kimurho

It's August.

In August, I get the urge to write. I don't know why, it makes no logical sense to me but it is something I have observed about myself. In that way, this August is no different, even though it feels as though this August is being extended due to the pandemic. Our schools don't go back until mid-September.

It's August and my mind is spinning scenarios. Creating a world. Or, rather, a school. Borderland Academy. A school to teach magic, but not only magic. And what kind of magic?

The book A Practical Guide to Wizardry (by Susan J. Morris) lists seven basic categories of magic.

Destruction magic	The guide states "Destruction magic is the wizard's answer to swords and fists" and that "All wizards should study the art of combat for self-defense ..." and to keep the "... world safe from monsters and dark wizards." It implies that Destruction magic comes from "a pact with the spirits of fire, earth, air and water." I suspect, therefore, what the Practical Guide calls "Destruction Magic", I would call Elemental Magic.
Illusion	"... illusion magic is the wizard's art of deception and misdirection." "Picked up from the playful sprites of the dark forest..." At Aldwyn's, the school described by the Practical Guide, Illusion Magic is the magic of the arts, both performing and ... I'm not sure what to call it - painting, scupting, &c. I've always called this Glamourie or Glamour, and have considered it to be one of the major, and more dangerous, weapons in the arsenal of the Otherfolk.
Enchantment	"Enchantment Magic is the art of twisting the hearts and minds of others to your will." The guide warns that spells of enchantment are not permanent change and when they wear off, the victim remembers that they have been enchanted ... which could be hazardous to the health of the practicioner. The claim in the guide is that Enchantment was taught by forest dryads. I assume that they would use it to subtly influence others to avoid their groves and leave them in peace. Perhaps the haunted woods you were warned against entering as a kid housed such a community? I think that this course is rightly named Enchantment.
Summoning	When I think of Summoning, I think of Elemental, Infernal and Nature Spirits. (Divine spirits, aka angels, would be covered by Church Magic, in my opinion. I suppose Demon summoning would be covered there as well... in a sort of "know your enemy" kind of way>.) So what I consider Summoning would be covered by Elemental magic. However ... The Practical Guide defines Summoning more broadly as the art which "will allow you to summon the right creature" to perform some mundane act, such as retrieving an item from an inaccessible spot. The example given by the guide is summoning a flock of birds to disentangle a cloak that had ended up in the high branches of a tree. But it's not just creatures, one can also Summon items to oneself or, conversely, away from oneself. I suspect that the General Studies Summoning courses that are required to advance would concentrate on visualization and ... memorizing? ... intimately knowing exactly what is to be summoned and the space into which it is summoned. The first Summoning that any student at Aldwyns attempts is the summoning of a familiar. It is implied, but not explicit that the creature summoned by rewarded in the way of balance.
Information	The course of Information Magic at Aldwyns looks a lot like Divination to me. It is the use of magic to gain ... well, information. Examples given in the guide refer to spells to determine an object's properties, magical or otherwise; Scrying; spells to communicate with someone over a distance; spells to send one's thoughts into another's mind or to read the thoughts of others.
Change	Change Magic is Transformation I really don't think I need to say any more than that.
Protection	At Aldwyns, Protection Magic is the opposite of Destruction Magic, "Defense" as opposed to "Combat". However ... hmmm... Hogwarts has "Defense against the Dark Arts", which is more flexible than "Destruction" and very different from "Elemental magic". No. Aldwyns' course in Protection Magic is the other half of Destruction Magic. Which decision leaves Borderland Academy ... unbalanced, symbolically, significantly and magically.

I'm wanting to have eight towers of learning at Borderland Academy. One for each school of magic and one for General Studies. Bundling Protection and Destruction into Elemental Studies leaves me one short but ... on the other hand ... There are some courses that Aldwyns doesn't cover. To wit, the handicraft magics that make up witchcraft.

This chart represents a division of magic that I created some time ago.

Piseag	Household magics - useful magics to make life a little easier, some harvest weather-crafting; dealing with imps, boggles, brownies; &c
Briosag	Knot magic, magic weaving, nets, &c
Luisreag	Herb-magic, similar to Alchemy, especially as the latter is taught at Hogwarts. Potion-magic, I suppose.
Rúnaire	Rune-magic. At Aldwyns, this is taught was "Spellwriting" in general studies and not as a separate form of magic. Most of the spells and magic taught at Aldwyns employs a written component.
Obag	Invocation, chant and cantrips - with or without a wand or physical component
Seunadair	Amulet making; used for protection or for the casting of long-lasting enchantment. A magic sword would be considered the result of Seunadair.
Geasadair	Transformation ... which is one of the schools of magic previously mentioned.