Fantasy does not indicate magic

By thatcrazyrainbowguy

I don't know why I feel this is important, though I want to share it with everyone. I believe people use these terms almost interchangeably, but in my belief, they have very distinct meanings. Sure, magic is fantasy, but fantsay is not always magic (and in the majority of times it isn't).

Let's look at magic. Magic is what Harry Potter is all about. It's about wands and sorcery, and using some kind of invisible "force" to create exertion. Yet, magic is also fantasy because it includes things that are not only fake, but abnormally fake. It is also fantasy because of the idea that something is created virtually out of nothing. Sure, there is a "force" that causes an "exertion" of something, but this "force" is created by a natural object or being (albeit a wand or a human controlling a wand). But, magic separates from fantasy in that it is a "supernatural force" someone or something (of real or fantasy creation) exert upon the world.

The question is: do you believe in magic? If you do, then magic is still fantasy if it is used to create something that cannot exist. For magic to exist, someone or something must exert the force that causes magic to happen. Most people believe this "force" is a fantasy in itself, but for those who believe in it, must prove it. Only then can magic be considered remotely "real." However, magic can still be considered a fantasy even if proven to be a real force. For example, magic creating a pegasus out of thin air (a creature whose existence is fake) would most certainly be fantasy without a doubt, because Pegasus only exists as an idea, not a body of biological matter. However, if you believe in magic that can cause exertion of something real in our world (such as moving an object from point A to point B), then it could very well be real, as long as the "force" and "exertion" are proven and explained.

Still, the general consensus would likely argue magic is a fantasy and not a reality, thus answering "no" to the above question of "Do you believe in magic?" With fantasy and imagination, the force is the "someone" itself who creates a piece of fiction and throws it into their own world of reality. This can happen either with or without a supernatural force.

Fantasy is a much larger topic. Fantasy can contain magic, but in reality, magic takes up such a small amount of fantasy. Fantasy includes natural creatures like unicorns, dragons, and goblins. These creatures are not always magic, but are rather existing in a made up world, similar to us humans although we are real. If you call our first existence magical (which could very well be the case), then the creatures may have been created by magic. However, unless these creatures create a "force" that causes "exertion," they are no longer magical. Dragons breathe fire as a natural idea to their existence and unicorns have horns because that is the way they are. While magic can cause these things, it is extraneous to the fact that these creatures exert their own power from a natural cause rather than a supernatural force.

In other words, fantasy basically encompasses everything that cannot exist in our own world. It doesn't ask questions like science fiction asks if aliens are real, it just basically brings things into existence to the same degree that we were brought into existence, without knowing. Therefore, fantasy is completely natural. The creatures in Harry Potter like house elves, pixies, phoenixes, and such, represent fantasy. New pieces of nature that have not yet existed can also be considered fantasy (like pink clouds for example).

But there have been debates in the past. Obviously fantasy isn't real, and if something was deemed real (like a unicorn for example) which was formerly a fantasy, it becomes a reality, and is no longer (and never was) a fantasy. Fantasy means it is fake, though beyond our realm of fakeness (an alternate realm of fakeness where creation prevails).

Basically, fantasy and imagination are interchangeable, but not fantasy and magic. Fantasy relies on the internal belief of creation, while magic is external, representing a creation using force to cause an exertion (possibly another fantasy itself). Magic is a spawnage of creation, and possibly a fantasy. Magic could even be a fantasy immersing and creating a new fantasy. Magic reinforces the idea of fantasy, but fantasy does not always ensue magic. Whatever it may be, these two terms are not the same. Harry Potter weighs heavier on magic (winguardian leviosa, flying cars), but it has aspects of fantasy in it (dragons, phoenixes).

Although fantasy doesn't exist, and magic is debatable but generally has not been proven to exist, they create real ideas. Fantasy creates new imaginative matter, while magic literally creates matter (if the process of the exerted force proved true then magic would be real, but it just so happens the idea of magic is a creation of fantasy). Until magic is proven to be real, it will always be a fantasy, and will continue to be a fantasy if used in context of creating another fantasy.