What is your favorite representation of an user of magic in folklore?

[Xingtian]

I would not say that he is a favorite representation but King Nezaualpilli of Texcoco commanded a magical operation to deal with the flood (caused by the murder of a wizard) in which some high officials were sacrificed and their hearts were thrown into the spring.

I was deeply impressed by Miguel Leon Portilla's book Fifteen Poets of the Aztec World which includes Nezaualpilli's poetry as well as that of his father Nezahualcoyotl.

 

[art-vark2323]

I've always enjoyed stories of St. Cyprian, who was supposedly a sorcerer. I had an interesting dream about him once and I ended up going down a research rabbit hole after hearing his name in the dream. There are some magical texts named after him like The Great Book of St Cyprian.

 

[Xenophon]

I've always enjoyed stories of St. Cyprian, who was supposedly a sorcerer. I had an interesting dream about him once and I ended up going down a research rabbit hole after hearing his name in the dream. There are some magical texts named after him like The Great Book of St Cyprian.

I thought Cyprian gave up sorcery when he turned Nazarene. Or is that story debatable? I know he is considered "the patron saint of sorcerers," a slightly odd title.

 

[art-vark2323]

I thought Cyprian gave up sorcery when he turned Nazarene. Or is that story debatable? I know he is considered "the patron saint of sorcerers," a slightly odd title.

He did! It was a big part of his story. But I enjoy how he's inspired magicians across time. He is definitely considered the patron saint. I'd love to
figure out why despite the fact that he renounced magic!

 

[Xenophon]

He did! It was a big part of his story. But I enjoy how he's inspired magicians across time. He is definitely considered the patron saint. I'd love to
figure out why despite the fact that he renounced magic!

Could be the Church saw him as a figure who could convert sorcerers away from their practices. St. Nicholas of Myra, for example, is considered the patron saint of prostitutes. The latter are not countenanced by the Church. So, I guess it's the same idea: some saints are patrons of those they are trying to reform.

 

[Khoren_]

Do Isaac Newton and Pythagoras count as magicians? I mean, especially considering Newton was a well known Alchemist and Pythagoras literally lead a cult about numbers...

 

[Xenophon]

Do Isaac Newton and Pythagoras count as magicians? I mean, especially considering Newton was a well known Alchemist and Pythagoras literally lead a cult about numbers...

I'd say yes to both.

 

[Aeternus]

For years now I've always liked to learn and read about the Solomonari, the Romanian wizards that were known to control the weather and ride dragons(or dragon-like creatures).
I don't know why I like them so much when I am not even Romanian myself.

Aside them I would say that it would be the one called "Pajé", a native spiritual worker said to possess occult powers.
Their knowledge of herbs, able to cure and do amazing things, and also their connection with nature that allowed them to even become(or "become") the very animals of the forest they lived in can be seen in many stories.

Who knows, maybe your spiritual ancestry is containing some Romanian nature.

The Solomonari were also called Red Jews or "Evreii Roșii" in Romanian. This term was coined and used in Majuru's translation of Koestler's book.

 

[Accipeveldare]

My favorite representation of the occult has always been the black mass. It is a very interesting ceremony to watch or even perform.

 

[Sabbatius]

My favorite depictions are Egg Shen and Lo Pan.

 

[Ilúvatar]

Cyprian the Mage. "I ascended the Pleiades, and they glided under me like a ship. I learned the whispers of the stars; I took possession of the four winds."

 

[MagickalStudent569]

I have two that come to mind. One is far more ancient and well-known while the other is bit more regionally obscure.

The first is the story Demeter & The Rape of Persephone by Apollodorus. The part I like is about about Demeter and King Keleus with his Queen Metaneira. That story pretty much sums up my feelings about humanity, the occult, and the unknown in general. That fact that we immediately assume that because something appears dark and scary it must be bad... I mean it's just common sense? No? Wrong!!! That's what I love about that tale.

The other is an old Scottish Legend I found on YouTube while searching for information on British folktales surrounding the occult. There are so many but this one I liked the most. Partly because I have some ancestry going back to Scotland, partly because I knew someone by that name who was a old family friend, he was one of the kindest people I ever met (which makes it funny). The story is really more a series of stories surrounding historical figure called "The Wizard of Reay" who was an actual person that reputedly was an awful tyrant in real life and probably a total narcissist. However the stories surrounding his supposed magickal exploits are very entertaining and full of what I would consider real magick. I think he probably was a lodge magician that decided to explore outside his orders designated perimeters, like a mason or some other group, of the kind that were popping up all over Europe around that time. People at time probably didn't understand it, but combine with his real life horrible reputation and this, I can see why a mythos developed around him.