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Mysticism vs Sorcery - which has more control over magic?
This will be based on feats of Mystics and Sorcerers through out the Marvel and DC continuum of universes.
From Webster:
Mystic - a person who seeks by contemplation and self-surrender to obtain unity with or absorption into the Deity or the absolute, or who believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond the intellect.
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Mystics by nature do not seek to control the forces they attune themselves to, those who dabble in sorcery are all about using those same forces for manipulation. A mystic who seeks to control magic, by definition is no longer a mystic and has started down the path of the sorcerer. On the same note a sorcerer who no longer sought to manipulate could become a mystic, so the answer is both could control magic equally well, it's all a matter of application and intent.
My Strange may be a sorceror, but hes adept in the mystic arts. Same can be said for most who practice magic at a high scale. Fate, Zatanna, Yandroth, Clea, Enchantress, Dr.Occult, etc.
Doc Strange has also been referenced as "master of the mystic arts". I don't think there's essentially any profound difference in Marvel for those kinds of things.
I would think that Dr. Strange is a sorcerer as he normally casts spells and manipulates magic for desired effects. He learns magic to be able to protect the universe with it.
While a mystic might be someone who seeks otherworldly knowledge without the stated desire to actually use it. The best example in comics, imo, would be characters like the Elders of the Universe. They usually just seek to learn about a particular subject without seeking a purpose to use that knowledge (aside from staying alive).
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If that is true, then Fate shouldn't belong to that category cause he has more similarities to Strange than some one who just endulges in pursuit of otherwordly knowledge like the elders.
Yea. It kinda reminds me of Martial Arts. Theres many parts to it. Same thing with magic. Sorcery, wizardry, mysticism, its all magic. Kung-Fu, karate, judo is all forms of martial arts.
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I see what you mean and it makes sense,
but I think there is a difference between the two, as in Sorcerers seem to be built around casting spells in the name of demons or extra-dimentional beings, while Mystics gain their abilities through meditation and spiritual/mental training, I don't think they need a source for their magic as sorcerers do, (at least not a sentient source of power)they learn a certain technique and it becomes theirs, unlike Strange who would not be able to do what he can do if the Vishanti were eliminated.
By the way Strange is earth's sorcerer supreme while Fate is earth's master of the mystic arts.
The only visible difference between the two IMO(well aside from the pre-crisis Nelson with his PC superman lite powers) would be the effects they are more accustomed on using with their abilities and not precisely their styles.
And Strange has both title of being the earths "sorcerer supreme" & "master of the mystic arts" for Marvel.
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Last edited by Sixth_Winged on Mar 4th, 2006 at 04:44 AM
There is considerable overlap, but in general mystics tend to be much less powerful than sorcerers.
Mystics tend to be characters in street-level or slightly above stories. The Hand is generally what I think of when I think of mystics. Subtle low-end magics that make them slightly better at stealth and assassination than is humanly possible. Slow, complicated, rituals to raise the dead being their high-end.
Or to use a tv example, the resurrection of White Canary is a perfect example of what I think of when I think of mysticism. A slow, dangerous ritual using a precious resource that brings one person back from the dead at great cost and risk.
Sorcery is things like you see in Doc Strange and Harry Potter. Flashly, nearly instant, reality-warping stuff.
It's telling that characters like Fu Manchu used to be called a mystic. Fu never did anything flashy. It's just implied that he subtly amplified the products of his science with barbarous asian mysticism.
The villain in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" is a mystic.
I'd say the highest you get with mystics is the sort of thing you saw in original Conan stories: slow, dangerous, costly rituals to summon chthuluesque horrors.
Generally, if a character mostly relies on mundane military force and his magicks subtly benefit those mundane forces, the character is a mystic. If the character can casually throw down with flashy blasts, he's a sorcerer or wizard.
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Mar 4th, 2006 01:31 AM
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