History Main / MagicIsEvil

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' makes clear that magic is not evil, but, in the vein of ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', it ''is'' dangerous. Not only that, but even with the best of intentions it's very easy to stray down the left hand path if you don't know the rules, because BlackMagic, even if performed in ignorance and with good intentions, corrupts extremely quickly - as Harry observes in the sequel, it doesn't take long for someone dabbling in dark magic to "go from 'best intentions' to 'Jack the Ripper'".

** This is a running theme throughout the entire series, which is probably unsurprising coming from a Christian author. Even though the world of Narnia is inherently infused with magic, actual '''spellcasting''', the usage of magic to [[RealityWarper warp the natural order of things]], is pretty much invariably evil. The very few users of this sort of magic are pretty much exclusively [[WickedWitch Wicked Witches]], and even when the source of a supernatural phenomenon is not explicitly shown, the more obviously magical it is, the more likely it is to be some kind of dangerous and wicked curse, such as Eustace turning into a dragon in ''Dawn Treader''. The exception is of course Aslan, who is performing miracles, not magic, and restoring or enforcing the natural order instead of bending or defiling it.

* ''Literature/TheThebaid'': The rites of divination are unreliable, unnatural, and traumatic to those who practice them. The narrator takes an aside to ask why humanity developed such an arrogant and evil art when it's obvious the future is unknown to all men

* ''Literature/TheThebaid'': The rites of divination are unreliable, unnatural, and traumatic to those who practice them. The narrator takes an aside to ask why humanity developed such an arrogant and evil art when its obvious the future is unknown to all men

* ‘’Literature/TheThebaid’’: The rites of divination are unreliable, unnatural, and traumatic to those who practice them. The narrator takes an aside to ask why humanity developed such an arrogant and evil art when its obvious the future is unknown to all men

* Supernatural actions and miracles have always been part of UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}} and UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}, the difference being the entity to whom one is appealing for supernatural aid: if they don't come from God, they come necessarily from Satan, in whose case they are likely to be called magic, sorcery or at least pagan theurgy (only that their pagan "gods" are actually TheLegionsOfHell) as opposed to miracles (unless the user is trying to pass himself as a prophet or messiah). Examples in Abrahamic lore include the magicians of Egypt, the Witch of Endor, Elymas, Simon Magus, Apollonius of Tyana[[note]](Who had this reputation given to him by Eusebius of Caesarea's ''Contra Hieroclem'', since pagans were using Apolonnius' name as a kind of anti-Christian mascot who preformed miracles like Jesus)[[/note]], Mani[[note]](Who had this reputation because he founded a religion that rivaled Christianity)[[/note]], and Peter the Wolf.

* Supernatural actions and miracles have always been part of UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}} and UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}, the difference being the entity to whom one is appealing for supernatural aid: if they don't come from God, they come necessarily from Satan, in whose case they are likely to be called magic, sorcery or at least pagan theurgy (only that their pagan "gods" are actually TheLegionsOfHell) as opposed to miracles (unless the user is trying to pass himself as a prophet or messiah). Examples in Abrahamic lore include the magicians of Egypt, the Witch of Endor, Elymas, Simon Magus, Apollonius of Tyana[[note]](Who had this reputation given to him by Eusebius of Caesarea's ''Contra Hieroclem'', since pagans were using Apolonnius' name as a kind of anti-Christian mascot who preformed miracles like Jesus)[[/note]], Mani[[note]](WHo had this reputation because he founded a religion that rivaled Christianity)[[/note]], and Peter the Wolf.

* Supernatural actions and miracles have always been part of UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}} and UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}, the difference being the entity to whom one is appealing for supernatural aid: if they don't come from God, they come necessarily from Satan, in whose case they are likely to be called magic, sorcery or at least pagan theurgy (only that their pagan "gods" are actually TheLegionsOfHell) as opposed to miracles (unless the user is trying to pass himself as a prophet or messiah). Examples in Abrahamic lore include the magicians of Egypt, the Witch of Endor, Elymas, Simon Magus, Apollonius of Tyana, Mani and Peter the Wolf.
** The Old Testament in the Bible states that "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" as a rule to follow in real life. This has been a contentious subject as the translated term and the original have been confused, and there is debate as to whether or not the original intent was to describe all magic users, harmful magic users, or if the original term more accurately translated as [[PoisonIsEvil "poisoner"]] (though technically there were multiple original terms translated to "sorceror" or "witch" in the Bible, including both the word for "poisoner" and the word "Magus", as in one of the Magi like the three that visited baby Jesus).

