Crafting as a MAGIC SYSTEM?

Click here to watch the FULL COMPANION VIDEO to this one

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There’s a strange kind of magic in human art and artifice, and I mean that literally. It shows up throughout fiction, but in even stranger places than that too.

Let’s soak some of those ideas up and see what we can do with them in our own stories!

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[TheTaleFoundry]

You can get Nebula for less than *any* other streaming platform on the internet by signing up for the Nebula/Curiosity Stream bundle. Check it out, and definitely come back to let us know what you thought of our OTHER video about crafting magic! I'm really eager to hear your thoughts.

[burghleyimeanberdly]

The reason Glamdring and Sting glow near orcs is actually fascinating, the smith imbues the blade with his wrath and so causes it to react to that which the smith hated

[rami_ungar_writer]

Writing is definitely crafting as magic. Both the process and the product are magical, and I love it.

[dougiethompson]

1:54 Not Enchanting
2:55 Magic for Crafting
8:30 Magic from Crafting
15:31 Magic as Crafting

[umguin]

These are some sick concepts that I haven't considered! This gives me a great idea for a group of npc's in my DnD campaign!

[matthewrosebrock]

This reminds me of a manga that uses ink and any writing surface as the source of magic. Draw some runes enclose them in a circle and as the circle is completed the magic is invoked. Simple, but with added complexity when you find out that being skilled in calligraphy is what makes or breaks any spell cast. The flying shoes for example use wind runes in it but if the runes are uneven in placement or different in size the magic will strongly push the user in the direction of the area with biggest and/or closely packed runes making them hard to control, but that does not make those configurations undesirable. Since the main character uses that apparent fault in design to make a makeshift mast to fly through the air when her magic shoes she was lent became unusable when the circle and runes were damaged.

[jenfries]

As a crafter and an artist and a writer, I loved this topic! I'm excited to read Circle of Magic now, too. One of my recent inspirations for imagining magical crafting is a book that isn't about magic and isn't even fiction. I recommend it for anyone interested in exploring the idea of craft and the crafting mind. It's called "Craeft: An Inquiry into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts, " by historian/archeologist Alexander Langlands. His remarks about the mindset of the craftsperson, how fundamental craft is to human life, and how in tune the crafter must be to nature and their physical surroundings to develop a crafting mind, are particularly interesting. The chapter on beekeeping will probably trigger a LOT of story ideas, as will the chapter on sticks, especially the part about highly specialized tools being grown rather than made (spoiler: hay forks, in France).

So thanks so much for this talk. However, I do have to mention there was one teeny bit of irony in the video: Our friend, Fiber Arts, the most mysterious of all processes to those who don't do them. Your descriptions of them were spot-on, but the animations... Okay, I saw three fiber crafts in the video, 2 animations of spinning, 1 of embroidery, and 1 of weaving.

The weaving animation was correct enough - it was a proper type of loom, it looked right, and what tiny details it missed are too small to matter visually. So I applaud that, because I have seen some whackadoo representations of weaving out there in the world. So that one's good to go.

The embroidery animation had a big error, but it is an error that people can actually make when they're learning to embroider. So, we have the crafter holding a piece of fabric stretched on a frame, and we see some stitches already in the fabric - all correct. And we see the crafter frowning down at her work - and no wonder she's having trouble because she is making her next stitch wrong. Look at the pretty, golden line of the thread in the animation. It goes from the bottom of the fabric to the eye of the needle - but then where it is going? The way it's animated, the crafter made her last stitch by pushing the needle down through the fabric, and now she has carried the needle up **around** the frame and is trying to push it down into the top of the fabric again. Look closely, and you'll see why that's a problem. She's going to have to figure that one out before she can start stitching up some magic.

Finally, spinning. Outside of books about spinning, I don't think I have ever seen a correct representation of the craft of spinning. The video shows us the character from Circle of Magic using a spinning wheel, and the Moirai spinning the threads of fate. In both animations, there is one crucial piece missing, which makes the whole image nonsensical - the spindle. In both cases, the video shows the pretty golden thread somehow moving from the loose fiber to the wheel, and even into the wheel mechanism and around the wheel itself. Incorrect! In fact, it's the most common incorrect depiction of spinning I've seen. (Technically, the animation of the Moirai also missed the measuring and snipping parts, but who's counting?)

