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Conjuring magic is not an intellectual endeavor. It's emotion. You must ask yourself, "Why am I doing this? Who am I protecting?" Feel it.

Mr. Gold to Emma src

Witchcraft is a type of magic featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. It first appears in the first episode of the first season.

Description

Witchcraft is a form of magic that mostly humans can use, though other species can use as well, like cecaelias or tree nymphs. But unlike Fairy Magic or Divine Magic or any other types, Witchcraft is strongly tied to emotions and learning. The practitioners and users are often called either "witch" or "wizard", for female and male respectively.

Origin of Witchcraft

Aside from the Holy Grail which is the beginning of all magic, it is unknown how Witchcraft was made, but it is known that it has been used for thousands of years, as Seraphina and Gothel are two of the earliest known practitioners. ("Flower Child")

Who Uses Magic and Why

All practitioners are born with this power and some may even use magic right after their birth, like Zelena; while others need a proper teacher to push them to use it like Cora, Regina, Jafar and the Red Queen. But even people like Zelena, Drizella and Anastasia need to be taught in order to control it fully. ("The Miller's Daughter", "The Serpent", "We Are Both", "Heart of the Matter", "It's Not Easy Being Green", "Wake Up Call", "The Eighth Witch")

It is not known if there is a "magic gene", nor is it known that that can pass down. Cora, who could use magic, has two daughters who also can use magic. The same thing also goes to Mr. Gold and his son, Zelena and her daughter, and Gothel and her daughter. However, Emma Swan, Jafar, Drizella and Anastasia have no known family member who can use magic, yet they use it. Henry is also born to a magical mother, yet he has not shown any magical ability, except for his Author powers, which come from the Sorcerer himself.

Some people like the Dragon, Anastasia and Tilly can use magic even in the Land Without Magic. The reason for the latter two is due to them being the Guardians, however, the Dragon's case has yet to be explored. ("Selfless, Brave and True", "An Untold Story", "I'll Be Your Mirror", "The Eighth Witch", "Secret Garden", "The Guardian", "Flower Child", "Is This Henry Mills?")

Learning

Depending on the practitioner, learning magic can sometimes last for years, as the Evil Queen's study approximately lasted for a little bit less than twenty years.[nb 1] Or sometimes, it can last for a much shorter amount of time, as Drizella seems to have learned plant manipulation, magical explosion, teleportation and magical immobilization in only one lesson. But some people like the Dark Ones and Merlin did not to need to learn it or be taught by a teacher since it was the Holy Grail what granted them to use magic. ("Nimue," "Wake Up Call")

Pyrokinesis also seems to be one of the most basic forms of Witchcraft. When Regina teaches Emma magic, or when Cora instructs the Red Queen, they both start by teaching them how to create fire. When Rumplestiltskin gives Regina lessons, Pyrokinesis is one of the first things that he teaches her. ("Dark Hollow," "Heart of the Matter," "Kansas")

How to Use Magic

The use of Witchcraft is not an intellectual endeavor, but is tied to strong emotions like love or anger. Rumplestiltskin also says that magic is not about what one sees or thinks but what one feels inside. ("The Miller's Daughter," "It's Not Easy Being Green")

One way to channel these emotions into magic is to feel about and relive a moment that made you seethe with anger in the past; a feeling so powerful that it goes as far as killing if one could. To rein in some of that anger, it is advised to feel about a happy moment. Another way to channel emotions is to think your loved ones, more importantly, how you want to protect them, and feel it. It is not known if there is a difference in power between these emotions. Howeever, it should be noted that while Rumplestiltskin trains Cora, Zelena and Regina with the feelings of anger, he trains Emma with the feelings of love. ("The Miller's Daughter," "It's Not Easy Being Green")

It is not known why practitioners sometimes use incantations to use Witchcraft even though they use magic silently most of the time. ("Nothing to Fear", "Dirty Little Secrets" et al.)

Losing Control of Magic

Just like Ice Magic, people can lose control of their powers when feeling extreme emotions such as fear or anger. Powers shown when someone feels such an extreme include but are not limited to: thermokinetically heating a bottle of milk, pushing people away (physically), turning the lights on and off, telekinetically moving objects and shattering a mirror. But they can overcome this by controlling it with the help of someone they trust. ("The Miller's Daughter", "It's Not Easy Being Green", "A Tale of Two Sisters", "The Snow Queen", "Smash the Mirror", "The Eighth Witch", "Secret Garden", “Sisterhood”)

Appearance

When used, Witchcraft often gives away a pink or violet glow or a colored puff of smoke (when teleporting), though colors can vary depending on the practitioner (e.g. Zelena's magic is emerald green.)

Inability to Use Magic

Sometimes, a person can have a trouble with using magic because they are in a different land for the first time.

