this to the Emperors of Tamriel. In addition to being a master sorcerer, the Imperial Battlemage also advises the Emperor on all matters of magic. Some of the more notable Imperial Battlemages in history: |
| 192 | *** Zurin Arctus served in this role to Tiber Septim, [[FounderOfTheKingdom founder of the Third Cyrodiilic Empire]] who [[DeityOfHumanOrigin ascended to godhood after his death]] as the "Ninth Divine" [[WarGod Talos]]. Arctus brokered the armistice between Septim and the Dunmeri [[PhysicalGod Tribunal deity]] Vivec which joined Morrowind to Septim's Empire as a VoluntaryVassal. In order to gain special favors for Morrowind, Vivec also traded Septim the [[OurDwarvesAreDifferent Dwemer]]-crafted HumongousMecha known as the Numidium. Septim tasked Arctus with powering and controlling it. In official [[UnreliableExpositor Imperial dogma]], Arctus put his own soul into an unimaginably powerful [[YourSoulIsMine soul gem]], known as the Mantella, to power the Numidium, but [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade would betray Septim]]. According to (likely more-accurate) apocryphal stories, Arctus was instead Septim's HypercompetentSidekick and trapped the soul of a [[GodInHumanForm Shezarrine]], Wulfharth Ash-King, in the Mantella instead. However, [[TakingYouWithMe with his dying breath]], Wulfharth killed Arctus, [[MergerOfSouls fusing the two]] into an undead being known as the Underking. After Septim used the Numidium to complete his conquest of Tamriel, he began using it in under-handed, backstabbing ways which infuriated the Underking. He destroyed the Numidium and flung the Mantella into Aetherius, the realm of magic, where it would become an important MacGuffin hundreds of years later during the events of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]''. |
| 193 | *** Jagar Tharn served Emperor Uriel Septim VII in this role, but took it down the EvilChancellor[=/=]EvilSorcerer path. Tharn trapped Septim in a pocket realm of Oblivion and usurped his throne. Tharn then acted as the BigBad in the events of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena Arena]]''. |
| 194 | *** After the Tharn debacle, Uriel VII appointed the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Altmer (High Elf)]] mage Ocato to this position. Ocato would also serve as High Chancellor of the Elder Council, [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure performing exceptionally]] in both roles while acting as a RedeemingReplacement to Tharn. He was very much TheGoodChancellor to Uriel, and later to his [[HiddenBackupPrince bastard son]], Martin, after Uriel and his legitimate heirs were assassinated during the [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion Crisis]]. With no Septim heir remaining, Ocato [[TheCreon exhausted every alternative option]] before reluctantly accepting the title of [[RegentForLife Potentate]] in accordance with the Elder Council Charter. He capably held the Empire together for 10 years before he was assassinated by [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Thalmor]] agents in a (successful) attempt to destabilize the Empire. |
| 195 | ** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'': |
| 196 | *** Despite the [[HornyVikings Nords]]' racial [[DoesNotLikeMagic dislike of magic and magic users]], every major Hold (and two of the four minor Holds) have a Court Wizard serving the Jarl in this role. ([[KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect Though that isn't to say they get the respect they deserve...]]) They serve as vendors for various magical spells and accessories, while their quarters/laboratories contain alchemy and enchanting stations. Most also serve as minor side-quest givers, with their quests generally involving magic or mystical occurances. |
| 197 | *** Farengar Secret-Fire, the Court Wizard of Whiterun, factors into the main quest as a dragon researcher. He also tries to take a sample of blood and scales from [[spoiler: Odahviing when he's captured in Dragonsreach]], but that doesn't end well. Farengar is also the only one (aside from the Jarl himself) who [[spoiler: is aware of the ancient Daedric artifact they've got sealed in the basement of Dragonsreach.]] |
| 198 | *** Malur Seloth is actually the Jarl of Winterhold's steward, but dialogue seems to imply he fills this role as well. He's not actually a wizard - the Jarl just assumes he's connected to the [[WizardingSchool College]] [[FantasticRacism because he's a Dunmer]]. |
| 199 | * Minwu the [[WhiteMage White Wizard]] from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' served as the court magician for the royal family of the kingdom of Fynn. |
| 200 | * Kefka Palazzo, the MonsterClown BigBad of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', serves this role to Emperor Gestahl. |
| 201 | * WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck holds this position at Disney Castle in ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''. |
| 202 | * In ''VideoGame/TheKingOfDragons'', atleast according to the [[AllThereInTheManual SNES manual]], the king of Malus has an advisor in the wizard Guindon. |
| 203 | * Merlin reprises his usual role in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheRound''. |