** Adventure X2 ''Castle Amber'', based on Creator/ClarkAshtonSmith's ''Averoigne'' stories. In Averoigne, magic use is considered evil by the Church and the populace.

* This is the opinion of Aleister Crowley in ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex''. As explained in the light novels, he hates magic because it led to the death of his first daughter, and makes it his goal to wipe out magic [[spoiler:as part of his intent to bring her back.]] The actual reality is more complicated. While some magicians have committed atrocities for the sake of power (HumanSacrifice being one example), the science side that Aleister founded [[NotSoDifferent is no less guilty of this]]. Most magicians shown aren't evil, just misguided at best.

Some settings mitigate this slightly by portraying ''divine'' or religious magic with a more positive brush. In this case the message seems to be that God, or perhaps faith or the community, is acceptable, whereas the sorcerer's lonely power is inherently dehumanizing. A more cynical take on this view might argue that "miracles" are portrayed as good, but "magic" is portrayed as bad, because the church proclaiming the miracles does not like competition and/or threats to its power. Evil magic may be portrayed as coming from a DealWithTheDevil, just to drive home the point.

* Played pretty straight in Symbaroum, where magic not only corrupts the user and slowly sends the magic user into a spiral of accruing more corruption that ends with the birth of an abomination at the cost of the characters life, it also corrupts the surroundings and the world itself. One of the factions in the game is VERY determined to stop the misuse of all magic.

** Adventure X2 ''Castle Amber'', based on Creator/ClarkAshtonSmith's ''Averoigne'' stories (see above).

* Creator/CSLewis (a friend and correspondent of Creator/JRRTolkien) likewise plays this trope for all it's worth in ''Literature/TheMagiciansNephew''. Sure, some kinds of "magic" (usually divine in origin) are all right for the purposes of the story's narration, but not the occult kind of sorcery from our world the foolish and evil Uncle Andrew is practicing without even understanding very well what he's doing.

* In the ''Literature/LandOfOz'' books, magic is illegal in the Kingdom of Oz unless you have permission from its ruler, Ozma. (typically, only Glinda, the Wizard, and Ozma herself use it). Of course, you can hardly debate such a rule, because nearly every villain encountered in the books is a sadist who uses black magic of some sort; spells used to inflict BalefulPolymorph and [[AndIMustScream even worse curses]] seem rather common.
** The converse also holds in that the nature of the Oz realm (you can't kill or really hurt natives) makes it almost impossible to be a credible villain ''without'' magic.

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels magic weakens the border between the Disc and the Dungeon Dimensions, allowing all sorts of [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] to come through. Magic users themselves are usually portrayed as fairly decent, but the education of witches and wizards tends to focus on ''discouraging'' them from using magic, either by teaching them more practical skills or distracting them with university bureaucracy and politics.
** Discworld doesn't really have Magic Is ''Evil'' so much as Magic Is Way More Trouble Than It Could Possibly Be Worth. It's not characterized as actively malevolent by either the narrative or the characters, just as incredibly dangerous and unreliable.

* In ''The Literature/MagisterTrilogy'', every spell is CastFromHP. Magisters are those who've learned to cast from [[HumanResources other people's HP]]. They're not nice people, to say the least.

* More or less everything ever written by [[ComicBook/ChickTracts Jack Chick]], which isn't surprising; see Religion and Mythology below.

* Most of the magic-wielders that [[Literature/ConanTheBarbarian Conan of Cimmeria]] encounters are extraordinarily malevolent, and the magic they practice tends to require truly awful material components and blood sacrifice. Just one example involves magics which need [[spoiler:candles made from the bodies of [[VirginPower virgins]] strangled with their mother's hair and their [[ILoveTheDead virginity taken after their death]] [[ParentalIncest by their father]]]].
** Since [[Creator/RobertEHoward Howard's]] original Conan stories ''are'' effectively part of the above-mentioned Cthulhu Mythos, this doesn't come as a complete surprise.

