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58-600: The Texas Renaissance Festival (dubbed the Ren Fest ) is an annual Renaissance fair located in Todd Mission , Texas , about 55 miles northwest of Houston . The Texas Renaissance Festival (TRF) started in 1974 on the location of an old strip mining site. The festival claims to be "the nation’s largest Renaissance theme park." As of 2017, the festival sits on 55 acres of land, and offers over 200 acres of camping facilities to patrons. The festival regularly draws over half

116-636: A joust as a main attraction. PETA and Born Free USA have protested the use of elephants and camels at the Maryland Renaissance Festival and Arizona Renaissance Festival . In addition to staged performances, a major attraction of Renaissance fairs are professional and amateur crowds of actors who play historical figures, roaming the fairgrounds and interacting with visitors. Some allow visitors to bring peace-bonded weapons, while others only allow fair employees to wear them. The Renaissance fair subculture's word for costumed guests

174-405: A direct effect or the result of a miscast spell wreaking terrible havoc. In other works, developing magic is difficult. In Rick Cook 's Wizardry series, the extreme danger presented by magic and the difficulty of analyzing the magic have stymied magic and left humanity at the mercy of the dangerous elves until a wizard summons a computer programmer from a parallel world — ours — to apply

232-686: A fantasy magician's hat shape may mean that it is ultimately derived from them. Golden Hat of Schifferstadt , circa 1,400-1,300 BC, Historical Museum of the Palatinate in Speyer , Germany. Terry Pratchett described robes as a magician's way of establishing to those they meet that they are capable of practicing magic. In the Dragonlance campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, wizards show their moral alignment by

290-939: A highly praised free-flying bird show including hawks, owls, vultures, and eagles, the Fire Whip Show, the Clan Tynker Family Circus, the Pride of Bedlam, and the School of Sword. At the end of the festival, a royal finale takes place in the arena, featuring performances from several of the entertainers and musicians, and closing with a fireworks presentation. 30°15′32″N 95°49′50″W  /  30.259007°N 95.830646°W  / 30.259007; -95.830646 Renaissance fair Renaissance festivals generally include costumed entertainers or fair-goers, musical and theatrical acts, art and handicrafts for sale, and festival food. These fairs are open to

348-407: A large green serpent. She also enchants Rilian , compelling him to forget his father and Narnia. And when that enchantment is broken, she attempts further enchantments with a sweet-smelling smoke and a thrumming musical instrument to attempt to baffle him and his rescuers into forgetting them again. The term sorcerer has moved from meaning a fortune-teller , or "one who alters fate ", to meaning

406-428: A living finding lost items and people, performing exorcisms , and providing protection against the supernatural. In the series Sorcerous Stabber Orphen , human forms of life should have only been capable of acquiring divine magic powers through individual spiritual development, whereas the race of human magicians with inborn magical ability ended in conflict with pureblood human society, because this race appeared as

464-405: A million guests annually, making it the largest Renaissance festival in the country by attendance. The TRF was founded in 1974 by brothers, David and George Coulam , on an abandoned strip mining site in what is now Todd Mission, Texas. At the time, it spanned fifteen acres, with three stages featuring small improv theatre groups, and merchants selling their goods on blankets. The opening year saw

522-585: A movement that spread across the country. Although historical reenactments are not exclusive to the United States, Renaissance fairs are largely an American variation on the idea of reenactments. European historical fairs, such as those held at Kentwell Hall in Suffolk , England, operate more on the living history museum model, in which an actual historic site is staffed by reenactors who explain historical life to modern visitors, rather than acting in

580-470: A particular magical item is common, and necessary to limit the magician's power for the story's sake – without it, the magician's powers may be weakened or absent entirely. In the Harry Potter universe, a wizard must expend much greater effort and concentration to use magic without a wand, and only a few can control magic without one; taking away a wizard's wand in battle essentially disarms them. In