| 204 | * ''VideoGame/MySimsKingdom'' has a wizard named Marlon. He created the wands that are used to build various structures throughout the game at the behest of the king. He also teaches the player character how to use them. |
| 205 | * If the Daughter from ''VideoGame/PrincessMaker2'' is a good enough mage, has a decent Faith ''and'' her Intelligence is higher than her Sensitivity, [[http://princessmaker.wikia.com/wiki/Court_Magician_Ending_(PM2) one of her prospect endings]] will have her appointed as the Court Magician of her kingdom. |
| 206 | * The King of Enrich from ''Videogame/ShiningTheHolyArk'' has two. His old trusted [[TheGoodChancellor Good Chancellor]]; Sabato, and an [[EvilChancellor evil old hag]] that turned up a few months ago ([[PuppetKing in which time the King has gone a bit strange]]); Rilix. |
| 207 | * ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': |
| 208 | ** Kamek is an EvilSorcerer who serves as [[EvilOverlord Bowser]]'s right-hand man and/or nanny for both the king himself and his son Bowser Jr. |
| 209 | ** Kammy Koopa from the first two ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' games is effectively a [[DistaffCounterpart female version]] of Kamek and is TheDragon to Bowser in both games. |
| 210 | * In the backstory of ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'', the Court Conjurer of Stormwind, Nielas Aran, was such a powerful and talented mage that the Guardian Aegwynn believed he would be the [[StalkerWithATestTube perfect father for her successor Medivh]]. Aegwynn left their son for Nielas to raise. Things went pear-shaped when Nielas was slain by the backlash of Sargeras' and the Guardian's power awakening within Medivh. Medivh then took on his father's role, all the while [[EvilChancellor working to destroy Azeroth]] [[DemonicPossession under the influence of Sargeras]]. |
| 211 | * A number of characters from ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings'', including Dethmold, Sile de Tancarville and Triss Merigold. |
| 212 | ** ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' depicts Yennifer of having become this for Nilfgaard, and it's an interesting case of both the EvilChancellor ''and'' TheGoodChancellor variants -- Yenn is ultimately motivated by her own goals that are only marginally in alignment with Nilfgaard and she has no plans to remain loyal to them, but her own goals are pretty heroic (finding/protecting her adopted daughter). Thanks to the events of the previous game, the Kingdom of Redania has turned on mages, and Witch Hunters are actively hunting former Court Mages as their former station makes them notable enough to be made examples out of. |
| 213 | * ''VideoGame/YesYourGrace'': Partway through the game's second act, the PlayerCharacter will get a witch in his court. After her arrival, some petitioner demands will be better suited to her magic than the abilities of the army's general, who is initially the only character who can be sent out to deal with problems on location. |
| 214 | [[/folder]] |
| 215 | |
| 216 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 217 | * ''Webcomic/{{Aikonia}}'': There was one, until the king killed him out of paranoia against mages. |
| 218 | * ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'' shows many examples of this trope with the side's casters. In [[RPGMechanicsverse Erf]], casters are the units able to use magic and owners of special sense related to their discipline. They are popped randomly by a side and, although the respect they get is widely dependent on the side they popped in and their specific discipline, are generally considered a very useful asset. In sides with many casters there's even a position called: [[TheArchmage Chief Caster]], which is a high rank position but still below Chief Warlord. |
| 219 | * In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' it is said that [[ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder Sparks]] used to work for nobles as court mages, until the industrial revolution gave them the opportunity to build armies and take over. |
| 220 | * Svana Blackheart, the Castle Witch in ''Webcomic/LatchkeyKingdom'', is a rare example of a Court Mage who also has to deal with mobs who want to BurnTheWitch. |
| 221 | * Erik plays this role in the ''Kings War'' arc of ''{{Webcomic/Roommates}}'', despite not having any magical abilities himself, because James who got promoted to Goblin Regent temporarily and also got the magic with it had [[HowDoIShotWeb absolutely no clue how the spellcasting thing works]]. |
| 222 | %%* Osric from the ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' StoryArc "[[http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/19990704 The Storm Breaker Saga]]".%%ZCE |
| 223 | * ''Webcomic/SuitorArmor:'' Magic is considered dangerous and high regulated in the kingdom the story takes place in. Court mage Norrix Gorelight is the only person licensed to practice it, until he takes the protagonist Lucia as an apprentice. |
| 224 | [[/folder]] |
| 225 | |
| 226 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 227 | * Waterbending Master Pakku could be seen as ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'''s version of this in the Northern Water Tribe, while the Earth Kingdom's Long Feng is a more malevolent version. |
