Fate and fortune
Ideas of how far life is set in advance, and how far a person can change it, shaping what people ask of magic.
Also: destiny, fortuna, moira, kismet, karma
Traditions differ sharply on this. Greek thought had Moira, the portion allotted even to gods, and Romans honoured Fortuna, a goddess of chance. Islamic theology debates qadar, divine decree, and everyday speech uses maktub and kismet. Hindu and Buddhist ideas of karma tie circumstance to past action, while Norse sources speak of the Norns who set a person's course. Where fate is thought fixed, divination asks what it is, and magic may be seen as an attempt to bend it. Where fortune is thought open, charms and rites are used to improve odds. Anthropologists find that people often hold both views at once.