638-512: A practitioner of magic who can alter reality. They are also sometimes shown as able to conjure supernatural beings or spirits, such as in The Sorcerer's Apprentice . Due to this perception of their powers, this character may be depicted as feared, or even seen as evil. In sword and sorcery works, typically the hero would be the sword-wielder, thus leaving the sorcery for his opponent. Villainous sorcerers were so crucial to pulp fantasy that

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696-652: A role. In recent years, American-style Renaissance fairs have made inroads in other countries. Germany has seen a very similar phenomenon since the 1980s, and fairs have grown increasingly popular in Canada and Australia since the mid-1990s. Spinoffs of Renaissance fairs also include fairs set in other time periods, such as Christmas fairs set in Charles Dickens ' London. Renaissance fairs have several variant names, many of which use old-fashioned spellings such as faire or fayre . These spellings originate from

754-547: A turn-out of 33,000. The fair has since grown to an annual attendance of over 500,000 with 400 vendors and 21 stages over eight weekends. A documentary series on the TRF and its ownership, Ren Faire , was produced in 2024 by HBO. As of 2017, the TRF featured approximately 500 costumed actors who performed on 25 stages. Its 350 on-site shops included: international food purveyors; unique artisans; merchants and craft vendors; human-powered rides; an abundance of performers walking among

812-510: A weapon or tool to be more (or less) effective, enchanting a person or object to have a changed shape or appearance, creating illusions intended to deceive the observer, compelling a person to perform an action they might not normally do, or attempting to charm or seduce someone. For instance, the Lady of the Green Kirtle in C. S. Lewis 's The Silver Chair can transform herself into

870-430: A wide variety of performances. The festival features several medieval-themed music and dance groups, including everything from belly dancing, to harps and fiddles, to bagpipes and accordions, to the carillon . Throughout the festival park several demonstrating artists can be found presenting the methods of various medieval trades, such as glassblowing, forging armor, candle-making, coin minting, and others to visitors. On

928-758: A witch may be depicted more neutrally, such as the female witches (comparable to the male wizards) in the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling . In medieval chivalric romance, the wizard often appears as a wise old man and acts as a mentor , with Merlin from the King Arthur stories being a prime example. Wizards such as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter are also featured as mentors, and Merlin remains prominent as both an educative force and mentor in

986-400: A wizard as well. Magicians in role-playing games often use names borrowed from fiction, myth and legend. They are typically delineated and named so that the game's players and game masters can know which rules apply. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson introduced the term " magic-user " in the original Dungeons & Dragons as a generic term for a practitioner of magic (in order to avoid

1044-446: Is 'playtrons,' a portmanteau of the words player and patron. This adds enjoyment to guests' experience by 'getting into the act' as Renaissance Lords and Ladies, peasants, pirates, belly dancers, or fantasy characters. However, many Renaissance fairs discourage interaction between the official cast and so-called 'playtrons.' Most fairs have an end-of-the-day ritual parade, dance, or concert where all employees gather and bid farewell to

1102-419: Is not put to practical use in society; they may serve as mentors, act as quest companions, or even go on a quest themselves, but their magic does not build roads or buildings, provide immunizations, construct indoor plumbing, or do any of the other functions served by machinery; their worlds remain at a medieval level of technology. Sometimes this is justified by having the negative effects of magic outweigh

1160-468: Is someone who uses or practices magic derived from supernatural , occult , or arcane sources. Magicians enjoy a rich history in mythology , legends , fiction , and folklore , and are common figures in works of fantasy, such as fantasy literature and role-playing games . People who work magic are called by several names in fantasy works, and terminology differs widely from one fantasy world to another. While derived from real-world vocabulary,

1218-578: Is that a wizard can only cast a specific number of spells in a day. In Larry Niven 's The Magic Goes Away , once an area's mana is exhausted, no one can use magic. The extent of a magician's knowledge is limited to which spells a wizard knows and can cast. Magic may also be limited by its danger; if a powerful spell can cause grave harm if miscast, magicians are likely to be wary of using it. Other forms of magic are limited by consequences that, while not inherently dangerous, are at least undesirable. In A Wizard of Earthsea , every act of magic distorts