What's missing is the spindle - a straight, pointy stick - it can be made of wood or metal. The spindle is mounted to the wheel. The wheel's job is to turn the spindle - to spin it, in fact, hence the name "spindle." The loose fiber gets attached to the spindle, and the spindle is what makes the thread. So the wheel turns, the spindle spins, and it causes the fibers attached to it to twist. That's where the craft comes in. The spinner must control how much of the fiber is pulled through their fingers to get caught up in the twist coming off the spinning spindle. That's what makes the thread. Then there's a whole bunch of technical stuff about how the thread gets wound up, and about tension and plying and whatnot, and that all varies by fiber and what kind of wheel you're using, etc. - it doesn't matter.

The point is, you can be forgiven for not getting this right, because of all traditional crafts, spinning is arguably one of the most arcane and, yes, magical.

No one gets it unless they've done a little of it. I used to demonstrate spinning at a living history museum, and it was one of the most fun parts of that job because most visitors were just wowed, like jaws hanging open, when they watched me do it. The constant questions were "what are you doing?", "how is it happening?", "what am I seeing?"

This is because spinning is fast. It's based on a dynamic, kinetic force, rather than mechanical construction. The thread or yarn is created in literally seconds, and the moving parts spin so quickly, the eye can't follow what they are doing. Depending on the machine the spinner is using, it can literally look like thread is magically emerging from their fingertips. My favorite visitor a the museum was a physics professor, who became so engrossed by the spinning wheels, that his family left him behind to finish their tour. He peppered me with questions for over an hour, practically writing a paper in his head. I even let him try his hand at it with the drop spindle (probably the tool used by the Moirai, btw), which we used for teaching kids.

That speed is why people who have never tried spinning cannot wrap their brains around what all the parts are and how they fit together, and why I have never seen a correct modern image of spinning made by anyone who isn't a spinner.

And I think there's a clue here to the magical-ness of craft and its potential as a magic system, and the role of expertise, learning, and practice in magical craft. Anyone who truly masters a craft will end up with such an intimate understanding of the craft's processes that they can do things others simply cannot comprehend.

One reason crafting may be uncommon as a magic system is because crafts, like spinning and weaving and metalurgy, etc., are extremely technical - arcanely technical - and if you don't know how they work, you won't be able to build an effective story around them. Plus, the world is full of people who do them in real life, and they will absolutely call out every error, just like I did - from a place of love and gratitude! I recommend that anyone seeking to explore crafting as magic should take up a craft as a hobby. At least take some classes in whatever craft you want to write about, even if the system you're planning won't have to be entirely realistic.

That's probably why so many gods are depicted as craftspeople just magi-crafting mythical McGuffins into existence - because it's okay to just handwave craft into a story if the characters and audience aren't expected to understand how it was done. It's the old "a wizard [a crafter] did it" trope. But if you want to tell the story from the crafter's point of view, you should do some hands-on research.

[draconiskittensweetie]

"Howl's Moving Castle" does a little bit of this! It's an interesting concept, Sophie makes hats and sews and fixes outfits and as she speaks to the clothes, they fill with her intention and be whatever she said they would be, positive or negative. While the magic isn't in the craft itself but is in Sophie, seeing her drawing it out via her hat making and sewing is really cool and I think fits this concept pretty well!

[kofimoon-vv-]

"Paper magician" - oh boy I was gonna read that one! It appeared recently in our school library and I thought it looked really nice and was gonna be interesting but I forgot the name before I managed to borrow it. Well now that I know the name I have a few days of spring break to read it, also apparently there's more than just one book~

[annalisalundberg]

There is an old novel called "The King of Elfland's Daughter" (if I remember correctly the name) where a witch forged a special sword for the prince...and to make this sword she makes him go fetch from her cabbage patch some thunder stones (probably some meteoric ore), then draws the shape of the sword in the ground and arranges the thunder stones to reproduce It, and in the end she sings of the sword while she melts the ore...and it's one of the most fascinating passages of that novel. It was by a Lord Dunsany, and I vividly suggest you to look at it, it's a lovely short story

[techstuff]

"Being empathetic toward a piece of string is going to do you much good if it can't feel anything."
Who said the string had to do the feeling? I know a handful of artisans that extend their own senses into the material that they're working with, and am unlocking this capability myself.
A spider can feel the vibrations along the length of its webs, we can find vacancies beneath the earth by sending shockwaves into it, and many more examples of sensing through a medium that isn't a part of yourself.
The very languages we use require air to carry the vibration, or light the reflect off of us and into the eyes of another.

