The famous sigil of the great wizard Elminster Aumar.
Mage sigils,[1][2][3] also called signature runes,[3][4][5] personal runes,[1][2] mage-runes,[2][4] mages' sigils,[4][5] or arcane marks[6] were sigils designed by wizards to mark their possessions, sign their names on messages, or otherwise associate something with themselves.[1][2][3][4][5][6] They were often—though not always—triggers for magical spells.[1][2][3][4][5] Over time, common folk, being illiterate, would come to recognize the symbol of the most famous mages.[4]
A wizard's rune played a role in many magical spells. For example, the sigil was used in the casting of any symbol spells[2][4] and in many other spells that required a writing component,[4] such as explosive runes,[2] sepia snake sigil,[2] fire trap,[2] or glyphs of warding.[3] A wizard could create a magical version of the personal sigil with the arcane mark spell.[6]
Once created, wizards were not supposed to alter their personal rune,[2][4] though some long-living mages might go through several.[1]
'Tis never, ever, wise to deceive.
No two mage sigils were identical,[1][2] and using another mage's sigil was generally frowned upon and likely to result in punishment from a more powerful wizard.[3][4] More importantly, the goddess Mystra herself was said to place a curse[1][2][7]—administered by Azuth[1]—on any person intentionally misusing a wizard's sigil for personal gain. This three-fold curse could result in weakening,[1][7] loss of intelligence,[1][7] or the appearance of a glowing apparition of Azuth boldly exclaiming that the writing of the symbol was "falsely done!" This apparation could sometimes remain for days, pointing out the offender.[1] Alternatively, some reported the loss of the abilitiy to cast the usual number of spells in a given day, a punishment that last for one month.[7] Modern scholars rejected the idea of the Curse of Mystra as a silly folktale, insisting that such bogus claims were only made by wizards to scare others.[3]
Appendix[]
See Also[]
- Elder rune
- Harper's mark
Gallery of Mages' Sigils[]
Further Reading[]
- Ed Greenwood (October 2012). Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 181. ISBN 0786960345.
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood (1990). Forgotten Realms Adventures. (TSR, Inc), pp. 43–44. ISBN 0-8803-8828-5.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 27. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (August 1987). “Cyclopedia of the Realms”. In Karen S. Martin ed. Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.), pp. 57–58. ISBN 0-88038-472-7.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Anthony Herring, Jeff Grubb (1993). Player's Guide to the Forgotten Realms Campaign. (TSR, Inc.), p. 62. ISBN 1-56076-695-6.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Rob Heinsoo, Logan Bonner, Robert J. Schwalb (September 2008). Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 142. ISBN 978-0-7869-4929-8.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 28. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.