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1276-723: Is that the ability to use magic is innate and often rare, or gained through a large amount of study and practice. In J. R. R. Tolkien 's Middle-earth , it is mostly limited to non-humans, such as the Istari (more commonly known as wizards), or elves crafting magical items. In many writers' works, it is reserved for a select group of humans, such as in Katherine Kurtz 's Deryni novels, JK Rowling 's Harry Potter novels or Randall Garrett 's Lord Darcy universe. A common limit invented by Jack Vance in his The Dying Earth series, and later popularized in role-playing games

1334-658: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles , Patricia Wrede depicts wizards who use magic based on their staves, and magicians who practice several kinds of magic, including wizard magic; in the Regency fantasies, she and Caroline Stevermer depict magicians as identical to wizards, though inferior in skill and training. Magicians normally learn spells by reading ancient tomes called grimoires , which may have magical properties of their own. Sorcerers in Conan

1392-544: The Odyssey , used by Circe to transform Odysseus 's men into animals. Italian fairy tales put wands into the hands of powerful fairies by the Late Middle Ages . Today, magical wands are widespread in literature and are used from Witch World to Harry Potter. In The Lord of the Rings , Gandalf refuses to surrender his own staff, breaking Saruman 's, which strips the latter of his power. This dependency on

1450-527: The Harry Potter Universe; Severus Snape invented a variety of jinxes and hexes as well as substantial improvements in the process of making potions ; Albus Dumbledore, along with Nicolas Flamel, is credited with discovering the twelve uses of dragon 's blood. To introduce conflict, writers of fantasy fiction often place limits on the magical abilities of magicians to prevent them from solving problems too easily. A common motif in fiction

1508-644: The Hogwarts Express train . The powers ascribed to magicians often affect their roles in society. In practical terms, their powers may give them authority; magicians may advise kings, such as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and Belgarath and Polgara the Sorceress in David Eddings 's The Belgariad . They may be rulers themselves, as in E.R. Eddison 's The Worm Ouroboros , where both

1566-509: The Marvel Universe continues to learn about magic even after being named Sorcerer Supreme. He often encounters creatures that have not been seen for centuries or more. In the same universe, Dr. Doom continues to pursue magical knowledge after mastering it by combining magic with science. Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter invent new magical items and sell them as legitimate defense items, new spells and potions can be made in

1624-564: The Middle English feire (variant spellings include feyre , faire , and fayre ), which comes from the Anglo-French word feire . They can also be referred to as Elizabethan , Medieval , or Tudor fairs or festivals. A German Mittelaltermarkt (literally "medieval market") resembles a Renaissance fair. Many Catalan towns hold Mercats Medievals (literally "medieval markets") as part of their annual festivities. Within

1682-734: The Wicked Witch of the West , and other witches in the Land of Oz . Baum named Glinda the "Good Witch of the South" in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . In The Marvelous Land of Oz , he dubbed her "Glinda the Good," and from that point forward and in subsequent books, Baum referred to her as a sorceress rather than a witch to avoid the term that was more regarded as evil. In modern fiction,

1740-699: The Barbarian often gained powers from such books, which are demarcated by their strange bindings. In worlds where magic is not an innate trait, the scarcity of these strange books may be a facet of the story; in Poul Anderson 's A Midsummer Tempest , Prince Rupert seeks out the books of the magician Prospero to learn magic. The same occurs in the Dungeons and Dragons -based novel series Dragonlance Chronicles , wherein Raistlin Majere seeks out

1798-631: The Renaissance fair community, there are different opinions on the desirability of 'authenticity' at festivals. Some believe fairs should be as authentic an experience as possible, supplemented with educational aspects similar to European living history museums . Others believe that entertainment is the primary goal. Richard Shapiro, who founded what later became the Bristol Renaissance Faire outside Chicago in 1972, favored entertainment, saying "we were so authentic back then it

