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Today\u2019s blog post is the second in a series about our visit to the 2023 Alabama Renaissance Faire.\u00a0 Last week\u2019s post was about the gentleman portraying the Italian astronomer Galileo.\u00a0 This week\u2019s post is about a gentleman acting as a wizard.\u00a0 Or perhaps he is an actual wizard?<\/strong><\/p>\n When researching the history of wizards I came across more than one image of this same gentleman.\u00a0 At first I thought it might be different men but wearing the same costume.\u00a0 But it seems that this man can be recognized by his gaze as well as his costume. That\u2019s why I wondered if this man is an excellent actor or an actual wizard.<\/strong><\/p>\n Just what is a wizard?\u00a0 There are many synonyms for the word as well as several definitions.\u00a0 Dictionaries agree on the most common definitions of a magician or sorcerer or a person of amazing skill or accomplishment.\u00a0\u00a0 Synonyms include medium, fortuneteller, occultist, seer, witch, warlock, as well as magician and sorcerer.<\/strong><\/p>\n Let\u2019s consider the definitions and synonyms that pertain to the Renaissance period in history.<\/strong><\/p>\n Before the Renaissance, which is generally described between the 14th<\/sup> and 17th<\/sup> Centuries, magic was considered witchcraft and had a very negative connotation.\u00a0 However, during the 15th<\/sup> and 16th<\/sup> Centuries attitudes and beliefs about magic were changing.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n This attitude change can be realized in the writings of the time. \u00a0In Medieval times magic was written about mainly as fantasies and fictional activities.\u00a0 However, during the Renaissance magic was seen and written about as a more complex issue that could explain things that science could not, a form of hidden knowledge that could be found in rituals and writings.<\/strong><\/p>\n A few authors that highlight this change in attitude include C.S. Lewis, Spencer, Chapman and even Shakespeare.\u00a0\u00a0 Pico della Mirandola, an Italian nobleman and philosopher, studied under a Rabbi who insisted that the study of magic was an important stage in one\u2019s intellectual and spiritual education.<\/strong><\/p>\n Do crystals have magical powers as the wizard believes when he holds it out for me to view? Will his hooded cape protect him from the evil that may exist where he ventures?\u00a0 Is he a real magician or an actor costumed as a Renaissance Wizard?<\/strong><\/p>\n I don\u2019t know what the answers are to the questions above.\u00a0 What I do know is that this gentleman spotted me taking pictures at the Renaissance Faire in Florence, Alabama and struck a pose.\u00a0 He then held that pose until I put my camera down at which time he turned and slowly walked off.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n There will be a few more blog entries about our visit to the Alabama Renaissance Faire in the coming weeks.\u00a0 Be sure to bookmark this site to read those entries and find links to the accompanying images.<\/strong><\/p>\n