This is what happened to Regina Mills after Mr. Gold brought magic to Storybrooke after 28 years. Because according to him, magic is unpredictable in the Land Without Magic. But Regina later used her mother's spell book by smelling of the written words to get the magic flowing again. ("Broken", "We Are Both")

The Underworld is also another place where magic is said to be unpredictable, but this time, Regina's inability to use magic was because she was blocking herself emotionally. Zelena and Emma are also shown to have difficulties when they first arrived in this world. ("Devil's Due", "Our Decay")

Regina and Emma both showed difficulties using magic when they first arrived in the New Enchanted Forest. However, after a couple of practice sessions, their magic became normal again. ("A Pirate's Life," "The Garden of Forking Paths")

Known Practitioners

Trivia

On-Screen Notes

  • Sometimes, when using witchcraft, incantations are used:
    • When Jafar summons the dragon, he casts a spell, "Ego vocare tē dolor. Ego vocare tē damnum. Ego vocare tē, faciam scelus.", which is Latin for "I[2] summon[3] you[4] pain.[5] I[2] summon[3] you[4] loss.[6] I[2] summon[3] you,[4] I will do[7] wickedness."[8] ("Bad Blood")
    • When Cyrus uses a Locator Spell to activate the enchantment, he uses the spell locus mirabilis, which is Latin for "wonderful place".[9] ("Nothing to Fear")
    • To light up the Jabberwocky's prison, Jafar casts a spell, fiat lux, which is Latin for "let there be light".[10] ("Nothing to Fear")
    • When Jafar uses Lizard's eyes to view the last person her eyes saw after death, he casts a spell: De visu intueri. Visione revelare, which is Latin for "Look with its own eyes. Vision reveal."[11] ("Dirty Little Secrets")
    • The incantations Jafar uses to take control over the Genie Lamps are:
      • "Incipio. Tres genies in utres. Ego te coniungere. Da mihi virtutem!" which is Latin for "Begin. Three genies in bottles. I join you. Give me power!"[12] [Note that there is no word for "genie" in Latin, so this word is plain English.]
      • When it does not work, he tries "Magicae res tres. Vult totam!" which means "Three magic things. He wants all!"[13] However, that does not work either. ("Heart of the Matter")
  • Witchcraft can create similar effects as ice magic as Wish Rumplestiltskin created a snowstorm blizzard with a flick of the wrist through witchcraft. ("Homecoming")

Appearances

Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.

References

  1. File:710FreeingDrizella.png
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ego. The Latin Dictionary. Retrieved on November 21, 2022. “I, we, me, us, myself, ourselves”
    Latin definition for: Ego. Latdict. Retrieved on November 21, 2022. “noun declension: undeclined Definitions: I, me”
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Vocare. The Latin Dictionary. Retrieved on November 21, 2022. “To call, summon”
    Latin definition for: voco, vocare, vocavi, vocatus. Latdict. Retrieved on November 21, 2022. “verb Conjugation: 1st conjugation. Definitions: 1. call upon 2. call, summon 3. name”
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 . Latin is Simple. Retrieved on November 21, 2022. “1. thee”
    . LinQ. Retrieved on November 21, 2022. “Latin: you, thee; yourself, thyself”
  5. dolor, doloris [m.] C. Latin is Simple. Retrieved on November 21, 2022. “1. pain 2. grief”
    dolor. LinQ. Retrieved on November 21, 2022. “Latin: pain”
  6. Latin definition for: damnum, damni. Latdict. Retrieved on November 21, 2022. “noun declension: 2nd declension. gender: neuter. Definitions: 1. financial/property/physical loss/damage/injury 2. forfeiture/fine 3. lost possession”
    damnum. LinQ. Retrieved on November 21, 2022. “Latin: loss”
  7. facio. NS NihilScio. Retrieved on November 21, 2022. “INDICATIVE Future: ego faciam: I will make”
    faciam. LinQ. Retrieved on November 21, 2022. “Latin: I will do. I will make, do”
  8. Latin definition for: scelus, sceleris. Latdict. Retrieved on November 21, 2022. “noun declension: 3rd declension. gender: neuter. Definitions: 1. calamity 2. crime 3. wickedness, sin, evil deed”
    scelus. LinQ. Retrieved on November 21, 2022. “Latin: crime; calamity; wickedness, sin, evil deed;”
  9. locus mirabilis. Google Translate. Retrieved on September 6, 2018.
  10. TwitterLogo Richard Hatem (@RichardHatem) on X, formerly Twitter: @MitigatedText @kaogirl I wish we were that smart. All we said was Fiat Lux "Let there be light." #AskRichJenn (March 6, 2014). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
  11. intueri. Google Translate. Retrieved on September 9, 2018.
    de visu. Educalingo. Retrieved on September 19, 2019. “The Latin spelling De visu, translated literally, means with its own eyes, for direct vision.”
    vision. Google Translate. Retrieved on September 9, 2018.
    revelare. Google Translate. Retrieved on September 9, 2018.
  12. Incipio. Google Translate. Retrieved on September 9, 2018.
    tres. Google Translate. Retrieved on September 9, 2018.
    in. Google Translate. Retrieved on September 9, 2018.
    utres. Google Translate. Retrieved on September 9, 2018.
    Da mihi. Google Translate. Retrieved on September 9, 2018.
    virtutem. Google Translate. Retrieved on September 9, 2018.
  13. Magicae. Google Translate. Retrieved on September 9, 2018.
    res tres. Google Translate. Retrieved on September 9, 2018.
    What is the meaning of the Latin word vult?. WordHippo. Retrieved on September 9, 2018.
    totam (Latin). WordSense. Retrieved on September 9, 2018.
  14. File:103WereSeparated.png
  15. File:107IsSnowWhite3.png
  16. File:310TurnThePage.png
  17. File:422SnowCharmingStorybook.png
  18. File:505RumplestiltskinStorybook.png

Notes

  1. Regina was 18 years old when she met Snow White who was 10 at the time, that means Regina is 8 years older Snow White.

    Regina also didn't know how to cast a glamour spell in the episode "The Evil Queen", which takes place roughly two or three years before the Dark Curse.

    And Emma Swan, who was roughly 28 years old, said that she and her mother are about the same age. So that puts Regina roughly 36 at the time.
    ("The Stable Boy," "The Heart of the Truest Believer," "Regina Rising")

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