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1856-418: The Rings or Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter , can appear as hostile villains. Ursula K. Le Guin 's A Wizard of Earthsea explored the question of how wizards learned their art, introducing to modern fantasy the role of the wizard as the protagonist. This theme has been further developed in modern fantasy, often leading to wizards as heroes on their own quests. Such heroes may have their own mentor,

1914-1069: The backyard of her Laurel Canyon home in the Hollywood Hills as the fairgrounds. On May 11 and 12 in the same year, Patterson and her husband, Ron Patterson, presented the first " Renaissance Pleasure Faire " as a one-weekend fundraiser for a radio station KPFK , drawing some eight thousand people. The Living History Center designed the fair to resemble a springtime market fair of the period. Many original booths were free-of-charge reenactments of historical activities, including printing presses and blacksmiths. The first commercial vendors were artisans and food merchants, and had to demonstrate historical accuracy or plausibility for their wares. Volunteers were organized into "guilds" to focus on specific reenactment roles (musicians, military, Celtic clans, peasants, etc.). Both actors and vendors were required to stay "in character" while working by speaking with period language, accents, and mannerisms. The original Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Southern California (RPFS)

1972-502: The books of the sorcerer Fistandantilus. In JK Rowling's Harry Potter series, wizards already have skills of magic but they need to practise magic in Wizarding Schools in order to be able to use it properly . Some magicians, even after training, continue their education by learning more spells, inventing new ones (and new magical objects), or rediscovering ancient spells, beings, or objects. For example, Dr. Strange from

2030-412: The colour of their robes. A magician's crystal ball is a crystal or glass ball commonly associated with clairvoyance , fortune-telling , or scrying . Wands and staves have long been used as requirements for the magician. Possibly derived from wand-like implements used in fertility rituals , such as apotropaic wands , the earliest known instance of the modern magical wand was featured in

2088-920: The connotations of terms such as wizard or warlock ); this lasted until the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons , where it was replaced with mage (later to become wizard ). The exact rules vary from game to game. The wizard or mage , as a character class , is distinguished by the ability to cast certain kinds of magic but being vulnerable in direct combat; sub-classes are distinguished by strengths in some areas of magic and weakness in others. Sorcerers are distinguished from wizards as having an innate gift with magic, as well as having mystical or magical ancestry. Warlocks are distinguished from wizards as creating forbidden "pacts" with powerful creatures to harness their innate magical gifts, similarly to clerics and paladins , who are empowered through divine and deific sources to perform thaumaturgical feats, while druids and rangers draw power from nature and

2146-404: The effort put into reaching the ends stays the same. For example, when the wizards of Unseen University are chasing the hapless wizard Rincewind in the forest of Skund, the wizards send out search teams to go and find him on foot. The Archchancellor beats them to it by using a powerful spell from his own office, and while he gets there first by clever use of his spell, he has used no less effort than

2204-519: The elements. Bards , on the other hand, are similar to wizards in learning magical abilities as scholarly practices, but differ in their power being tied to artistic expression rather than arcane knowledge. Due to their traditional image as a wise old man or wise old woman , magicians may be depicted as old , white-haired , and in some instances with their hair (and in the case of male wizards, beards ), being long and majestic enough to occasionally host lurking woodland creatures. This depiction predates

2262-489: The equilibrium of the world, which in turn has far-reaching consequences that can affect the entire world and everything in it. As a result, competent wizards do not use their magic frivolously. In Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, the Law of Conservation of Reality is a principle imposed by forces wanting wizards to not destroy the world, and works to limit how much power it is humanly possible to wield. Whatever your means,