| 228 | * Sorcerio from ''WesternAnimation/{{Disenchantment}}'' fills the role but can't do any magic past card tricks. His motivation for helping the king catch Elfo is the hope that elf blood will let him do real magic. |
| 229 | * [[Characters/TheDragonPrinceViren Lord Viren]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'' is explicitly the High Mage of the Kingdom of Katolis, and King Harrow's close friend and advisor (at first, anyway). He constantly looks for ways to solve the Kingdom's problems using Dark Magic (the only magic humans have ready access to, considered taboo by the magical denizens of Xadia since it drains the life force of creatures as a power source), something that the King finds increasingly problematic. |
| 230 | * The Magus to Princess Katherine in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}''. [[EvilSorcerer The Archmage]] previously held this position to her father, but was banished for attempting to usurp the throne with his powers. |
| 231 | * In ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'', Orko was a ridiculously powerful [[TheArchmage archmage]] in his home dimension but got stranded on Eternia, working as King Randor's [[CourtJester jester]] because magic works differently on Eternia vs Trollia. |
| 232 | * In ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2021'', [[AdaptationalBadass Orko the Great]] was the court magician to King Grayskull one thousand years ago. The position of court magician continued in Eternos until King Randor eliminated the position when his court magician Evelyn attempted a coup against him alongside Prince Keldor and Kronis. [[spoiler:He would reinstate the position after the Masters of the Universe save Eternos and named Teela his new court magician]]. |
| 233 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'' have Mordain serving King Argon in "The Good, The Bad, And The Smurfy", and Morlock serving Prince Theodore in "The Prince And The Hopper". Both are evil mages who seek to take over their kingdoms, and both were deposed from their positions with the help of the Smurfs. |
| 234 | * ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'' Cedric. It’s been a family business for a while as well, with his ancestors being royal sorcerers. Early on, he uses it to try and take over Enchancia, but later has a HeelFaceTurn. |
| 235 | * Naugus was originally this in ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM''. He was one of the few beings War Minister Julian Robotnik feared (because Julian's technology couldn't do jack against him), so when he decided to explore the Void Julian took the opportunity to leave him stuck there. |
| 236 | * In ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats 2011}} [=ThunderCats (2011)=]]]'' Apart from being head of an [[TheOrder order]] of ChurchMilitant {{Praetorian Guard}}s, Jaga holds this position in the court of Thundera's King Claudus, which means that all his subordinates are ''also'' KungFuWizard {{Magic Knight}}s. |
| 237 | [[/folder]] |
| 238 | |
| 239 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 240 | * As noted in Literature above, the lector priests who attended [[UsefulNotes/AncientEgyptianHistory ancient Eygptian monarchs]] were the primary practicioners of ''ḥeka[='=]'', i.e. "magic" as the Egyptians understood it. This largely consisted of reciting ritual spells invoking the gods at appropriate moments, which shows the extent to which the line between "court mage" and "court priest" can be blurry. |
| 241 | * Astrologers: |
| 242 | ** Thrasyllus, Sr. and Jr. -- court astrologers of Tiberius and Nero |
| 243 | ** Angelo Catto -- court astrologer of Louis XI of France |
| 244 | ** Guido Bonatti -- official astrologer of the city of Florence |
| 245 | ** Michel de Notredame (Nostradamus) -- court astrologer of Catherine de Medicis |
| 246 | ** Lucas Gauricus -- court astrologer of Popes Leo X and Clement VII |
| 247 | ** ''Galileo'' out of all people served as court astrologer (sensing a pattern here?) to the Grand Duke of Tuscany -- astrology still being an accepted branch of astronomy during the 17th century. |
| 248 | ** Joan Quigley -- astrologer whom Nancy Reagan consulted to help plan her husband's schedule while he was President of the United States. |
| 249 | * Dr Faustus is often associated with the court of Charles V. |
| 250 | * Dr. John Dee -- magician associated with the courts of Elizabeth I of England, Stephen of Poland, and Ruldolph II of the Holy Roman Empire (also associated with Rabbi Loew, the creator of the Golem). |
| 251 | * UsefulNotes/RasputinTheMadMonk -- A peasant born prophet he befriended the notoriously reclusive [[UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia Romanov family]], in part due to his alleged ability to heal Prince Alexei, who suffered from haemophilia. Back in the day, Rasputin was often depicted as an EvilSorcerer manipulating the royal family for his own days. Nowdays, historians usually think he was simply a bizarre eccentric or charlatan who was scapegoated by the public for the royal family's controversial decisions to avoid ''lèse-majesté''. |
| 252 | [[/folder]] |
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