Usually, in traditional fantasy, magic is a source of wonder and possibility, a tool used by heroic and villainous characters alike to achieve phenomenal results. But works in some genres, notably LowFantasy, UrbanFantasy, certain flavors of HeroicFantasy and especially supernatural {{Horror}} and {{Cosmic Horror|Story}}, are not quite so enamored of their local phlebotinum. They prefer the use of the human intellect and human muscles to the eldritch workings of powerful sorcery or impossible mad science, often resulting in a strangely paradoxical view of their setting. Magic is something inexplicable, impossible, dangerous, and often, [[MadeOfEvil inherently dark or evil]]. This may tie into old, pre-scientific beliefs about the supernatural, which was often seen as frightening, dangerous, and more often than not hostile to humans, and thus, something not to be messed with by any sane soul save the local shaman, wise-woman, priest or other person experienced in its ways -- and because of these people's association with the supernatural, the common people more often than not didn't trust ''them'' either, especially if they didn't have a tie to religion. As a result, in such settings, magic is seen not as a source of wonder, but as a force for evil.

Usually, in traditional fantasy, magic is a source of wonder and possibility, a tool used by heroic and villainous characters alike to achieve phenomenal results. But works in some genres, notably LowFantasy, UrbanFantasy, certain flavors of HeroicFantasy and especially supernatural {{Horror}} and {{Cosmic Horror|Story}}, are not quite so enamored of their local phlebotinum. They prefer the use of the human intellect and human muscles to the eldritch workings of powerful sorcery or impossible mad science, often resulting in a strangely paradoxical view of their setting. Magic is something inexplicable, impossible, dangerous, and often, [[MadeOfEvil inherently dark or evil]]. This may tie into old, pre-scientific beliefs about the supernatural, which was often seen as frightening, dangerous, and more often than not hostile to humans, and thus, something not to be messed with by any sane soul save the local shaman, wise-woman, priest or other person experienced in its ways -- and because of these people's association with the supernatural, the common people more often than not didn't trust ''them'' either, especially if they didn't have a tie to religion. As a result, magic isn't seen as a source of wonder, but as a force for evil.

Usually, in traditional fantasy, magic is a source of wonder and possibility, a tool used by heroic and villainous characters alike to achieve phenomenal results. But works in some genres, notably LowFantasy, UrbanFantasy, certain flavors of HeroicFantasy and especially supernatural {{Horror}} and {{Cosmic Horror|Story}}, are not quite so enamored of their local phlebotinum. They prefer the use of the human intellect and human muscles to the eldritch workings of powerful sorcery or impossible mad science, often resulting in a strangely paradoxical view of their setting. Magic is something inexplicable, impossible, dangerous, and often, [[MadeOfEvil inherently dark or evil]]. This may tie into old, pre-scientific beliefs about the supernatural, which was often seen as frightening, dangerous, and more often than not hostile to humans, and thus, something not to be messed with by any sane soul save the local shaman, wise-woman, priest or other person experienced in its ways -- and because of these people's association with the supernatural, the common people more often than not didn't trust ''them'' either, especially if they didn't have a tie to religion. As a result, magic is seen not as a source of wonder, but as a force for evil.

Usually, in traditional fantasy, magic is a source of wonder and possibility, a tool used by heroic and villainous characters alike to achieve phenomenal results. But works in some genres, notably LowFantasy, UrbanFantasy, certain flavors of HeroicFantasy and especially supernatural {{Horror}}, are not quite so enamored of their local phlebotinum. They prefer the use of the human intellect and human muscles to the eldritch workings of powerful sorcery or impossible mad science, often resulting in a strangely paradoxical view of their setting. Magic is something inexplicable, impossible, dangerous, and often, [[MadeOfEvil inherently dark or evil]]. This may tie into old, pre-scientific beliefs about the supernatural, which was often seen as frightening, dangerous, and more often than not hostile to humans, and thus, something not to be messed with by any sane soul save the local shaman, wise-woman, priest or other person experienced in its ways -- and because of these people's association with the supernatural, the common people more often than not didn't trust ''them'' either, especially if they didn't have a tie to religion. As a result, magic is seen not as a source of wonder, but as a force for evil.