2320-671: The era of the Renaissance; these may include earlier medieval periods such as the Viking Age or later periods such as the Golden Age of Piracy . Some engage in deliberate 'time travel' by encouraging participants to wear costumes representing several eras in a broad time period. Renaissance fairs encourage visitors to engage with costumes and audience participation, often renting outfits to fairgoers. Many welcome fantasy elements like wizards and elves . Most Renaissance fairs are arranged to represent an imagined English village during

2378-641: The following year in Washington, D.C. A televised version was broadcast on the Hallmark Hall of Fame in 1966 which included Dustin Hoffman playing the part of the dragon slain by Saint George . In 1971, Langstaff established a permanent Christmas Revels in Cambridge , Massachusetts . In 1963, Los Angeles schoolteacher Phyllis Patterson held a small Renaissance fair as a class activity, using

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2436-436: The genre in which they appeared was dubbed " sword and sorcery ". Witch (an—often female—practitioner of witchcraft ) and wicked (an adjective meaning "bad, evil, false") are both derivative terms from the word, wicca (an Old English word with varied meanings, including soothsayer, astrologer, herbalist, poisoner, seductress, or devotee of supernatural beings or spirits). L. Frank Baum combined these terms in naming

2494-456: The guests; and the Queen's Royal Finale (fireworks if weather permits) at dusk. The fair hosts over half a million visitors annually, which peaked at 679,000 in 2016. Each of the weekends of the festival take on a different theme, influencing the performances, costumes, food, drink, art, shops, contests, and games throughout the festival grounds. The festival grounds feature 25 stages, which host

2552-551: The heroes and the villains, although kings and lords, supplement their physical power with magical knowledge, or as in Jonathan Stroud 's Bartimaeus Trilogy , where magicians are the governing class. On the other hand, magicians often live like hermits , isolated in their towers and often in the wilderness, bringing no change to society. In some works, such as many of Barbara Hambly 's, they are despised and outcast specifically because of their knowledge and powers. In

2610-560: The larger stages, other, grander events take place, the largest of which is the Joust. The Joust is performed by the Hanlon-Lees Action Theatre, and is an accurate reenactment of a medieval joust, featuring authentic weapons, costumed horses, and armored knights. Other performances at the festival include acts designed for mature audiences only; as well as for youngsters. Staple performances include The Birds of Prey show,

2668-560: The magic-noir world of the Dresden Files , wizards generally keep a low profile, though there is no explicit prohibition against interacting openly with non-magical humanity. The protagonist of the series, Harry Dresden , openly advertises in the Yellow Pages under the heading "Wizard" and maintains a business office, though other wizards tend to resent him for practicing his craft openly. Dresden primarily uses his magic to make

2726-593: The modern fantasy genre, being derived from the traditional image of wizards such as Merlin. In fantasy, a magician may be shown wearing a pointed hat , robes , and/or a cloak . In more modern stories, a magician may be dressed similarly to a stage magician , wearing a top hat and tails , with an optional cape . Several golden hats adorned with astronomical sequences have been found in Europe. It has been speculated by archaeologists and historians that they were worn by ancient wizards. The similarities shared with

2784-522: The modern works of Arthuriana . Wizards can be cast similarly to the absent-minded professor : being foolish and prone to misconjuring. They can also be capable of great magic, both good and evil. Even comical magicians are often capable of great feats, such as those of Miracle Max in The Princess Bride ; although he is a washed-up wizard fired by the villain, he saves the dying hero. Other wizards, such as Saruman from The Lord of

2842-739: The others. Magic may require rare and precious materials, such as rare herbs or flowers (often selected by prescribed rituals), minerals or metals such as mercury , parts of creatures such as the eye of a newt , or even fantastic ingredients like the cool of a soft breeze on a summer's day. Even if the magician lacks scruples, obtaining the materials in question may be difficult. This can vary by fantasy work. Many magicians require no materials at all; or those that do may require only simple and easily obtained materials. Role-playing games are more likely to require such materials for at least some spells for game balance reasons. Nevertheless, many magicians live in pseudo-medieval settings in which their magic

