Post by Garrett WollmanPost by -dsr-If you want "believable" to go with "magic", you need to posit a logical
reason for magic to work.
There are, I think, three: theological, technological, and simulation.
You left out (4) physics.
Of course, such an explanation usually has to explain how it can be
that the secondary world is *so* much like our own and yet has
radically different laws of physics. And almost invariably
encompasses some form of dualism, even if it's not a theological one.
Is there anything on Earth that expresses duality better than a mirror?
A mirror's magic attracts small children who intuitively understand the
force in mirrors.
"The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag" (RAH) uses mirrors to
incorporate standard spellbound symbolism into the story. The story's
mirrors function as portals to different reality or dimension.
Surrealism Through the Mirror of Magic
... The force of magic flows in two directions. One we may call
"energetic magic", and the other, "ritual magic". ...
... The imagination and magic are innately connected through
a use of matter as metaphor-matter’s ability to represent
something else. ...
... Taboo has more power than mana, because taboo things contain
power and elicit fear and the opprobrium of shunning. ...
https://rmc.library.cornell.edu/surrealismandmagic/essay.html
2. Mirror magic and power
Mirrors are peculiar objects associated with peculiar, uncanny
experiences. Myths and superstitions about mirrors abound.
Alice in Wonderland aside, stories involving mirrors are
typically unsettling. Mirrors are seen as providing more than
mere reflections, casting souls and spirits, endowed with the
potential power to trap them. For example, Narcissus lost him-
self in his own reflection and a spell of 7 years of
unhappiness is casted onto those breaking a mirror. Mirrors
surrounding a corpse are carefully draped, because it is said
that anybody whose reflection is casted with a corpse will
die soon after. After the burial of a familiar member,
observant Jews sit Shiva (in mourning). During this time all
mirrors are covered. In vampire stories, mirrors are powerful
instruments for deciding who is alive and who is already dead.
Meanwhile, in reality, mirrors do serve as instruments for
deciding whether someone is alive or not, placing one close
to the mouth to see if it collects the mist of a breath.
http://www.psychology.emory.edu/cognition/rochat/lab/The%20uncanny%20mirror%20-%20A%20reframing%20of%20mirror%20self-experience[1].pdf
☮
Thank you,
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