Usually, in traditional fantasy, magic is a source of wonder and possibility, a tool used by heroic and villainous characters alike to achieve phenomenal results. But works in some genres, notably LowFantasy, UrbanFantasy, certain flavors of HeroicFantasy and especially supernatural and {{cosmic|HorrorStory}} {{Horror}}, are not quite so enamored of their local phlebotinum. They prefer the use of the human intellect and human muscles to the eldritch workings of powerful sorcery or impossible mad science, often resulting in a strangely paradoxical view of their setting. Magic is something inexplicable, impossible, dangerous, and often, [[MadeOfEvil inherently dark or evil]]. This may tie into old, pre-scientific beliefs about the supernatural, which was often seen as frightening, dangerous, and more often than not hostile to humans, and thus, something not to be messed with by any sane soul save the local shaman, wise-woman, priest or other person experienced in its ways -- and because of these people's association with the supernatural, the common people more often than not didn't trust ''them'' either, especially if they didn't have a tie to religion. As a result, magic is seen not as a source of wonder, but as a force for evil.

In settings where Magic is Evil, most if not ''all'' magic is ''de facto'' BlackMagic, leading quickly to TheDarkSide. Even well-meaning sorcerers may be portrayed as dealing with a dangerous power that will eventually destroy them. Mages and others might be tormented souls, hated and feared by the population, or even actively persecuted. In many such settings, magic has few benign uses and can only work its tainted wonders through blood or other acts of terrible sacrifice. It may be tied to horrific beings from beyond that want nothing good for humanity, be it TheLegionsOfHell or some EldritchAbomination that is madness to look upon let alone deal with. Maybe it has some corruptive effect upon the wielder's body, mind, and/or soul, such that anyone who uses it too much will eventually go evil, go mad, or suffer some other inevitably awful fate.

Usually, in traditional fantasy, magic is a source of wonder and possibility, a tool used by heroic and villainous characters alike to achieve phenomenal results. But works in some genres, notably LowFantasy, UrbanFantasy, certain flavors of HeroicFantasy and especially supernatural and {{cosmic|HorrorStory}} {{Horror}}, are not quite so enamored of their local phlebotinum. They prefer the use of the human intellect and human muscles to the eldritch workings of powerful sorcery or impossible mad science, often resulting in a strangely paradoxical view of their setting. Magic is something inexplicable, impossible, dangerous, and often, [[MadeOfEvil inherently dark or evil]]. This may tie into old, pre-scientific beliefs about the supernatural, which was often seen as frightening, dangerous, and more often than not hostile to humans, and thus, something not to be messed with by any sane soul save the local shaman, wise-woman, priest or other person experienced in its ways -- and because of these people's association with the supernatural, the common people more often than not didn't trust ''them'' either, especially if they didn't have a tie to religion.

Usually, in traditional fantasy, magic is a source of wonder and possibility, a tool used by heroic and villainous characters alike to achieve phenomenal results. But works in some genres, notably LowFantasy, UrbanFantasy, certain flavors of HeroicFantasy and especially supernatural {{Horror}}, are not quite so enamored of their local phlebotinum. They prefer the use of the human intellect and human muscles to the eldritch workings of powerful sorcery or impossible mad science, often resulting in a strangely paradoxical view of their setting. Magic is something inexplicable, impossible, dangerous, and often, [[MadeOfEvil inherently dark or evil]]. This may tie into old, pre-scientific beliefs about the supernatural, which was often seen as frightening, dangerous, and more often than not hostile to humans, and thus, something not to be messed with by any sane soul save the local shaman, wise-woman, priest or other person experienced in its ways -- and because of these people's association with the supernatural, the common people more often than not didn't trust ''them'' either, especially if they didn't have a tie to religion.