2900-595: The patrons. Renaissance fairs are staged around the world at different times of the year. Fair vendors, actors, and crew often work by going from event to event as one fair ends and another begins. In post-World War II America, there was a resurgence of interest in medieval and Renaissance culture . Folk musician and traditionalist John Langstaff gained popularity in the 1950s as part of an early music revival trend. In 1957, Langstaff hosted "A Christmas Masque of Traditional Revels" in New York City , and another

2958-408: The positive possibilities. In Barbara Hambley's Windrose Chronicles , wizards are precisely pledged not to interfere because of the terrible damage they can do. In Discworld , the importance of wizards is that they actively do not do magic, because when wizards have access to sufficient "thaumaturgic energy", they develop many psychotic attributes and may eventually destroy the world. This may be

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3016-443: The public and typically commercial. Some are permanent theme parks, while others are short-term events in a fairground, winery, or other large spaces. Some Renaissance fairs offer campgrounds for those who wish to stay more than one day. Many Renaissance fairs are set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England . Some are set earlier, during the reign of Henry VIII , or in other countries, such as France. Others are set outside

3074-555: The reign of Elizabeth I , often thought of as the height of the English Renaissance . Within a modern Renaissance festival, there are stages or performance areas set up for scheduled shows, such as plays in Shakespearean or commedia dell'arte traditions, as well as anachronistic audience participation in comedy routines. Other performances include dancers, magicians, musicians, jugglers, and singers. Between

3132-628: The skills he learned in our world to magic. At other times, magic and technology do develop in tandem; this is most common in the alternate history genre. Patricia Wrede's Regency fantasies include a Royal Society of Wizards and a technological level equivalent to the actual Regency; Randall Garrett 's Lord Darcy series, Robert A. Heinlein 's Magic, Incorporated , and Poul Anderson 's Operation Chaos all depict modern societies with magic equivalent to twentieth-century technology. In Harry Potter , wizards have magical equivalents to non-magical inventions; sometimes they duplicate them, as with

3190-745: The stages, the streets ('lanes') are lined with stores ('shoppes') and stalls where independent vendors sell themed handcrafts, clothing, books, and artwork. Renaissance fairs typically feature a wide variety of foods inspired by both medieval cuisine and typical American fair foods like corn dogs . Some foods, like turkey legs, steak on a stick, and bread bowls have become iconic of Renaissance festivals. Beer, mead , and wine are also common. Games include typical fair events, such as archery, axe-throwing, and dunk tanks . Rides are typically not machine-powered; various animal rides and human-powered swings are common, as are live animal displays and falconry exhibitions. Larger Renaissance fairs often include

3248-564: The terms: magician , mage , magus , enchanter/enchantress , sorcerer/sorceress , warlock , witch , and wizard , each have different meanings depending upon context and the story in question. Archmage is used in fantasy works to indicate a powerful magician or a leader of magicians. Enchanters typically practice a type of imbued magic that produces no permanent effects on objects or people and are temporary, or of an indefinite duration, or which may require some item or act, to nullify or reverse. For example, this could include enchanting

3306-775: Was almost painful." Festival organizers sometimes attempt a balance between authenticity and entertainment. In 1968, Phyllis Patterson, founder of the California Renaissance Pleasure Faires , also created the Living History Centre, a California-based educational and cultural foundation. The foundation's motto "we trick into learning with a laugh" reflects a belief in merging history and entertainment. Magician (fantasy) A magician , also known as an archmage , mage , magus , magic-user , spellcaster , enchanter/enchantress , sorcerer/sorceress , warlock , witch , or wizard ,

3364-813: Was held in the spring of 1966 at the Paramount Ranch located in Agoura, California, focusing on the practices of old English springtime markets and "Maying" customs. In 1967, the Pattersons created a fall Renaissance fair with a harvest festival theme at what is now China Camp State Park in San Rafael, California. The fall fair was moved in 1971 to the Black Point Forest in Novato, California . Both fairs developed into local traditions and began

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