[theeautisticartisan]

As an Artisan myself, the idea of the passion and thought going into a project giving it magical properties is so wonderful.
The work you put into a project, every cut, stitch, skive, and strike. It really feels like you've established a connection with the material/project, whether your wood has an ornery burr that you must work around, or a beautiful scar in a hide that you wish to accentuate. You know every last inch of your creation, every blemish and mistake, and every perfectly straight stitch, things people would never notice that are only visible to the maker's eye.
The idea of intention and purpose giving a project magic properties is so much fun to think about. Careful continuous toil on a bow, working slowly to ensure it's made with utmost precision and in turn, the bow returning the deed by giving back that same precision into its shots. Armor crafted for a loved one, with confidence in their abilities yet concern for their wellbeing, in turn, creates an armor incredibly light without restricting the wearer's movements while remaining incredibly strong.
Yet in turn, such a system could also turn sour.
Crafting armor for someone out of fear for their health, in turn, makes the armor clunky and stiff, that same immobilizing fear the craftsmen had, is now settled deep within the armor itself.
A weapon begrudgingly crafted, is now destined to fail at the worst of times. A tool made from frustration now ruins any projects it touches.
I love this idea and would love to see more of it!

[kuronaialtani]

I remember an anime I watched, years ago now, where magic was used not directly for fireballs and lightning and such, but to create magical combat dolls and then further empower them with spells/runes as needed
The dolls themselves could then sling destructive magic but it all came through their own core and their own abilities/the prowess of their creator
It was fascinating to see how it handled the combos of creator and creation for each set of characters

[morganray]

I love Circle of Magic so much, it's magic always was so cool to me, also that series was one of the ones I used for escapism when my mental health was really bad in middle school.

[kharijordan]

So.. Ok instead of connecting with a dragon to the point that you get magical benefits,
You connect with your craft to the point you get magical benefits. The coolest part about this is that I think each and every person will have a different understanding and connection with each craft.

Edited: and a different understanding and connection with the same craft to.
Someone understand painting in way that... let's them walk on air...and another person understands painting in way that.... let's them turn solids to liquids.

Ok I guess this might take more thought in order to give ppl perfect powers that makes the most sense but is still different for each person to signify subjectivity.

[Peecamarke]

Quite fascinating, I’d say Kitchen magic can be an example of crafting itself being magical as oppose to the end object or in art art therapy you have the rock garden designs where the act of creating a design in the sand has an affect on the self, the design is immediately erased afterwards..

[RussianTadpoles]

The only thing I could think of while watching this video is the part of The Icewind Dale Trilogy where Bruenor crafts the hammer for Wulfgar. The detail and time it goes over with the process of making, and the natural magic that seems to come just from making the hammer and carving the runes was awesome. It really put magical crafting in a new light for me. It's not an essential part of the magic system, it is in The Forgotten Realms after all, but it's a really cool piece of the overall puzzle.

[anicrue]

When I write, I often dislike what I create. But in that moment, between being mortal and flawed, and a creator of something enduring and divine, I feel only exultation in my craft. I enter a trance and speak with both my mind and my muse alike, listening to and contemplating them in every moment. I do not cease, I do not tire, and I do not exist beyond the words begging for form as I spin tales from fibres alone.

It's nice to see that discussed as a form of and conduit for magic. I hadn't considered it much before, but now I want to redesign my current fantasy D&D world around the premise of "Magic is Crafting" and pieces of "Magic from Crafting", so thank you!

[xxohanzeexx]

The circle of magic series is one of my all times favorites! A quick nit pick though (as someone who got into spinning from the series) Sandry uses a drop spindle for her earliest work because spinning wheels are just the same work done faster and in bulk, if she couldn't bring the fibers together on a drop spindle she wasn't going to on a spinning wheel. I'm a little sad it wasn't shown/metioned because drop spindle work looks more like magic to me than spinning wheel work. Spinning wheels are big treadle machines that look like they could do something as fantastical as spinning in a fabricated and non magical manner, but drop spindles are just very oddly shaped tops that with a steady hand and a quick spin magically make thread out of a pile of wool fibers.

[thatcat]

I love this robot dude. Also anyone else know that the black bits in his eyes are suppose to be the eyelids, but you just can’t unsee him being super tired or bored?