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Magic

Magic
Power Information
Season(s)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Mentioned in
{{{Mentioned}}}
Also Known As
{{{Aka}}}
Notable features
Change and control the material world through supernatural means.

[[:Category:{{{Images}}}|Images]]


"There's magic in the ordinary, Sook. There's magic in the things we can see. Birth is a miracle. Love is a miracle. Death is a miracle. Forgiveness is a miracle, especially if you can learn to forgive yourself."
Niall Brigant

Magic is a supernatural force that is inherent within the universe and all of its inhabitants. Magic is heavily found throughout every episode of the HBO original series True Blood. While there are countless varieties of supernatural forces that are present within this universe, Mediumship and Witchcraft are considered two of the purest forms of magic. According to Niall Brigant, all creatures, both human and non-human, are connected to this power and are able to utilize it through practice and training.

Description[]

"Magic" is a term that is used to describe both the paranormal power that is able to produce supernatural effects, as well as the spiritual energy that is inherent within all creatures, alive and undead. Magic is an essential aspect of life as it is responsible for the immaterial gratification experienced by everyday people (i.e. love, music, poetry and even the will to live). According to Niall Brigant, magic is present within all things and that everything from birth throughout death are inherently magical.

Forms of Magic[]

Fae Magic[]

See main article: Faerie

This extra-dimensional and powerful species possesses a stronger magic than those of ordinary creatures. They are the only living creature known to be capable of inter-dimensional travel and can even send other beings to other dimensions with or without their permission. They often reside in a plane of existence chosen as their home, in order to keep themselves safe. They can tap into mysterious energies to see into past events and can expel light from their hands capable of harming or even destroying any creature, natural or supernatural. Their abilities are especially effective against their natural enemies, vampires, as their powers tend to be based on light.

Despite their power, the fae are far from invincible. In addition, a halfling is born with a limited amount of magic, and when their power is depleted, the halfling will become an ordinary human being. It is unclear whether such a halfling passes on any fae traits to it's own children or not since the show has only shown few supposed "halflings" and none used up their power. It is unclear whether it means that a "halfling" has a depleting reservoir of power which once depleted no longer recharges or if their powers tap a limited source of power which never recharges. Fae possess lifespans that span thousands of years, but they are not immune to aging and will eventually succumb to senescence.

Witchcraft[]

See main article: Witchcraft

Witchcraft, also known as the Old Ways and Brujería (in Spanish), is a more grounded form of magic that is exclusive to the living. While the limitations of witchcraft remains unclear, it is known that witches were once highly feared by the vampire community and have spent thousands of years perpetuating lies and misconceptions about witchcraft to install fear in the wider community as a means to keep the witch population to a minimum. Therefore, because of the extensive amount of effort displayed by the vampires to keep witchcraft as an endangered practice, it is strongly believed that witches are one of the most powerful beings in the world.

Mediumship[]

See main article: Medium

Although rare, some special people are gifted with the ability to perceive and communicate with spiritual entities. Unlike many witches, sorcerers, and shamans that merely conjure and invoke spirits, mediums serve as conduits to the spiritual plane and often act as 'vessels' for spirits to manifest and interact within the physical realm. This sometimes works against them as it makes them vulnerable to outright possession by spirits. Lafayette is a potent medium and this vulnerability afflicts him frequently.

Vampirism[]

See main article: Vampire

Vampires possess their own unique magic. Seeing as they are technically dead, their very existence on earth is made possible by magic. Their magical qualities often manifest in physical enhancements and a unique hypnosis-like power of mental influence over others known as glamour. Vampires themselves, faeries, ghosts and maenads are immune to the effects of glamouring. Vampires are immune to aging and many other things that would have killed them in their human lives, although they are technically not immortal as they can still die by other means. Vampires' magic, however, induces weakness such as sunlight, silver, and preventing them from entering the residences of living people without invitation. These weaknesses combined with their natural impulses and difficulty with self-control make them far from invincible, and they require guidance and discipline to survive. It is not known for certain whether vampires can utilize other forms of magic, such as witchcraft or necromancy, but they are never portrayed doing so.

Shape-shifting[]

See main article: Shape-shifter

Shifters possess the power to change their appearance and assume the form of an animal. To attain the ability to shift into a human, a shifter must kill a member of their own family. A shifter with this ability is known as a "skinwalker."  This need not be murder (e.g., the mother dying during childbirth). Were-creatures also have this ability, but they can only shift into a specific animal.

Maenads[]

See main article: Maenad

While only one Maenad has appeared in the series, they portrayed a myriad of magical, semi-divine traits. Most notably they are immortal and highly durable (e.g. Maryann deflected a bullet with her bare hand). They apparently live off of human energy and can influence the minds and behavior of humans (in the novels, they also have an effect on vampires, but this is never clearly demonstrated in the television series). While supernatural beings cannot be hypnotized by a Maenad's power, a Maenad can still do various things to different supernatural creatures (e.g. she forced Sam to shift).

Faith/Worship/Religion[]

Not much is revealed about the role of magic in the world's different religion(s). But it is a basic part of Wicca. Former Vampire Queen of Louisiana Sophie-Anne said this, which explains the origins of what is a maenad and how they came to be: "Never underestimate the power of blind faith. For it can manifest in ways that bend the laws of physics or break them entirely."

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